- In my life and in our homeschool this week we have been fully enjoying summer. Dad took a week’s vacation and we headed out on our first camping trip of the year. Do you have any idea how educational camping can be?

1. Sneaky photographer captures fun and games on film; 2. Row, Row, Row Your Raft, Down the Lazy River; 3. Splashin’ Good Times; 4. Quiet Games with Mom when attitude needs adjusting; 5. First-Time Ride on a Yellow School Bus
- This week’s helpful homeschooling tip is to step back remember that living is learning. There is education and learning opportunity in everything we do, everywhere we go.
- Places we’re going and people we’re seeing included joining a couple other families from our church on our camping outing, a big Independence Day Blast with family and friends, Friday Night Pizza Night featuring games and grandkids.

Weather was absolutely GORGEOUS this week. On our nature walk with Dad this week we discovered 1. hickory nuts; 2. large limbs to clear from our pathway; 3. strange bugs; 4. beautiful flowers; 5. chubby caterpillars; and 6. raindrops on roses
- My favorite thing this week was coming home rested and refreshed after our little vacation. Often, I’m worn out by the time we get home following one of these trips, but no this time. It truly was a vacation!
- My kiddos favorite thing this week was our float trip down the river. The one in which we watched a deer quietly cross the river right before us, the one where the current takes under a low-lying tree and Mom screams when she finds herself face-to-face with a snake.
- These days I’m working on mixing up my Bug Bars. I’ve created my own formula for an insect repellant bar and am quite pleased with it. So handy to have on our camping trip.
- I’m cooking something this weekend, not sure what. I need something for basket dinner at church on Sunday, and I need to get my monthly menu all worked out. Mike and Luke provided us with delicious burgers and dogs on the 4th, my friend Misty did a great job setting up our meals for the camping trip, so my cooking duties have been light. So nice!
- I’m grateful for the rains we’ve had so the kids could light their fireworks this year. They would have been awfully disappointed if we would have had to cancel them again.
How is your summer thus far? We are preparing for a new school year and working on getting routines on track this coming week. Are you enjoying lazy, relaxing days or cramming too many activities into the too few days left of summer?
Sharing this week’s summary over at Homeschool Mother’s Journal, Collage Fridays, Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Titus 2 Tuesday, Mom Tested Mother Approved, Real Life Homeschooling

Looks great!
Thanks, Val. It was a fun week 🙂
Our family enjoyed spending some good whole-some family time with you and yours and the White’s. Your pics were fun and the descriptions enjoyable. Thank you for sharing! Wish there would have been a pic of you coming face to face with that snake! 🙂
It was great fun, Misty 🙂 You guys made the trip so easy. The kids tell the snake story first thing every time. Thanks to the big boys for helping entertain the younger guys, I really appreciate it. Hope fishing was successful the rest of the week!
What a fun week! We love camping, too. It’s so educational, but tons of fun at the same time.
We always learn something while on camping trips and they are definitely memory makers, Tara. Thank you for stopping by and for the nice comment 🙂
Oh, I miss camping! I hope to get tenting again next season! We’re not missing out too badly as we’re saving our money for ALASKA in August. Woot! LOL Camping is VERY fun and VERY educational! You look to be having a perfectly wonderful summer – friends and outside!
Jessy, really? ALASKA!?! oh wow oh wow! We’ve been talking about a trip to Alaska since we’ve been married. Have an absolutely wonderful amazing trip! I’ll be watching for posts with tons of photos and fun at the end of the summer 🙂
Wow! So much hands-on learning and fun! Love it! 🙂 We are really hoping to take our family camping soon! Hope you are having a great weekend! Many blessings, Lisa
Hi, Lisa 🙂 Life is just full of learning, isn’t it? Hope you get that camping trip in this summer, it’s always an (educational) experience for us. Have a wonderful week.
It has been many years now since I went camping with children. My children have just begun careers and starting families, but I remember those camping memories with joy. Some day I hope to have grandchildren to take camping and to make memories.
Hi Vickie 🙂 our son and daughter-in-law now take their little ones camping, carrying on the tradition. I’m hoping to take our grandchildren out sometime soon – we may even start out in our front yard. Hope you get the chance one day. Enjoy those memories!
This is great! We are heading out for our first camping trip for the year this coming weekend! I need to make sure I take a long a few things to help “capture” nature–including our nature study drawing book!
Have a wonderful time! I regret we did not take time to get out nature journals, but it was a memorable trip, all the same. Enjoy your time together.