One of the great things about homeschooling is not having to start the new school year in mid-August. While we're watching all of our friends post those back to school pics, or having to make last minute changes because their kids got let out of school unexpectedly due to excessive heat, homeschool families have the choice of when to start back. Many of us enjoy posting "not-back-to-school" pics as a way to relish the moment. For homeschool families, summer can last a whole extra month if they want. Fall doesn't begin until the third week of September. If you're one of those families that likes to soak up the last days of summer, here are a lot of great ways to make memories before hitting the books again. 1. Visit a Metropark you haven't been to yet. There are 18 different reservations within the Cleveland Metroparks, and there are also some in other counties such as Lake and Summit. Check out one you've never been to before. They are all unique and amazing. Cleveland Metroparks, Lake Metroparks, Summit Metroparks 2. Try a new local ice cream shop. There are tons of locally owned and operated ice cream and custard places. One of our favorites is Rosati's Frozen Custard in Northfield. They have daily special flavors so you can go on their website and pick the day you want to try something yummy. Click here for more info: Rosati's Frozen Custard 3. Take a family bike ride in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Every year in August, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers free rides for kids with the purchase of an adult ticket. And they offer Bike Aboard, where you can take your bikes and get off at any point to ride the paths. Click here for more info: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad 4. Visit the Lakeshore. Once kids go back to school, places like the Lakeshore get a little less crowded. This is the perfect time to go. Head to Lakefront for the Monarch migration to see if you can spot any of the lovely Monarch butterflies. Or, take a kite and have a family picnic. Or head to Huntington Reservation in Bay Village for a peaceful stroll. Click here for more info: Cleveland Metroparks 5. Go berry picking. Blackberries and raspberries are good for picking until mid to late September. This is a fun family activity. Rosby's Berry Farm in Brooklyn Heights is a great place to go. Click here for more info: Rosby's Berry Farm 6. Visit the zoos or museums. A weekday visit to the zoo or the museums is awesome after most kids go back to school because they're not crowded. Enjoy a quiet, relaxing visit that you can do at your own pace. 7. Discover a new playground. If you're bored of your typical go-to, there are a ton of great parks and playgrounds that all offer unique settings. Click here to view our list of some of our favorites: Parks & Playgrounds 8. Stay home and put on the sprinkler. The lazy days of summer include just having a fun day at home. Turn on that sprinkler and throw on those suits before it's too cold for this fun activity. Grab some popsicles for taking a break in the shade. 9. Visit the West Side Market. The market has a ton of things to offer including locally harvested produce. Weekday hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 am to 4 pm and Fridays from 7 am to 6 pm. Click here for more info: West Side Market 10. Have a cookout and invite other homeschool families. What better way to celebrate not going back to school, than to share the fun with other homeschooling families. Plan a late summer cookout and invite friends over to play!
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You know why you want to homeschool. You know the reasons why most people choose to homeschool. But there are many other reasons, too. Recently, www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com posted 20 reasons that most people might not think of, written by Erin Vincent of Nourishing My Scholar. We thought it was a pretty cool list, so we're sharing it with you. 1. Managing nutritional needs: If your child has allergies, or your family doesn't eat sugar or dairy or gluten, etc, trying to manage that while they're away from you is hard. But if their home it's so much easier. And, all three meals become a more intimate family bonding experience. 2. Medical requirements: If your child has a chronic illness, a disability, or a birth defect, giving them the space they need that meets them where they are is so much easier and less stressful for them and for you. 3. Special needs: If your child has a special need, it may not be easily addressed at school. No IEP meetings when you're homeschooling. You pick the therapists, and you're directly involved with their day to day needs. 4. Freedom from the public school schedule: Many public school systems start in mid August, a month before summer is actually over. As a homeschooling family, you can choose to enjoy those precious good weather days. Plus, you can get up when you want, make your own schedule, and do activities during the day that you can't do if the kids are at school. 5. Travel is easier: If a parent is traveling for work, you can travel with them without "missing school." If you want to take a vacation mid-school year, you can. Your school can go with you or you can just take time off. 6. Sick days: If your child is ill, they can still have opportunities for learning because they learn from home. They don't have to miss a whole day. 7. Time: Homeschoolers have the time to enjoy their childhood. They have time to explore, to just be in the moment. They have time to indulge their interests. And parents have time to enjoy this with them. 8. Learning at their own pace: With homeschooling, children can learn at their own pace. There's less pressure to meet grade level benchmarks within a certain period of time. Homeschooling is more fluid. 9. Different learning styles: Every child is unique. While many children can accommodate the "traditional learning style of public education, it may not be their ideal. And many children struggle with it. They have a different learning style. Homeschooling makes room for that. 10. The ability to move & play: Homeschooling gives children the freedom to move about. They're not stuck at a desk all day. They can have more than 20 minutes or recess or gym. Movement and play can be incorporated into the learning experience too, by going to the park or museums. For children who have ADHD or other learning challenges, movement can help them greatly improve their ability to focus on learning material. 11. Individualized learning: Homeschoolers don't have to learn the same things at the same time as their age level peers. They have the freedom to explore what they want to learn. 12. Talents & extracurriculars: On a homeschool schedule, kids have more time to pursue their passions, whether they be sports or arts. And they don't have to have practices only in the evenings. Many programs offer homeschool hours during the day. 13. Families spend more time together: Siblings can learn together, have more quality time together, and kids get more nurturing time with parents. 14. Bullying can be better managed: You can't completely shield your child from bullying with homeschooling unless you choose an antisocial lifestyle. It's out there. It will happen. And dealing with it to some degree is good. It teaches them resilience and how to manage conflict with many different types of people. But as a homeschooling parent, you are there. You can be involved and on top of it in a way that is difficult if your kid goes to public school. 15. No labels: You can if you choose, to completely forego labeling, or manage your use of it to suit your goals. 16. Learning disabilities: If your child has a learning disability, you can address it with one on one time, a focused approach and tailored support. 17. Celebrating differences: While it may not be the culture in public school to praise difference, as a homeschooler, this is often encouraged. Individuality, uniqueness, cultural difference can be celebrated. It's a great learning experience! 18. Sleep: Kids need sleep and the early morning grind can be horrible for the whole family. What's the use of forcing learning on a child that is exhausted? Let them sleep. They have the rest of their lives to be rushing around. 19. Teaching how to learn, and the love of learning: Learning isn't memorizing for a test. It is a lifelong, joyous pursuit. As a homeschooler, children get the precious opportunity to learn to love learning for learning's sake. That's something they will take with them into adulthood. 20. Every day can be field trip day: Learning can happen anywhere and sometimes it happens better out in the world, experiencing things instead of learning from a book or a screen. It's called experiential learning and it can give your lesson plan lots of color!
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