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Homeschooling High School during Summer, Interview with Anita Gibson

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschooling High School during Summer, Interview with Anita Gibson.

Homeschooling High School during Summer, Interview with Anita Gibson

Homeschooling High School during Summer, Interview with Anita Gibson

All of life is education- even during the summer. However, that does not mean we have to pressure ourselves to overdo it finding ways to love EVERYTHING! Anyway, to talk about the “don’t waste your summer” dilemma, we asked our good friend, Anita Gibson, to share some wisdom.

Many of our listeners know Anita- she’s a regular guest! We love her warmth and rich experience. As you know, Anita Gibson is the author of one of our favorite books: StarFinder (about helping identify your child’s strengths). She is also an advisor for Homeschool Legal Defense and the founder of National Homeschool Advocacy (a group that brings wide-ranging resources under one roof).

Here are some tips from Anita on homeschooling high school during summer:

Tip #1: There should be times where we get to a period and stop

Sometimes we homeschool moms feel like we need to use the entire summer to catch up on “book academics” that we did not get to cover (or did not finish) during the school year. That is okay but there are times when you need to take a full break with NO educational pressure. Let everyone’s body and souls rest a bit.

Tip #2: Summer is a good time to get out of the box

Take time to have some fun that is just fun! (Remember in the Old Testament, there were times of feast and fun. We humans need that. Not only that, even God rested on the seventh day of creation.)

Rest is productive. Teens with rested brains will work better in the fall.  So, help them know the joy of quiet time. Summer is great for oases and places of rest. There is growth going on during rest.

Tip #3: Remember everything is not dependent on you

Give yourself a while to not think about curriculum, grades or plans. Give yourself a break for recuperation. You will have more umph in the fall semester if you had some no-homeschool time during the summer.

Tip #4: Allow teens to get bored

Try some time during the week to experiment with a few hours of no-screen time! Whether they believe it or not, it will be good for them to experience boredom. Being bored helps them develop their own initiative to find interesting things.

Tip #5: Still, there are things you can log as education for homeschooling high school during the summer

  • Trips to the library
    • Count the books for their book list
  • Family read alouds
    • Teens never outgrow this
  • Swimming
  • Hiking
  • Observing nature
  • Crafting
  • Creating a progressive story
    • Anita’s husband did this with their kids each evening.

Tip #6: However, remember to do this low key. Low key. Low key.

Teens learn so much in these low key ways. There are no tests or papers however, there was the joy of exploring and learning things our teens are interested in. That kind of learning stays with them.

Tip #7: Remember to model a life of learning

Allow yourself to be interested in reading, hiking, observing, crafting. Your interest and engagement models for your teens in ways that are so powerful that some of it will stick. Besides, YOU need some time to explore new things or engage in thing you love.

Tip #8: Help teens notice their passions as they engage the summertime adventures

Occasionally during the summer, have a chat with your teens. Ask them:

  • What has been interesting for them?
  • Are there other things they would like to explore?
  • What it feels like to make boredom work for them?

Log hours, but prioritize enjoyment!

Tip #9: On trips or vacations, gently find some educational angles

If you do not call it “educational hours” but simply having adventures doing new things, you can log some homeschooling high school during the summer without your teens really knowing it! 🙂

For instance, Anita and her family love beach vacations. They would make sure that they did some museum trips while at the shore. Not only that, but they even would spend an hour here and there at the local library simply reading and relaxing in the quiet. All of this learning was fun!

Also, her family (at her grown kids’ requests) have continued their annual trips to stay on a Mennonite farm in Lancaster. (SOOO many cultural and historical hours logged while experiencing family time together.)

Check out this post on how to log credit hours over them summer.

Tip #10: Remember that your homeschool high schoolers are unique

Every child, no matter what age is your homeschoolers are, it is okay for them to learn at their own pace. Therefore, we homeschool moms can be careful not to compare your teens to someone else’s homeschool high schoolers.

If you need some support for finding ways to catch the gaps and build educational programs for your teens, contact Anita through:

SO, if your teens are behind in their academics at the end of the school year, perhaps they need to spend a little of the summer catching up. However, make sure there is time for rest and fun. Also, give yourself permission to log hours on summertime natural learning. Then, Homeschool Mom, give YOURSELF a break.

Join Vicki and Anita for ideas and encouragement for homeschooling high school during summer. Also, you will be encouraged by our other conversations with Anita:

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The post Homeschooling High School during Summer, Interview with Anita Gibson appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

HSHSP_30_Homeschooling_in_the_Summer_with_Anita_Gibson_.mp3 (19:30, 23MB)

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