homeschool corner

BEACH-SCHOOLING

BY TARA GRIFFIN When I was in school, and the weather was too pretty to be sitting in a classroom...once or twice, I skipped school and went to the beach. (Shhh...don't tell my mom!) What is WAY better than truancy? School at the beach!

Whether you're a homeschooler who likes to hightail it eastward when the days are long and the sun is shining...or you are trying to entertain your kids on summer vacation, there are some amazing learning opportunities that can happen where the sky meets the water and the sand meets your toes. Here are some of my favorites:

ART

Do a hands-on investigation of the art of shell printing, shell sculptures, shell pictures or shell painting (use watercolors— they’ll wash right off in the next tide) and make sea glass necklaces.

Study the sand drawing and sculpting of Jamie Wardley. He's amazing. Then make your family out of sand. Study the history of bathing suits and beach fashion. Decide which era "suits" you best. Paint an original scene inspired by a famous seascape from: Katsushika Hokusai, Édouard Manet, William Merritt Chase, August Renoir, Edward Hopper, Claude Monet, Paul Signac, Winslow Homer, Eugène Boudin or Childe Hassam. Even an amateur can create brilliance with the colors of the sea.

Homeschooling isn't always at home!

SOCIAL STUDIES

Enjoy historical details? Check out the local historical museum, fort and coastal railway. Photograph your favorite parts. Love design? Study boatbuilding, lighthouses, coastal architecture and building codes. Design your own seaworthy craft. Crave adventure? Study major storms, pirates, sailing, navigation, history of surfing and watersports. Write an epic tale that incorporates your new seaknowledge.

MUSIC

Get in the mood. Listen to Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, Matt Costa, G-Love, Sublime, Jimmy Buffett, Donavon Frankenreiter and The Beach Boys and then write your own island-inspired tunes. Have lunch somewhere that a performer is playing steel drums. Listen to the music of the ocean inside an empty shell. Learning a full day's worth at the beach!

FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BEGIN HOMESCHOOLING IN ALACHUA COUNTY, VISIT: sbac.edu

Go tidepooling! There are so many cool things to find in tidepools. Make a scavenger hunt list for things to spot (i.e. something in a shell, something that bubbles, something slimy, something round). Go shell collecting. (Remember, it's illegal to take live shells, sand dollars or starfish.) Classify shells by size, color, texture or quantity. Draw and make notes about a favorite shell or beach discovery in a field journal. Study the moon phases and tides, how waves affect the shoreline, endangered ocean life and sea bird migration. Then watch a sunrise or sunset, make a sundial, a sand volcano and a channel for your sandcastle moat. What is a beach, anyway?* Do fish sleep? Ask questions and look up the answers. There are great resources at visitflorida. com, beachesmuseum.org and sciencebuddies.org.

MATH

Make a bar graph for crab, turtle and dolphin sightings. Write an enormous long division problem in the sand. Study the coastline paradox math theory. Estimate the number of shells in a bucket, then count them.

LANGUAGE

Write poems based on sensory experiences at the beach. Use brainstorming and prewriting to describe how it feels, smells, tastes, sounds and looks. Make a fun vocabulary list (mollusk, crustacean, barnacle, tidepool, pelican, beachcomber, algae, sandbar, etc.) and go on a treasure hunt to find each item.

P.E.

Is the ocean calling your name? Paddleboard, surf, swim, bodyboard or play Frisbee in the tide. Is the sand more your speed? Have crab races, do cartwheels, ride a bike, toss the football, play beach volleyball and paddleball. Or learn a new game like bocce ball.

RECESS

Play a game of enormous tic-tac-toe, dots or hangman and make a human-sized maze.

Freeze little beach toys in a big bowl of water and "excavate." Fly a kite, play I Spy and blow bubbles and chase them down the beach. Take silly action pictures. Trace each other's shadows at different times throughout the day.

Remember that your seaside trip, while educational, should also be filled with family fun. Love the kids, love their curiosity, enjoy their energy and be a leader in celebrating fun. Happy beaching!