Our 2022 Summer Learning Plan {week 23 lesson plan and recap}
Every week in 2022, I am sharing our real-life homeschool lesson plans. I also include a recap of the week prior, so that you can see what changed in real time. This week, I’m also including my loose learning plan for the summer. This is week 23 of the year.
I spent much of last week planning for summer.
I know, we are already a few weeks in, but things changed here pretty quickly when we added my oldest back into the mix. This is our first year having to transition my oldest in and out of our home in such a short period of time. For a couple of kids who crave routine and struggle with transitions, it has been more challenging than I expected. It’s clear that we need a plan and a ton of grace for our summer.
It’s time to adjust my expectations for the next 10 weeks of summer. Then, when my oldest returns to college, we will resume more focused individualized learning plans for my youngest.
Our 2022 Summer Learning Plan
I have been making summer learning plans for these two kids for years, so once I actually sat down and spent some time working through it, the plan itself was relatively easy to create. I stuck with interests that I know work for both kids and tried to add in opportunities for “summer vacation” fun.
Our revised summer learning plan includes:
- Ocean Study (this will count towards biology/life science for my youngest and is always a favorite interest for my oldest)
- Oldest “teaches” youngest using one YouTube video a day about something in history (my oldest loves history and is a history major in college, my youngest loves learning from him)
- Daily Wordle and Worldle Challenges (Worldle is a geography based daily puzzle)
- Adding in a second day and class at the private school for my youngest (this begins in July and will free me up to spend more one on one time with my oldest before he heads back to school in August)
- Friday “Fun Days” (I plan something for one or both that involves friends and/or a field trip)
- Lots of grace for everyone (I should’ve put this one at the top!)
You’ll see in our weekly recap below, I have already started to shift to this new learning plan. Next week is the last official week of my youngest son’s freshman year and then we will fully commit to summer learning. (I will also be sharing how I record our learning for the year on his high school transcript so stayed tuned…)
Last Week’s Homeschool Lesson Plans vs. Reality:
I am including some details about activities for both of my children. Although only my youngest is technically homeschooling, it just works better for all of us if I think about both boys in my plan.
Monday
THE PLAN
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- YouTube Video – his choice
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Drivers Ed Online
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
- Aquarium Store Visit (for Ocean Study and because my oldest loves them)
Tuesday
THE PLAN
- Dentist Appointment
- YouTube Video – His choice, something educational
- Online Voice/Music Lesson – one hour
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
- Ocean Unit Study
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Dentist appointment
- Online Voice/Music Lesson – one hour
- Civil War Trivia (my oldest quizzed my youngest)
- Ocean Study – Geography
Wednesday
THE PLAN
- Rock Climbing with Coach – 3 hours
- Drivers Ed
- Beyond Personal Finance
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
- Bookstore trip with both boys
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Rock Climbing with Coach – 3 hours
- Drivers Ed
- Spelling Practice (with text messages)
- YouTube – Why You Should Read Edgar Allan Poe
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
Thursday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing class – 2 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing class – 2 hours
Friday
THE PLAN
- History – read aloud, Major Events in American History
- YouTube Video – his choice and educational
- Mapwork – South America
- Afternoon pool hang-out with friends
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Drivers Ed
- CTCMath
- Ocean Study – Monterey Bay Aquarium Cams (we watched sea otters, jelly fish, sharks, and shrimp)
- Afternoon pool hang-out with friends
Our Homeschool Lesson Plans For This Week
Monday
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- YouTube Video – both boys together
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
Reference Notes: Every Monday, my son has subcutaneous immunoglobin infusions. This means we typically keep learning to a minimum.
Tuesday
- YouTube Video – together
- Online Voice/Music Lesson – one hour
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
- Ocean Unit Study
Reference Notes: Tuesdays are our first full school day of the week. Because my son always feels better post-Monday’s infusion, we typically do a large percentage of our more traditional homeschool work on this day.
Wednesday
- Rock Climbing with Coach – 3 hours
- Drivers Ed
- Audiobook and Discussion
- YouTube Video – together
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
Thursday
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing class – 2 hours
Reference Notes: We spend Thursdays in lessons mostly outside our home. My son attends a program on Thursday afternoons through a local private school.
Friday
- History – taught by brother
- YouTube Video – their choice and educational
- Afternoon field trip to the aquarium
New Interest-Led Homeschool Lesson Plans And Updates, Every Week
Additional Resources For Strength-Based And Interest-Led Homeschooling
Take a look at all of our past lesson plans and recaps!
Research shows that a learner allowed to spend the most time studying in areas of strength, tends to perform exponentially better in all areas including the areas of weakness.
These resources are a great place to start!
Where do you garner your sources for the current events discussions? I remember having Weekly Reader way back in the day, but I don’t know how to introduce this to a son who is very sensitive to injustice and pain. He’s a rising freshman.
Because my boys are a bit older now, I literally look at the news and ask them if they’ve heard what’s going on. Then I either read them the news article, or just have a conversation, asking them what they think about the event or story.
When they were younger we used CNN10 (but I am not even sure if that’s still around?).
I was reading another post about your ten year old not being able to read, I wanted to leave a comment but it was closed for comments and I had to share this information with you. I have been homeschooling for 20 years and all my children have dyslexia from mild to severe. I have tried all the programs that you mentioned in your post. My son who is severely dyslexic, and has a speech disorder and was twelve at the time could not read or write. Through prayer I came across Equipping Minds, Dr. Carol T. Brown, http://www.equippingminds.com, the program is Absolutely Amazing. My son in 6 months was reading. Please go to the website, read her testimony, how God used her through the disabilities of her son, and how doctors from around the world came together and put together this program. It is through these exercises, that connect the neurological pathways of the mind. I can not say enough please go, read!! Please read about The Sound Therapy program, and the benefits of the Exercise program. All I can say is this program is sent from heaven, he has heard our prayers for our children.