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As a year-round homeschooler, I am always on the hunt for irresistible summer learning ideas. The best summer learning projects are those that don’t feel like work.

I like for our summer learning to be relaxed and playful.

I love to set up a play invitation, a sensory activity, or a science experiment and watch my children discover it. Or, I love to pack up the kids in the car and head out for a mystery ride, resulting in a fun summer field trip.

I also love to surprise my kids with a new resource. I’ll leave it out on the coffee table or patio table and wait for them to happen upon it.

The trick is to not say anything. Just leave it there and walk away. Let the learning unfold naturally.

This is particularly important when it comes to writing.

Today, I’d like to share how something as simple as stationery can inspire a morning of creativity.

Simple Summer Learning: Encourage Writing with Stationery!

*Disclosure: I received a set of customizable stationery from Basic Invite and was compensated for my time to write a review. I was not required to write a positive review and, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only choose to share products and resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other families will enjoy.

Are you looking for additional resources for homeschooling Reading, Writing, and Language Arts?

Using Stationery to Encourage Summer Writing

Recently, I set up a simple summer learning invitation by leaving a stack of stationery and some funky pens on our patio table and it fueled an entire morning of writing.

I used customizable stationery from Basic Invite (Basic Invite offers far more than just stationery. Keep reading to learn about their customizable baby shower invitations and birth announcements.), but you could easily set up this activity with some fun paper and fun pens.

The invitations I chose were a writing invitation in and of themselves. They simply said, “Hello from The Curley Crew” in turquoise and gray font (I chose the colors myself- more on that in a bit!).

The Curley Crew couldn’t help but fill pages upon pages with stories from their recent vacation to Cape Cod.

Even my littlest guy got in on the letter writing action!

When it comes to writing, timing is important

If we are being honest here, I must tell you that this activity was also well-timed for two reasons:

We had just returned from a week of vacation and the kids were overflowing with memories and moments.
I had just so happened to pick up a bunch of the [easyazon_link identifier=”0439206634″ locale=”US” tag=”mylitpop-20″]Dear Mrs. LaRue books[/easyazon_link] from our library. My kids adore Mark Teague’s LaRue series. It leaves them in giggles.

Bonus?

The LaRue series is comprised entirely of letters from Mrs. LaRue’s mischievous dog, Ike.

And the LaRue series is not the only one out there that features letter writing. Check out these titles:

LinkDeli.com

What did this homeschool mom think about the stationery from Basic Invite?

This is the first time I have used Basic Invite’s stationery and I have to say that I was impressed with the following:

Color:
If you are a fan of colors like me, you’ll appreciate that Basic Invite offers over 180 color options with the ability to preview all colors immediately online. I’ve ordered invitations, thank you cards, stationery from other popular companies and I’ve yet to see this many colors offered.
Envelopes:
Basic Invite also offers over 40 different envelope colors. Say goodbye to standard white and have some fun! Also, these envelopes are peel-and-seal so there is no licking required!
Custom Samples:
This allows you to see exactly how your stationery or invitation will print before you place your final order.
Free Address Collection:
Basic Invite offers a free address collecting service and it’s super-easy to use.
Frequent Discounts:
Check out the top of this page for current discounts.

Basic Invite offers more than just stationery.

Basic Invite offers more than just stationery. They also have oodles of options for those looking for birth announcements and baby shower invites!

Baby Shower Offerings:

Birth Announcements:

I have bookmarked Basic Invite because I know the holidays will be here before we know it (sigh.) and I can’t wait to see their offerings this year!

You can follow Basic Invite on Facebook and Twitter.

Are you looking for more simple summer learning ideas?

Be sure to check out these related posts:

Looking for more ideas to encourage writing at home?

Here are some articles for you:

Here are some other ideas for keeping writing fun:

LinkDeli.com

**Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: How do you encourage writing at home? Share here.**

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Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley

Cait is a school psychologist, mom to three amazing children, and an unexpected homeschooler. She loves nature, good books, board games, strong coffee, and dancing in her kitchen. Cait believes homeschooling *can* be almost all fun and games!

Be sure to check out our current course offerings. Cait co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters Podcast and is co-founder of Kindred Collective. Cait is also founder of the Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a fantastic community of book-loving parents and the Gameschool Community at My Little Poppies, a vibrant community of gameschoolers.

Cait is a contributing writer for Simple Homeschool. Her work has also appeared on The Huffington Post, The Mighty, Scary Mommy, GeekMom, and many others. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.