Today, I’m sharing a few of our family’s favorite summer picture books…
August always feels bittersweet to me. Summer is hands-down my favorite season and I relish spending lazy hours with my children, whether that is around the fire pit or poolside or visiting family on Cape Cod.
Every summer, I find myself wishing summer had a pause button. I want more ice cream cones…
… and root beer floats…
… and watermelon…
Summer goes by far too quickly. I love fall in New England, but I am always sad to see summer go.
One way to relish the last summer days is by snuggling up and reading about summer, sharing memories together, and savoring the moment.
Summer Picture Books and Hands-On Summer Play
*Disclosure: We received a Spielgaben set at no cost in exchange for a review. We are honored to work with Spielgaben. This post is part of a monthly series featuring how we use Spielgaben in our homeschool. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can read my review of Spielgaben here.
Our favorite summer picture books
Here are a few of our family’s favorite titles. When you have finished reading, I’d love to hear your family’s favorites!
Take your summer read alouds to the next level with hands-on summer play!
Our go-to resource for hands-on play is Spielgaben.
When the weather is nice (and summer is perfect!), I take our set outdoors and let the kids create independently. There is something magical about Spielgaben in the sunshine!
(If you’ve had your eyes on Spielgaben, please keep reading. Spielgaben has a special offer for My Little Poppies readers at the end of this article!)
Last month, I shared a super simple, super fun fireworks study featuring fantastic books and Spielgaben.
And today, I’d like to share some photos from our summer play with Spielgaben.
From left to right: crab, shooting star, and hands-on summer play!
I love this fellow flying a kite:
And this sunflower:
Outdoor hands-on play is the perfect way to bring summer picture books alive!
Spielgaben in the sunshine (left) and swimming pool with diving board (right).
And, if you are looking to add more to your summer homeschool routine, I have some ideas for you!
Would you like to add nature study to your summer routine?
I absolutely love to explore nature with my children… but I am terrible at planning nature-related activities, art, and readings. That’s why I was delighted when Kara introduced me to a super-fun, super-easy nature curriculum. That was years ago, and we are still using it regularly! Summer is the perfect time to check it out!
This nature study curriculum is a perfect addition to your summer routine. It is called Exploring Nature with Children: A Complete, Year-Long Curriculum.
It is super affordable and easy to use whether you are outdoors daily or just getting started. If you would like to learn more, you can read my full review:
Be sure to fill your summer backpacks with resources for exploring nature
I have a couple of posts about creating Nature Explorer Packs for your little hikers, but here are some of our favorite resources:
Perfect summer games…
It wouldn’t be a Cait post if I didn’t include some of our favorite gameschooling resources!
Looking for summer projects?
You may enjoy these articles:
- Simple Pond Study
- 5 Simple Homeschool Projects
- Simple Bee Study with Candle Making & Honey
- Forts: The Original STEM Challenge
- Fairy House STEM
- Poolside STEM
- How to Celebrate July 4th with a Super-Simple Fireworks Study
Love nature?
Check out these related posts:
- Exploring Nature with Children & DIY Nature Explorer Packs!
- 5 + Nature Games for Your Homeschool
- Nature Lovers Will Adore This Jim Arnosky Author Study
- DIY Nature Explorer Pack
- Gardening Books and Resources for Your Little Nature Lover
Love summer?
You may enjoy these articles:
- Celebrate Summer Mixed Media Workshop
- Get Ready for Summer with this Seashore Chalk Pastel Video Art Course
Summer-themed books for grown-ups
You didn’t think I’d leave you out, did you? Here are some of my personal favorite summery books for big kids:
Be sure to check out these related articles:
Here’s a special offer for My Little Poppies readers…
Learn more about Spielgaben
Please read my review of Spielgaben here:
- Using Spielgaben in Your Homeschool
- Create Your Own Fidget Factory Using Spielgaben
- Super-Simple Hands-On Flag Study
- Hands-On Animal Study with Spielgaben
- Study the Four Seasons with Books, Play, and Spielgaben
- A Simple World Monuments Study with Books, Games, and Spielgaben!
- Challenge Kids to Get Creative with Awesome Homemade Games
- Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Play and an Incredible Book
- How to Make Read Alouds Memorable with Amazing Hands-On Play
- A Super-Simple, Super-Fun Rainbow Study
- How to Celebrate July 4th with a Super-Simple Fireworks Study
You can follow Spielgaben on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Our homeschool curriculum choices, by year
I get a lot of questions about our curriculum choices. You can read more here:
- 2017-2018 Homeschool Curriculum (1st, 2nd, and 4th grade)
- 2016-2017 Homeschool Curriculum (K, 1st grade, and 3rd grade)
- 2015-2016 Homeschooling Curriculum (Pre-K, K, and 2nd grade)
Love Coffee and Books?
Be sure to check out these related posts:
- Coffee and Books: A 5-Day Series
- Coffee and Books: Select Titles from Fall 2017, Organized by Subject
- Why You Should Start Your Day with the Easiest Thing
- Rock Your Read Alouds with this Simple Trick
- What to do When Bedtime Reading is Giving You the Blues
Do you want to see Coffee and Books in action?
Be sure to follow My Little Poppies because we share snapshots of our homeschool day… and heaps of fantastic books!
You are also invited to join the {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a private Facebook Group for parents who love to read fantastic books to their children… and chat about them!
Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: Do you have a favorite summer book? Share here!
Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley
Cait co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters Podcast and is co-founder of Raising Poppies, a community for parents of gifted and twice-exceptional children. 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, Twitter, Instagram
and G+.
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