Teach Through June
I’m a fan of a well-designed homeschool curriculum but I’ve pulled back a bit to allow more room for books. I was not a confident homeschooler in the early years and relied heavily on curriculum for the step-by-step guidance that I needed.
These days, I enjoy planning themes for the month, finding relevant books, activities, and other resources, and then using our morning time to dive in. I’m amazed at the vast content that we’ve been able to cover over the years and I love watching my children take what they’ve learned from one little picture book into their day and weave it into their play and conversations. The last of my 7 learners is a bit of a reluctant learner but he never turns down a read-aloud or a hands-on activity to accompany the book…another benefit of using books.
June is a great time of year to transition to using more books even if it’s just to keep summer learning going. Curriculum studies are often winding down at this time of year and June is full of educational themes and topics. We’ve pulled together a few book stacks to help you cover the following topics.
June is National Indigenous History Month
Indian Tribes of North America – Coloring Book
Hiawatha
Northwest Coast Indians – Coloring Book
How Summer Came to Canada
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Canadian Fairy Tales
The Indian School
World Ocean Day is June 8th
Island Boy
My First Book About the Oceans
A Morning to Polish and Keep
What Lives in a Shell
One Morning in Maine
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
Oceans
Sea Animals – Sticker & Coloring Book
Time of Wonder
June 5th is National Health and Fitness Day
Hear Your Heart
My First Book About the Brain
How Many Teeth
Lungs
My First Human Body Coloring Book
June 21st is World Music Day
Musical Instruments
Great Composers
Meet the Orchestra
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
Music Activity Book
The Story of the Orchestra
The Gift of Music
A few other resources to mention…
June 1st is World Milk Day and we carry a sweet little resource for you to read to your children…Milk From Cow to Carton. You don’t need to look much farther than your grocery store to add a fun activity to accompany this read-aloud; a menu filled with fun dairy foods! If you are looking for a more complete study on where our food comes from we carry a bunch of picture books that are a great place to start: How Do Apples Grow, From Seed to Plant, Honeymakers, The Vegetables We Eat.
It’s the story behind The Swiss Family Robinson that makes this novel a good choice for Fathers Day. The author, Johann David Wyss (1743-1818) was a pastor in Switzerland. He created this story to entertain and instruct his boys after they developed an interest in the Robinson Crusoe story. This is a classic family read-aloud and will prime your children for hours of summer creative play. If you are looking to add some formal learning to this novel we also carry the Swiss Family Robinson Comprehension Guide. Also, don’t forget that this novel has been made into a movie. See our Movie Night Book Stack for a complete list of novels that have been made into movies.
June marks the beginning of the summer season. The Reasons for the Seasons does a great job explaining why seasons change. Add these titles to round out your child’s understanding of the relationship between the seasons and solar system: The Moon Book, The Sky is Full of Stars, The Big Dipper, Along Came Galileo.
Visit us again next month for a new list of books that you can add to your summer homeschool.
by Adrianne Curwen
Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.