Some homeschoolers school year-round.  I do not.  I embrace a long summer break with enthusiasm.  It gives me time to “put away” the last year, literally (bookcase reorganization and paper cleanouts) and figuratively (measuring goals, evaluating progress).  Then I can move on and plan, dream, and shop for the next year.  This summer we were able to repaint the schoolroom in a nice cheery green.  It is easily the brightest room in the house, which I hope makes us all excited to be in there.

But I do have my ways of sneaking in learning all summer long.  We’ve been doing a summer reading program, and we’ve enjoyed a few documentaries from the History Channel about people we studied last year.

Right now the kids are LOVING the BBC’s Planet Earth.  When I say “loving,” I mean begging to watch the next episode, talking about it in their spare time, and staying glued to the TV when it’s on.  I read many online exhortations to avoid the Americanized version, which features Oprah Winfrey as narrator, and opt for the British version with David Attenborough instead.  Attenborough does a noble job of accompanying the mind-boggling HD cinematography only when necessary and allowing the film to speak for itself a good bit of the time.

We are renting the series from Netflix but it’s been so popular around here that we’re thinking about buying it.

HELPFUL SIDENOTE:  David Attenborough is not to be confused with his brother, Richard Attenborough, the well-known British actor.