4 Fun Ways to Keep Educating Over the Summer

1. Go outside. Yes, really. If you have a yard, get a field guide to local plants, birds, and other animals. Take the kids out in the backyard and make a game of how many plants, birds, etc., they can identify. Once they identify an organism, use the internet to learn some facts about it. Starting with three is good—you can build toward more later if your kids enjoy it. They’ll learn to identify local wildlife and learn facts about God’s creation while thoroughly enjoying themselves.

   They’ll learn to identify local wildlife and learn facts about God’s creation while thoroughly enjoying themselves.

   If you don’t have a yard (or much of one), find a local park or wildlife preserve and do the same thing. If you can’t afford field guides (some of them are not cheap, although getting them pre-owned can reduce the cost), there are apps you can download on your phone that you can use to approximately identify organisms. I often use one of these to identify plants and small animals. I have a separate app I use to identify bird calls. None of these cost a dime. If your phone has a decent camera and microphone, you can easily identify dozens of plants and animals without much effort.

2. If you have a child interested in astronomy, invest in a telescope with a camera. The upfront cost can be prohibitive, but you can get them pre-owned online or sometimes even free at local marketplaces through social media or other website listings. Find out when astronomical events are likely to occur (Dr. Danny Faulkner, our resident astronomer, often writes blogs about major ones), and set up the telescope so that you can observe them. This may require modifying bedtime (especially for younger children), but it is absolutely worth it. If you don’t know much about astronomy, consider picking up Dr. Faulkner’s The New Astronomy Book. It’s written at a lay level and can help you explain the beauty of the heavens to your children.
3. You can do a lot of simple experiments in your home. There is a wide range of possibilities in different areas of science that you can use. We sell a book with 77 activities designed to be safely performed at home or in a Sunday school classroom. But you can get many ideas online too. Many of these experiments use items already in your house and won’t cost you a cent. For others, the cost ranges from a few to possibly tens of dollars. Money is tight for everyone right now, but none of them should break the bank.

4. Give your kids good books and require them to read them. It sounds cliché, but find books that suit your child’s interests and have them read away. I learned a lot more about science by reading books and papers than I ever did in a classroom. For most subjects, there are excellent books available for your children to enjoy. For younger children, it might be good to vet the books in advance or get them from authors/ministries you trust. Older children can probably be introduced to more difficult themes and be required to critically evaluate the material. You can even mix theology books in, matching your theological preference to help your children grow spiritually. It might help some children to write a one- or two-page report summarizing the main points of the book they just finished. Others may not need extra encouragement to ensure they read.

As we head into the school-free months, it’s important that your children’s education not stop. This article has provided a few ideas, but it’s your home, your family, and your kids. Feel free to modify these ideas however you need in a way that best suits your needs. Hopefully, these ideas will help you keep the learning going over the summer months.