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Homeschool At The Beach

A guest post from Amber of One Hundred and One Pursuits:


One place you are guaranteed to find my boys barefoot is at the beach. Since we live by the coast in Egypt, you'll find us down by sea at least a few times a week. This means that we spend many of our Homeschool hours here. Taking our Homeschool to the beach presents us with tons of learning opportunities and I am going to share a few of them with you today!
#thebarefootmom


The Sensory Adventure

Who needs a sensory bin when your child has an entire stretch of sand under foot, the warm sun on their skin, counteracted by the coolness of the water as they wade in for a swim. There is the salty smell of the water and perhaps not so pleasant the smell of fish that unfortunately found itself washed up on the shore. The sight of birds, boats, the sea, the sky, buckets and spades; all an array of colours bringing the senses to life.

Sometimes I challenge the boys to close their eyes and just listen! What can they hear? The sound of the waves lapping the sand, boat engines humming, children laughing and stones rattling in a plastic bucket. Your child may also, and rather unfortunately, get a taste of the sea as they are splashing about having fun. Touch, smell, sight, sounds and taste; all 5 senses being stimulated at once!


Writing Practice at the Beach

Since A and M are working on letter recognition, writing and phonics, we set to practising them on the beach too. We took that concept of a Montessori sand tray and put it back nature. Have your child write with their fingers or an implement of their choice, letters and words in the sand. Writing our names and little messages to each other was great fun too!

 Descriptive writing is another fantastic activity for older children to include in your beach adventures. They can use the opportunity to write and communicate their experiences through the written word; describing all the things they're experiencing on their sensory adventure!


The Mathematical Beach

How did the perfect spiral come to form on that empty shell your lying in the sand? How many sun beds and parasols can they count? How much water will their bucket hold?

 Beach days offer the perfect opportunity for the natural discovery of mathematical concepts. M and A explore counting, addition and subtraction, using the objects laying in the sand. We also note and discuss different shapes, sizes and patterns. Water play is the perfect learning tool for young children introducing them to measurements, volumes and displacement. They will explore and experience nature whilst their own natural curiosity will lead to questions, that some of the world’s most famous Mathematicians and Scientists, asked themselves many years ago!

Geology

Sand, stones and rocks are abundant at the beach and offer the perfect opportunity to do some Geology studies.

 In our beach bag I often pack our mini magnifying glass, so we can take a closer look at the markings, make up, colours and patterns that can be observed on a rocks surface. Sand is also very interesting to look at up close. M's favourite thing to find within it, are little pieces of pink quartz! This rock guide is the perfect book to pack to take on your Homeschool beach trips.

Beach Art

Looking to add some creativity to your lesson plans? Your children can:

 Line shells up to make pictures in the sand
Collect objects to take home and make collages out of
Find nice rocks, stones, shark’s teeth and create some jewellery
Use paper, colouring pencils or water paints create some wonderful landscapes and pictures of their surroundings
The activity we enjoy the most however is sand sculpting. Forget the age-old sand castles, try an even greater challenge! Encourage your child to sculpt fish, turtles, or even famous land marks.

 Here is a sand turtle M, A and I made together! 

Identifying and Discovering Life Under the Water

We regularly get the chance to observe and study marine life up close.

 Marine life to take a closer look at may include:

 Seaweed
Snails
Crabs
Fish
Coral
Sea Slugs
Sea Cucumbers
Star Fish
Blennies
Shrimps

 Of course, marine life will vary depending upon your location.



Do you have a microscope? Let your kids take home some water sample’s. I think your kiddo’s will be surprised by what’s waiting for them to uncover in a simple pot of sea water!

It’s Not Just a Summer Thing!

We often think of visiting the beach as an activity that is exclusive to the summer but this year I urge you to take your Homeschoolers to the beach at different times of the year. Discover how the scene changes in all types of weathers. Discuss tidal patterns, wave theories, colour changes, algae blooms and marvel at the wonders of Jelly fish season! I have only scratched the very surface of the subjects you can explore at the beach!

 You and I both know learning isn’t limited to text books or the classroom.

 Get outside, enjoy nature and enhance your family’s education!



About The Author:

Hey,
My name is Amber, and I currently live in Egypt with my husband and our two beautiful little boys. Things I am extremely passionate about? Child Led education and learning through literature. Our family follows an eclectic, interest led approach to homeschool; with tons of reading, writing and discussion thrown in. Our days are filled with classic literature, family read alouds, experiments, field trips, hobbies and pursuing other subjects that spark our curiosity. I strongly believe that all children deserve to receive a personalised education. Through sharing examples of our personal homeschool journey, I aim to inspire and encourage other parents overcome some of the challenges that homeschool presents us all with.



If you enjoyed this post, check out:

-40 Nature Study Ideas

-Plant Identification with Kids

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