Refresh!

 I just found Stef's blog last week, Layton Family Joy and decided that this week I would join in her Homeschool Village meme. The question for this week is "What do you do to refresh for the new school year?"

I wish we could school year 'round, but we live in Alaska.  The summers are too beautiful to be missed!  So year 'round schooling is out for us.  But I do have my boys continue with at least math and reading during the summer.

I refresh for the new year, but getting out of our routine and putting aside the books for awhile. I also attend the local curriculum fair and attended The Schoolhouse Expo online this year...to get new ideas for the coming year.  This may seem a bit strange, but I love the planning part of teaching...so it is refreshing for me to be able to look at what we are going to be doing in the coming year and plan it out.

I also spend some time working on projects that have been neglected over the school year...reading that I want to do, scrapbooking, household projects, gardening.  Because these are activities that normally can't be done during the school year, they are a change of pace and rejuvenate me.

I am looking forward to connecting with other homeschool moms through the Homeschool Village!  Just another way to refresh!