As the temperatures warm up and the summer sun beckons you to come play outdoors, many homeschoolers hear the same question: Do you consider yourself a year-round homeschooler or do you take a summer break?  

Either way, learning never stops, and one of our volunteers has stopped by to share some inspiration and a story with us that we feel resonates with all homeschoolers, no matter your journey.  

There are a million and one things to learn outside of curriculum and school, whatever form that takes, even during the months of summer fun.  Instilling a love of learning in our children is a common theme among parents, but sometimes we need a little inspiration and reassurance.  There are a myriad of creative ways to incorporate learning into your summer that doesn’t feel like school and fosters an environment of lifelong curiosity.  I’m not going to give you a list of ideas, activities, books, or shows to teach your kids over the summer that doesn’t feel like school.  There are countless options to find those resources.  Instead, I’m going to tell you a story that I hope helps you reflect on your homeschool journey, on those moments that made you feel like a one-in-a-million homeschooling parent.

Have you experienced one of those shining moments where you catch your child doing something that just makes you glow inside?  One of the moments that makes you feel like you’ve got this homeschooling thing down.  A moment that gives you the reassurance you crave that homeschooling is right for your family.  A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those moments.  My husband and I were working out in the yard, and our oldest kid came over to share what her younger brother was doing.  It was one of those do you know what your child is doing moments?  Our youngest child is our wild child.  He is active, innovative.  He is the one in our family that causes alarm bells to go off when we hear do you know what he is doing.  My husband and I paused and braced ourselves for what we were about to hear.  We were surprised.

It was still early in the morning, probably around 9am, and the temperature was hovering around 70 degrees.  Our son had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to get into the pool.  Of course, we have house rules about the pool, and he was definitely pushing the limits on those rules.  He’s one of those charming people with a quick wit that can talk himself out of anything.  So, there he is relaxing in the pool on a float.  Living his best life.  With an outdoor speaker setup blasting a podcast.  An American history podcast.  About Aaron Burr.  It. Was. A. Series.  How could I even be mad?!  He’s crafty.

My husband and I just looked at each other and smiled.  Learning was happening.  He was engrossed in the story of Aaron Burr for the following week.  It was completely unprompted by us.  We were ecstatic.  There are plenty of times where our kids are not at all interested in what we are trying to teach them.  It happens.  Those moments of innate curiosity that come to fruition are what keep us going. 

If you are curious what podcast series you can add to your homeschool? Check out our members’ favorites on our Facebook page.

We welcome you to share your stories of inspiring moments when homeschooling seemed to click. And as for the rest of the summer, whether you’re continuing through lessons, taking a much needed break, or something in between, we encourage you to seek out those small moments of learning that are happening all around you!