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Greetings!

Deborah Wuehler and family

What some call summer fun outdoors, homeschool moms call homeschooling outside. Why? Because we watch the children learn and grow through what they experience on a daily basis -- whether that is in the house in front of a book or outside digging for worms. Our kids live a full life when they are given the time to investigate their world and engage in creative play.

Work is also good for kids, and summertime is a great time to get out and work. Some days our kids are seen digging a trench from the front yard around to the backyard in order to put water pipes in the ground for a sprinkler system. They are learning to fix bikes themselves, learning how to marinade and barbecue meats, learning to fix a tree swing, how to set up a tent, and how to feed a baby bird.

Sometimes the working is just as satisfying as the playing. When they are outdoors, there are so many possibilities for both. Many times, the kids will play outside, and then we will look things up when we get inside. The learning never stops. From birth to death, we have been given the gift of life to live, learn, and explore just who God is and why He made what He made. I found a children's hymn that I love that sums up why we were made--here is a bit of the lyrics:

Why was a cup made?
To have a drink inside it.
Why was a shoe made?
To have a foot inside it.
Why was an envelope made?
To have a letter inside it.
Why were you and I made?
To have God's life in us.  

Our purpose is to hold the life of God within us, just like a hand in a glove. We are useless without Him. Maybe if we teach our kids this truth this summer--through all their work and play--they won't need to learn much else.

And what is Mom doing this summer? I would guess that you are doing like me and probably planning the academics for this next school year. At least that is the plan, but this mom has been living too much life this year to plan the next yet. Maybe next week. I have the greatest ideas of how and what I am going to do next year, if I could just break away from the work and play to get it all down on paper. I know though, that as I wait to make my plan, I am bathing it all in prayer. Since we are nothing without Him, we need His guidance in what to put in our kids that will draw them ever closer to their Savior next year. When you think about next year's academics, think about this question: "Why were you and I made?" and then let the answer be evident in your plans for the coming school year.

God bless you and your families as you continue to keep your children Home Where They Belong.

~Deborah

TOS Senior Editor

SeniorEditor@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com

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Diana Waring

Oh, yes!  Let's homeschool outside!!

But, wait, let me clarify what I just said.  If you are living in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer right now . . . so, you are probably taking a break, right?  Whew, good!!  For a moment, I thought you were going to say, "Oh, no, we didn't finish everything we were supposed to do in school this year so we're going to keep going until it's all done!!"

You and I both know that's not a good idea.  Think about it for a minute.  Do you remember how delightful, how refreshing, how reinvigorating it was as a kid to take a break from the normal routine of school to enjoy the activities of summer?  The fishing and swimming, the bike riding and pleasure reading, the adventure of mountains and beaches, the fun of grandparents and cookouts . . . Makes you want to go back to being a kid again, right? 

Well, your kids are kids.  And they need a break.  And, dear friend, so do you.  If Momma ain't happy . . . you know the drill.

And, if you require a scientific, research-centered, academic reason for taking a break, here's a great one:  breaks are good for the brain. Let me say it again. These wholesome and relational activities are fabulous for building a better, more connected brain!  It will put a new zest for life, as well as an increased hunger for learning, in you and your children.  It will provide fantastic fodder for creative writing, for science experiments, for art lessons, you name it, during the next school year.

So, back to this week's topic:  homeschool outside?  Absolutely, if it is the summer version that looks somewhat like this:

• Watching butterflies flit from flower to flower

• Making homemade ice cream and eating it outside

• Sitting in or under a tree and reading a fun new book from the library

• Drawing doodles with giant colored chalk on the sidewalk

• Anything else that your kids think sounds wonderful

The way to do this summer version of homeschool outdoors is to simply provide a number of different fun options that you recognize they will probably enjoy, and then say, "How would you like to spend your morning?"

Stay relational!

Diana