12 Warm Weather Learning Tips

Sponsored by
Connections Academy

• Plan regular break times to go for a walk, play catch or just breathe fresh air.  This is a wonderful opportunity for heart to heart discussions, and to learn more about each other. Learning isn't always about the books!
• Add bright colors to the learning area with colorful pictures or a few fresh picked early blossoms.  Make a bouquet of hydrangeas or cut some fresh mint.
• Have a picnic with your kids. Between sandwiches and cookies, talk to them about their interests and abilities so you can align your teaching to their aptitudes and at the same time, capitalize on warm weather fun. After all, students learn best when lessons match their interests and abilities. Your child can actually get a free personalized learning plan tailored to his or her unique strengths and abilities by enrolling in a tuition-free Connections Academy online public school, a homeschooling alternative -- an accredited school from home with certified teachers, proven curriculum, free learning materials, extracurricular activities, field trips and more! Even if you want just one or two online courses to supplement what you are currently teaching, National Connections Academy virtual private school offers over 500 classes complete with an experienced teacher!
• Exemplify a geometry lesson with nature! Why do some flowers and plants respond differently to wind? A main reason is the geometry of the stem. A round stem can bend but cannot twist easily. With a little help from the Internet, you can make an entire geometry lesson investigating the plants outside.
• Use the interests your kids mentioned above and encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities and join clubs! To capitalize on warm weather fun, baseball, swimming, camping, etc., are all fun and educational. For instance, learn about the science of baseball by learning how gravity, velocity, and air pressure impact the baseball. Also, Connections Academy offers numerous educational club opportunities for full-time students including Chess Club, Math Club, Robotics, Science in the Kitchen, Poetry and many more. All kids in grades K--8 can even participate in fun online clubs to learn more about the things that interest them over the summer through Camp Connections which can be purchased individually through National Connections Academy--check it out!
• On a daily note, start your kid's studies early in the morning and then finish lessons before the outdoors becomes too tempting. Or take a mid-afternoon break and return to lessons later in the day. Isn't flexibility great?
• Finish an extra lesson Monday--Thursday to make Friday a free day or an outside learning adventure day.  Either way, use the interests they mentioned earlier and really have FUN on your extra day!
• Go on at least two field trips. Besides just being a blast, field trips are excellent opportunities to meet other parents, students and teachers face-to-face as well as provide an opportunity to supplement what your children are learning in daily lessons. For example, learn about amusement park physics before you ride the roller coaster! Connections Academy offers numerous field trips throughout the year that are both educational and enjoyable. Their community coordinators, parents, and teachers arrange trips to venues such as: museums, historic sites, botanical gardens, state parks, state capitals, and more!
• Grab the books and study outside.  After all, it's just as easy to read a history book under a tree as it is to read one on the living room sofa! Maybe use outside time as an incentive. Or just enjoy it because it's there!
• Look up at the stars to encourage some daydreaming. After all, famous inventors certainly daydreamed quite a bit before they changed the world! Chillin' on the trampoline, looking up at the sky on a beautiful evening--can't think of anything better for inspiring some creative thinking!
• Get silly and creative -- face paint, sidewalk chalk and bubbles are a great start. Everyone loves bubbles, but did you know that bubbles have three layers--a thin layer of water is between two layers of soap molecules? Get silly and learn something at the same time!
• Make plans for the summer to fill in any educational gaps that might have occurred this year and to prevent summer learning loss.  Determine if you're going to do the majority of the teaching, or if a tutor or distance school might be of assistance. National Connections Academy offers online summer courses for students in grades K--12 to catch up or get ahead and can certainly be of help in your homeschool endeavors.