Summer is almost here!  My kids know that their teacher-mommy will have lots of “summer school” type activities lined up for them.  Most oldest will be spending time reading and practicing math facts.  My youngest has just learned to read on her own and can’t get enough of it!  I also have some great sight word practice activities for her to work on.  Don’t get me wrong, there will plenty of time for swimming, parks, zoo trips, and just taking it easy in the backyard.

This summer I’m super excited for summer school!  We are trying something new at my house. Through The lens is an online writing course for kids, incorporating photography.  My kids both enjoy writing and were excited about the idea of taking pictures to add to their journals.  I’ve shared about my love for keeping learning “real” and engaging for kids.  Mariah’s Playful Learning website is just that.  It’s real and engaging. 

I took an online course over at Playful Learning earlier this year and LOVED it!  Mariah and the group formed through her online course, inspired many of my projects over the past few months.

Remember the new art area?  The high quality materials have made a huge difference in my kids’ excitement level when it comes to art.

The book slings I made were a hit with my daughter.  This was one of Mariah’s  suggestions for creating a reading nook for kids.

The writing center was inspired by one of Mariah’s links.

These are just a few of the many inspirations from Playful Learning.

My favorite subject to teach at school is writing.  I love teaching in a workshop model, having kids write books, poems, recipes, and letters.  I like to think I do a pretty good job at encouraging my kids to write at home, but there comes a time when my kids are done listening to mom’s suggestions. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see how they respond to this online course.  I would really love it if you’d join us!  If you have kids, between the ages of 6-12, go check out this course!

Happy writing!