Our Summer Homeschool Plans: Diving Into Marine Biology

Yes! We do school in the summer and we wouldn’t have it any other way. However, our summer homeschool plans do look a bit different than other parts of our year.

This year, our summer homeschool plans include a lot of field trips, brushing up on concepts and skills we learned during the year, and diving into marine biology together. I’m really excited about all the fun activities and summer learning plans we have put in place!

Keep reading to discover more about our summer learning plans. Plus, get the scoop on how we plan to dive deep into marine biology with our brand new ocean unit study filled with activities all about the ocean and the animals that live in the sea.

How Our Summer Learning Is Different From The Rest Of The Year

Summer learning is much more relaxed! We could never take a break from learning altogether. Learning is our lifestyle; it’s such a part of who we are and there really isn’t a clear division between our school day and the rest of our lives. 

We live in Florida so we spend more time indoors in the summer than other seasons of the year. It’s often too hot in the afternoons to spend much time outside and thunderstorms in the afternoons are common as well. Instead, we try to get outside in the morning and enjoy that time in the sunshine.

Summer mornings include nature walks, time in the pool, and enjoying the great outdoors. The afternoons are for inside work like table time and creative projects. 

We don’t usually introduce new math or language arts concepts during the summer either. Instead, we spend this time brushing up on the concepts and skills we learned throughout the year. Summer is a great time for extra practice in areas your child might find challenging.

Our Summer Learning Plans

So what are we planning to study this summer? Check out our summer learning plans for every subject and get ideas for your own summer lessons and activities too.

Summer Brain Quest

The Summer Brain Quest workbooks will serve as a spine for our summer lessons and practice this year. These colorful workbooks are budget-friendly and easy to use at home or on the go with your homeschoolers. 

There are lots of bridge workbooks that help kids build skills during the summer between school years, but we really like the Summer Brain Quest books because they’re colorful and filled with fun interactive elements. Plus, the quest workbook for us this year is an under the sea theme which lines up perfectly with our marine biology plans!

Are You Ready for 5th Grade Game Show

Lakeshore Learning always has such fantastic games for kids to learn and have fun with all year long. I’m excited about this 5th Grade Game Show in a box this summer. It’s set up like Jeopardy with math and language arts questions and “challenge” questions too. 

We probably won’t sit down and play the entire game in a day. Instead, I plan to use 4 or 5 cards each day for a fun gameschooling style review we can all really get into this summer. It’s a great way to check behind myself and make sure Emily really has mastered the concepts we practiced throughout our school year.

Traveling the Parks Unit Study

We plan to spend a lot of time traveling to parks that are near the ocean this summer for field trips and family vacations! We are going to every national park in Florida and the Traveling the Parks Unit Study will give us a great opportunity to make the most of our adventures in the parks this summer. 

We will visit The Everglades, Biscayne Bay, and the Dry Tortugas here in Florida to aid in our marine biology study, but the Traveling the Parks includes so many more national parks you’ll want to explore as well. 

Want to check out national parks near you and learn all about America’s national parks with your homeschoolers this summer? Check out my Traveling the Parks Unit Study for a complete study all about our national parks you can do while traveling or right at home.

Online Classes

We will be taking two online classes this summer to add more fun to our adventures in our own living room. One class is a LEGO class with Miss Bethany. The classes are themed around the Passports to More Adventures books. 

The LEGO class is super fun for kids who love to build with bricks and a great way to help your homeschoolers develop STEM learning skills this summer. Plus, Miss Bethany will quiz the kids on fun facts about history related to each of the books.

The other class we’re going to participate in is a book & movie book club class. I’m so excited about this one because I didn’t plan any of our own this year, unlike in years past. The books we’ll be doing this year include:

  • Holes
  • The BFG
  • Ella Enchanted
  • Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

There are even more great book & movie combo classes available, but these are the ones we will be home for. They’ll meet twice in classes, once to discuss the book and once for the movie.

MEL Chemistry & Physics for STEAM

This is one of the only subscriptions we have continued throughout the summer months and we are pretty excited about it. My husband, Kevin, does these MEL Chemistry and MEL Physics experiments with Emily and it’s become a great bonding time for them in addition to a science learning opportunity. 

Universal Yums

I’ve written about all the fun we have with Universal Yums in the past. Check out how you can use this snack subscription box to take a hands-on world tour with your homeschoolers over the summer. It’s become a family favorite here!

Pool School

We love doing school in the pool! It’s a fun way to do school while we are outside in the summer that allows us to beat the heat too. Stay tuned for all our favorite pool school resources if you want to play games and learn in the pool with your homeschoolers too.

Diving Into Marine Biology With An Ocean Unit Study

Emily really wanted to learn about marine biology this summer, so that’s what we are doing. Honestly, I’m most excited about this part of our summer homeschool plans. I’ve lived in Florida my entire life, yet I’ve learned so much I didn’t know while building this ocean unit study!

The ocean unit study is a complete study of all things ocean that’s interactive, fun, and adaptable for lots of ages too. You can use this ocean unit study to learn about tides, ocean habitats, ecosystems, conservation, and all kinds of ocean animals too.

We’re going to spend a lot of time exploring the beach and visiting aquariums for hands-on learning this summer as we study ocean habitats and animals together. I’m really excited about all the field trip opportunities this unit study lends itself to that are just perfect for summer learning! 

Check out my complete ocean unit study for your homeschool to learn all about what’s included. You’re going to love all the great books, games, printables, documentaries, and hands-on activities too! There are opportunities for crafts, science experiments, and STEM projects focused on the ocean and its creatures that your homeschoolers are going to love!

Share your summer homeschool plans in the comment section. Will you be diving into marine biology with us this summer or have you made other plans for your summer adventures? Share your plan in the comments. I can’t wait to read all about it!