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Hit it DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince! It’s “Summer, summer, summertime!” Or is it the last day of school? Or is it both? It’s both.

I start with a bang, and I end with a bang. I love to host epic first days and epic last days of school for my children. For me it makes memories, signifies milestones, breaks up the routine and the mundane, and is a great transition into a new season.

Every year is different, depending on what amusement parks and museums have active passes, weather for beach activity, and the overall temperament of my kids. But there are five main things we do as a family to end the school year and kick off summer every year. Let me emphasize that we do them as a whole family, since, for us, homeschooling is a family decision, mission, and experience.

1. Looking Back

   I love a good photo/video montage, so a year of homeschooling videos and photo highlights set to some of our favorite songs from the school year really brings on the sentimentality. If you have an iPhone, it’s pretty easy to make in iMovie and takes less than an hour. I cast the video to our biggest TV so we get the full experience. After the movie, we each discuss some joyous highlights, some hard projects or lessons that we tackled, and favorite memorable moments.

2. Prayer of Thankfulness

   It’s been a whole year and we are still here. And we are better, stronger, more bonded, and hopefully more thankful. Let’s thank our Creator for that! Let’s meditate with gratitude on the blessings and gifts from the year and how the hard stuff made us grow.

3. Last Day of School Signs (Or First Day of Summer Signs)

   Our hair is longer or shorter. Our clothes are faded or fit differently. And our kid’s head now reaches our armpit. This is reason to celebrate by marking it pictorially with a sign just like we do our kid’s first day of school. Don’t forget to put yourself in these pictures. You’ve come through another year too and it’s something to scrapbook. We use a letter board for our sign, because frankly, it’s all the rage these days. Last year we used small white board slates like this one, because they are fast and easy.

4. Celebration

   My favorite part - I celebrate with food and drinks, and that’s enough for me. But you can celebrate with a pool party, jaquzzi moment, or movie under the stars (we love our projector). Whether it be a water balloon fight (using this super simple and efficient kit), backyard camping with roasting special marshmallows (my kid’s favorite ones), or pizza and sunset at the beach, you cannot go wrong with celebrating.

5. Summer Bucket List

   I know school’s out (cue Alice Cooper), but let’s do one more writing assignment. My kids first made this list back in the TK and Kindergarten days with their enrichment program, and I loved it. A little glimpse into my little’s biggest desires for their summer days? Yes please! I want to make that bucket list happen for them! (And, I just ordered this summer bucket list journal for my daughter who loves journals. There’s a variety available for the writers in your family.)

Extras

Summer Playlist: One major extra fun thing you can do is make a summer song playlist. With Bryan Adams, Bananarama, Ella Fitzgerald, and everything in between, you can introduce your kids to some pretty cool artists who sing all about summer.

Ding-Dong-Ditch: One of my favorite activities as a child during the summer was ding-dong-ditch. I mean, is it even summer if you aren’t making people answer their doors for no reason? A better version I suggest is a front porch delivery treat as a triple D for your favorite homeschool friends.

Scavenger Hunt: Nothing says summer like running from house to house asking for a paper clip and a piece of gum. Not your jam? A scavenger hunt at your home could be even more fun, either with photographs and tablets, or with actual treasures to find. Check out these ideas for all sorts of hunting fun.

Game Night: Family game night has always been a way my family connects, since I was a child. Buy a new game to try or bring out an old favorite! Play your summer song list as background music with some homemade lemonade, and you’ve got quite a night! (We just unboxed our new favorite family game, and everyone chuckled at every turn. Check out our article about our favorite educational games.)

Lemonade Fun: It’s apalling how much sugar you have to add to lemon juice to make a decent lemonade. But, it’s not like you make it every day, so try it once with your kiddos to serve for your celebration. Or, grab some store bought lemonade and mix in some sparkling water, a couple strawberries and rasberries, and you have a decadent kid-friendly concoction.

“It’s summertime, and the living is easy.” So let’s “kick off our shoes and relax our feet,” and “celebrate good times, come on!” Because, summertime blended with childhood is fleeting. Let’s make the lemonade sweet!

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