Summer wears me out.  It’s all good, but whew am I ever ready to start school again by the time August rolls around!  I have tons to post about, so I thought I’d do a giant post and try to fit in as much as possible.  Hang on to your seats!

First, some exciting news from Shining Dawn Books – Click on the graphic to enter a GIVEAWAY by THIS FRIDAY. (Sorry for the late notice!  Don’t delay or you’ll be too late!)

You’ve been asking for it and it’s finally here…

I’ve recently posted a few reviews at The Curriculum Choice.  Click on the graphics to read the full reviews.

As a Charlotte Mason educator, some of our homeschool time is spent learning about artists and completing picture study. And, continuing in Charlotte Mason style, I try to only use living literature in our homeschool. Luckily, I’ve found several wonderful children’s books about artists including the Getting To Know the Great Artist Series and Smart About Art Series.

But my most favorite living art books are the Anholt Art Books for Children.

One resource I’ve used over and over again as I plan our history studies are A Kid’s Guide Books.

They are super for background information, hands-on ideas and project ideas – and have become the “spine” of my units many times. In other words, I’ve used these as my main unit planning books many times over.

It’s been awhile since I posted about favorite learning games, and since the lazy days of summer break mean more time for games, I’ve been reminded of some favorites. The 10 Days in … games have been popular with homeschoolers for several years now, and for good reason. Geography, logic, critical thinking and luck of the draw make these games exciting – and worthwhile educationally!

And here’s just a glimpse into the summer fun that’s making me so joyfully weary.

A nearby church hosted Big Daddy Weave for a free outdoor concert.  It was fabulous!  We were able to set up our lawn chairs on the front row, no farther than about 20-30 feet from the stage.  Once the concert started, they allowed people to stand up by the stage.  Our children stood at the foot of the stage the entire concert and loved every minute of it.  Great music, by the way!

We’ve been slacking off just a bit with nature walks since it’s been 90+ degrees with nearly 100% humidity most days.  I’ll be writing about this blackberry walk soon over at Shining Dawn Books.

Of course, horse riding never stops no matter the temperature (for my daughter and her grandpa anyway!)

At our church’s 4th of July party, we enjoyed a parent vs. youth baseball game.  Our church is moving closer towards family events rather than segregating the kids all the time.  (A decision I highly support!)  It’s so obvious how much children really do crave that family time when every age level is focused on a task together – even if it was just a baseball game this time around.

Swimming with friends is an obvious favorite!

Even though our garden was hit with both a vine borer (killing almost all our vine plants) AND powdery mildew (making the rest of the garden produce very poorly), I’ve still been busy canning, freezing and cooking yummy dishes.

Oh, and I’ve been serving on the Grand Jury for the past few months, too.  It’s been fascinating!

I hope you’re having a great summer!