“Oh no! Not Summer School!” I thought, when Mom announced that school would continue through the summer. “I loved being out of school for the summer last year. I was looking forward to leading a care-free summer with no major work.” But as I have discov­ered, ‘Summer School’ is heaps of fun! I’m glad Mom has spent the time to plan it out for all of us.

Hi! My name is Heidi Schoonover, and I’m thirteen. Although I live in Fort Worth, Texas, where summers are very hot and humid, ‘Summer School’ makes it a lot more endurable. I have been so excited about how my family (Mom, Dad, two girls, and five boys) is spending this summer that I have wanted to tell every-one about it! So, welcome to ‘A day at my Summer School’!

Brrring! My alarm shouts, “It’s 6:45 A.M. Get up!” Sleepily I tumble out of bed. It is time for me to wake up my Father, Jeremy (11), and Josh (8) for morning Bible study. I have found this study most interesting because my Dad has made our walk through the Old Testament extremely graphic and picturesque, as well as humorous. When we’re finished, I have my own Quiet Time, and prepare for the day.

At breakfast (usually around 8:30) we memorize scripture, sing, and listen to poetry, read by Mom or myself. Breakfast clean-up follows; then Caleb (6), Ian (5), and Timmy (3) are dismissed to play. While the little guys play, Mom reads The Light and the Glory and Building Christian Character to Jer, Josh, and me. During this time I cross-stitch or do jigsaw puzzles (right now I’m laboring through a large puzzle of Jesus and the Little Children).

Chore time! Every day my brothers and I rotate chores. My favorite chores are weeding and dusting! (I know, I know, you think I’m strange!) Thirty minutes of piano practice fol­lows, and then. . . school-work begins! Math and reading are done every day, but vocabulary, map skills, and History Safari are only worked on once a week. My mom has also asked us to pick a subject that interests us (mine is plants) and read more about it in the encyclopedia and library books. Our academic studies (as well as sewing and some cooking) are done mainly Monday through Wednesday. This leaves Thursday and Friday free to do the many project-oriented activities Mom has planned for our family.

Thursday is our busiest day of the week. This is the day our whole family bakes and cooks for the entire week. My main job is to make bread, muffins, and pizza crust. This job has been made much easier by the use of our ‘German Mill’ and our ‘Bosch’. I must admit that it is kind of hard for me to cook all day in a hot kitchen when I could be swimming right outside. (We have our own above-ground pool that Dad built two years ago.) But swimming is a great reward for this long day of cooking, and on Thursday nights I have no trouble falling asleep. I look for-ward to Fridays also, because that day my family takes a bike ride to a nearby park, and we spend the whole day there playing tennis, rollerblading and just enjoying the outdoors. Friday, as you can imagine, is my very favorite day of the week!

Besides cooking, sewing, and some outdoor activities, this summer Mom has given me the task of teaching my younger brothers (Caleb, Ian, and Timmy). Teaching all of them phonics, math, and reading is sometimes difficult, but I am learning patience from it! I really enjoy reading to my brothers also, because it is good practice for me in speaking and drama. Although my little brothers are sometimes annoying, I think these ‘school times’ draw us closer together, and I find that I look forward to spending this spe­cial time with them.

I like ‘Summer School’ so much for basically two reasons. One, even though we are pretty busy, I still have plenty of time to enjoy normal summer activities, but I am never bored. Two, I feel these things I m learning are preparing me to be a good mother and wife (which is my prayer). (You know moms never get the summer off!) I also think it’s important to keep up academic studies throughout the year, and we never need to waste a lot of time reviewing when September comes around. Mom doesn’t mind if we have to skip school for other important things either. In June she allowed me to have almost a whole week off to teach a ballet camp! She does this because she knows we’re still learning in these other things. ‘Summer School’ has been a great experi­ence, and I owe it all to a great Mom who cares about her family’s education and future! (And a Dad who finances the whole operation!) I hope you all are haying as great a summer as I am this year!

What we use

Bible: Study with Dad—NIV Study Bible; Doorways to Discipline by Winky Pratny/Bible with Mom—Building Christian Character by Blair Adams; Koinania Curriculum Poetry: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson; Poems of Childhood by Eugene Field Literature: The Light and the Glory for Children by Peter Marshall and David Manuel; Children’s Stories From Dickens by Mary Angela Dickens; On the Way Home (Laura Ingalls Wilder’s travel diary) by McBride Math: Algebra 1/2 (Saxon); Calculadder, Level 4 by Edwin C. Myers, Ph.D. History: History Safari Vocabulary: Wordly Wise by Kenneth Hodkinson & Joseph G. Ornato Map Skills: Map Skills for Today, A Weekly Reader Skills Book Projects: Hand and Machine Sewing; Baking and Cooking; Strawberry and Blackberry Gardening; Teaching Boys; Teaching Ballet; Piano Practice Note: New Attitude does not necessarily recommend the products listed here.