When summer begins new experiences emerge. It is time for water play, sandboxes, and beaches. Another season for learning and perhaps expanding a nature journal. My girls love adding a beach section to their nature journals. I am sure that spending time on the beach is not simply an exercise for a nature journal to my kids. Time on the beach is an exercise in fun or if you are a Charlotte Mason lover, masterly inactivity. Hey, any way we can fit in beach time into school we do not hesitate. Whether your focus is on fun or learning the beach provides the relaxing backdrop.
The atmosphere of the beach is relaxing enough to take a break or to hold literature class. Get your creative caps on and create stories using the beach as a setting. Bring along the art supplies and sketch a seagull or a lighthouse. Use items like sand and seashells to create an art project. Have the kids collect seashells to use for math lessons, patterns, and sequence. Water and sand are wonderful ingredients for science experiments. Don’t forget just spending time on the beach playing. Perhaps a game of beach volleyball for physical education class. You can plan a whole day of relaxation and learning by just getting a bit creative. Try not to bring your classroom with you but be selective since realistically you will not want to carry a lot with you. Take special care of any electronics, tablets, ereaders, or laptops you bring with you.
Try finding new places to hold classes to keep things fresh and interesting. If you plan carefully you truly can make the world your classroom instead of bringing your classroom into the world. Just make sure you don’t forget your camera! You will want to keep a scrapbook or record of these times.