25 Fun things to do in your homeschool this summer

Who needs textbooks and lesson plans in the summer time?  Here's 25 fun things to do this summer that will still sneak in science, nature, math, reading, PE, history and more.

1. Stay up late and stargaze in the back yard.  Bring a constellation guide and see how many constellations you can find.
2. Try this fun daytime astronomy craft to help with the constellation ID.  Glue glow-in-the-dark pony beads to cardstock in the patterns of constellations. 
3. Plant a variety of types of sunflowers and track their growth.  See if they really do turn their heads to face the sun once they flower.
4. Play math games with chalk on the driveway.  For instance, draw big circles and write numbers in each circle.  Have the kids hop to the right answer.
5. Visit a historic site like the Jeffers Petroglyphs, which hosts educational programs for kids each weekday at 2 p.m. during the summer.
6. Participate in a charity walk or run.
   
7. Propagate plants as many ways as you can.  For instance, plant marigold seeds, divide irises, try rooting cuttings of geraniums and if you're really ambitious try grafting roses.
8. Attend an outdoor play like Shakespeare in the park or Walnut Grove's "Fragments of a Dream."
9. Take part in the library's summer reading program.
   
10. Make some toad houses in the yard.  Here's information and inspiration on how to make toad houses, how to catch toads and more.
11. Take part in Firefly Watch.  You'll learn a lot and help scientists.
12. Go on nature hikes in as many locations as you can.
13. Time the kids running around the block each day.  See how much they can improve their times by the end of the summer.  Figure out what percent improvement they've each made.
14. Teach the kids how to make bread.  It's a great study of yeast and it's frugal and healthy!
15. Take part in a summer rec program like T-ball, soccer or swim team.
16. Start a bird list and set a goal for identifying a certain number of species by the end of the season.
17. Plan and build something.  Whether it's a tree house or a bird house, drawing up the plans will develop skills like measuring, determining area and budgeting.
18. Help the kids set up a lemonade stand.
    
19. Set up a fun reading nook outside, like in a tree (a bucket on a rope helps send supplies up and down) or hammock.
20. Look at pond water under the microscope.
    
21. Go to the Farmers' Market and buy something you've never tried before.  Also get a variety of one food (like various colors and types of tomatoes) and do a taste test.
22. Explore a cave.
    
23. Set up the tent in the back yard and homeschool in it.  Play educational games, read aloud and otherwise move the learning someplace more magical.
24. Make ice cream in a bag on the front lawn.  Be sure to go over the science behind it (such as why the ice is added to the salt).
25. Grow something historic in your garden.  Read through any heirloom seed catalog and you'll read all sorts of fascinating stories about the seeds they offer.  Let each child pick one kind and also plant something modern to compare it with at the end of the season (which ones tasted better?  Had better yields?  Resisted pests and drought better?).  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds not only has great GMO-free historic seeds, but they're a sustainable company and they're second generation homeschoolers!

This is obviously just a drop in the bucket of fun ways to learn and play in the summer time.  Look for more in upcoming lists this summer!