At the kids request (and secretly my own) we pretty much took the month of July off (with the exception of a heavy dose of reading and working through a writing workbook). My seven year old proudly declared he was ready to jump into our fourth grade math workbooks. Okay, buddy. Let’s go. So that’s my cue to get planning on how best to structure the math learning and everything else in between. I have a lot of things to consider in the coming weeks. Between extracurriculars (aka time in the car / away from the house), some virtual activities and fitting in my remote hours with my employer (not to mention our typical day-to-day responsibilities) I really don’t want a fall that’s overscheduled. There are several activities I’d love to get the kids into but last year’s COVID experience taught us a lot about what works and what doesn’t for our family.
For perspective, we’re about eighteen months into semi-quarantined life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been flexing my creative muscle in terms of keeping things fun and interesting around here. More on that with my August Family Fun Inspiration post.
The stress of the pandemic has been hard. This is what I’ve been hearing from other homeschoolers as well. But we are experts at free play and finding learning opportunities, so to keep us on track (and our minds active with fun things to do and learn) learning at home this summer makes sense.
For reference, both my kids are roughly at a second and fourth grade level. Many of the resources I’ve linked to reflect that.
Fun things about August
Fun fact! This month’s full moon (Sunday, August 22) is called the Sturgeon Moon. More moon facts.
Perseids Meteor Shower peaks August 12 – 13. Read more here.
Check out my August Family Fun Inspiration post.
Language arts
I am on the fence about purchasing Dart again this year. We read most of the titles last year but didn’t crack into the corresponding materials as much. It seemed to be a lot for us. But we’re currently going through the first book “The One and Only Bob” by Katherine Applegate. We like it so far. We watched the movie adaptation of the first book “The One and Only Ivan” on Disney+ a couple of weeks ago. For reference, the books in Bravewriter Dart series are targeted to ages 8-10.
Ohter tools that occupy our language arts toolbox:
- I will be pulling from Oak Meadow (2nd and 3rd grade) for inspiration.
- Visits to the local library on a weekly basis. The kids are devouring books and it’s the perfect learning tool.
- Podcasts. “Circle Round” from WBUR is a favorite.
- Poetry Tea Time
- Continued work in our Spectrum Writing Workbook (2nd grade) .
- Reading chart for the month of August. (Everyday-reading.com)
We like read-alouds (short stories, poems and chapter books) for Poetry Tea Time. If you’re new to the idea of “Poetry Tea Time” – it is AMAZING. Want an excuse to light candles, bake brownies and snuggle up with a cup of tea? Look no further.
Music
Music appreciation is a huge part of our every day. We have been mostly learning music through just listening to different styles, free play on the piano and exercises in identifying rhythm.
Movement
- Go Noodle – a fun app we found that helps to get the kids moving – perfect for rainy days!
- Wii Sports
- Playing outside
- Family hiking
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts are interwoven throughout our studies. But the kids like to disappear to our “art studio” to create things out of cardboard, paper and glue. I’d like the kids to have a continuous craft project to work on, so I have carved out Monday afternoons for this deeper dive.
Other experiences this month:
- sunflower paintings
- friendship bracelets
- perler beads
- felt sewing
Social emotional
Blank notebooks make great gratitude journals. At least twice a week, the kids draw a picture of their current mood and a few of the things they are grateful for.
Social studies
We just bought a new globe from Costco (found in the warehouse). We also purchased cheap day planners for the kids to start keeping track of their activities.
Health
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen and the kids help out a bunch around the house. We don’t have any learning going here that’s formal.
Science
The garden is in full swing and the kids have plenty to learn with us out in the yard. To keep things lively on the weekends, we’ll most likely do a Kiwi Crate box and or science experiments from the Magic School Bus Chemistry Lab.
Math
We’ve leveled up! We’re onto our fourth grade for math. And this month, we’ll be opening our new workbooks. I’m excited to see how it goes. We finished third grade math strong at the end of June. We were doing a few pages every day. I think we’ll ease into it this month and see how it goes.
We still love:
- Prodigy is an adventure-based math learning platform.
- LEGO challenge cards
- Math dice game – practice number combinations
- Math Tango
I’m still figuring out what our schedule will look like, but here’s an overview of what our typical week has looked like in the past:
Mondays: social emotional, arts and crafts
Tuesdays: health, language arts, social studies
Wednesdays: math and science
Thursdays: health, language arts, social studies
Weekend: math, music, family day
Other things:
For more family fun inspiration, check out my August list.
