Summer naturally lends itself to making memories, doesn't it? I love all things summer. Ice cream, swimming with friends, picnics, and the tanned faces of my children.

Summertime was also a great time to read our books s-l-o-w-l-y, with no agenda. We could meander through pages, keep a day book for insights, and if we wanted to, leave it neglected on the night table for days.

I've always sought to find gentle ways to school through the summer.

Let's take the time to slow down, inspire wonder, and make memories this summer.

(This post is from Homegrown Learners' contributing writer, Gina Glenn.

Using the lazy hazy days of summer allowed us to create memories that my kids still talk about to this day.

Our Own Memories

When school is out, your kids can become a bit lonesome for companionship. So we held a summer book club each year. I'd choose a literature guide and plan an easy lesson that we could pick up and put down at will. Our favorite was Little Women. When my youngest daughter went off to college, she packed her copy of Little Women, dogeared as it was. She read it when she was homesick.

And that's our goal, if we are to have a goal—to create a memory in our child's subconsciousness that they can turn to for comfort in difficult times. For those times when we can't be there.

Learning to Fall in Love with Literature

This seems a good starting point. If you have a child who isn't crazy about reading, you might think it impossible to teach them to fall in love with literature. But, it's completely possible with some mom ingenuity. Here are some ways you can begin to encourage your children to fall in love with literature.

1. Create a time in your summer schedule for stillness.

Think of everyone laying around in the family room seeking a respite from the heat. Rather than turning to video games or tolerating constant cries of, "I'm bored!" plan in advance to have audiobooks on hand. Then this time can begin with a listen aloud (and then they can do other things). Maybe your children can draw during that time, or even just rest. But, listening is paramount to appreciating story and falling in love with literature. Some listen alouds that our family has particularly enjoyed are: Where the Red Fern Grows, The Courage of Sarah Noble, An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving, Your Story Hour with Uncle Dan & Aunt Carol, and Jim Hodges Audiobooks. We also loved many of the Lamplighter series.

2. Honor your child's individuality.

I have one child who to this day loves to read Timothy Zahn's Star Wars series. I'd much prefer he read Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But, I've come to understand that the books we choose for ourselves are part of the reason they bring comfort. It's as Charlotte Mason has said, "Education is a science of relations." Our children are capable of making their own connections based on their own experiences. So often we are merely the guide.

3. Build a summer library.

Create reading lists of books you'd like your children to read and keep those on your own bookshelves.

4. Teach your children to engage with literature.

This can be a challenge in our tech-saturated society, but learning to do more than scan the text of any book is what makes a friend of the book we're reading. Challenge your children to think ahead while reading, ask questions of the text, and write in the margins of the book.

5. Model your own love of literature.

This makes teaching your children to love literature more a passing of the torch than another subject to be mastered.

Making Your Own Summer Memories with Literature

If you'd like to take a more hands-on approach to making memories with literature you can do really fun things. Here's a list of ideas for activities that involve literature.

Choose a theme to study, say bees. Find all the books you can about bees and put together some fun science activities. Examples might be learning why saving bees is important.
Pick a family favorite book based on a movie. Watch the movie, popcorn included, as a reward for finishing the book. If you can, try doing it outside. We had an outdoor projector and set up an outdoor movie theater.
Host a book club. There are so many ideas and directions you can take with this. Keep it fun! If you have boys, you'll have to sell this idea to them with lots of activities. It might need to include building a potato launcher or such, so be creative with your book choices. ;)
Participate in summer reading programs. Bookstores, Pizza Hut, and even your local library have programs that encourage your child to read.

It's Summer and They Are Your Memories

With all the options available for books to read and activities you could do, keep in mind —it's your summer and your memories. There's no right or wrong way. Just fun to be had and memories to be made.

A Family Program for Reading Aloud: P.1 and 2 How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Revised Edition Little Women (Puffin in Bloom)Where the Red Fern Grows The Courage of Sarah Noble The Sign of the Beaver Sarah, Plain and Tall The Bears on Hemlock Mountain Great Stories Audio CD Albums #1 - #12 - Stories include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Shackleton, Sojourner Truth, Robert E. Lee, Fanny Crosby, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Ford and So Many More Pinocchio Teacher Guide Teaching Guide for the Key Classic, Benjamin West and His Cat, Grimalkin (William Penn and the Colony of Religious Toleration)Deerslayer - Teacher's Guide How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning(TM)A Philosophy of Education (The Home Education Series) (Volume 6)For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School The Unhurried Homeschooler: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling 120 inch Indoor Outdoor Movie Projector Screen with Bag, GBTIGER 120 Wireless Wifi Video Projector,Weton Full HD 1080P LED Home Theater Movie Projector Portable Mini Projector for iphone With HDMI USB Headphone Jack TV Good for Home Cinema XBOX ONE 130'' Max Dispaly

Do you have a reading list for the summer? I'd love to know what's on it!

You might also like:

Gentle Ways to School Through the Summer

Summer Book List for Kids

Do you have a box of letters you treasure?

I do. It is a wooden box tucked away in my closet with precious words from family, friends, and many who have been important to me over the years.

I treasure these letters. The wisdom, love, and memories contained in each of them is a gift to me.

What makes a handwritten letter so special?

Lots of things.... the time spent writing the letter, the treasure of someone's handwriting who is important to you, the actual information in the letter, and simply knowing someone cared enough to write to you.

In our age of fast-paced communication and busy-ness, that art of simply sitting, sharing, and CARING has been lost.

Through fostering the lost of art of letter writing in our children, we have an opportunity to restore a degree of humanity to our world.

Fostering the Lost Art of Letter Writing in Children

Five Ways to Inspire Letter Writing in Children

1. Ask older family members to write to your children

The "Greatest Generation" is slowly slipping away. These older people have so much to offer our children.

Your children's grandparents and great-grandparents have so many stories to tell, and so much wisdom to impart. Many times all you have to do is simply ASK THEM to share it with your children.

Ask an older family member to write your child a letter. Specifically, have this family member request a RESPONSE from the child (nothing like a little guilt, right?!?).

You would be AMAZED at what our children will do when an older person asks them - when they know it's particularly important to a grandparent or great-grandparent.

2. Foster a relationship with an older person in your church/community

We've come to know a kind older woman in church who has a spectacular life story. We would have NEVER known this had we not taken the time to get to know her.

One particular Sunday we asked her to go out to lunch with us after church. From that day on she has been writing my daughter letters. These letters are filled with encouragement, compliments, advice, and scripture.

After my daughter sent the first one in return, our sweet friend just GUSHED about how much she loved receiving handwritten letters. Now the letters are a regular occurrence.

The results are two-fold: these two letter writers now feel valued, appreciated, and useful; and I've seen my daughter SLOW DOWN and take time to write to her friend about deep things in her life.

I purchased Always First Class: The Art of Personal Letters, to help my daughter come up with ideas and inspiration for her letter writing.

3. Form a letter writing group

A sweet mom in our homeschool group began a creative worship arts Bible study with our high school girls this year. (She took her inspiration from the book GraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart.)

They have done many things, but the best have been hand lettering, calligraphy - and LETTER WRITING.

She provided the girls with basic lettering instructions, pretty stationary, and everyone's address in the group. Then, she challenged them to write letters to each other over the Christmas holidays and gave prizes based on who had written the most letters.

What fun it was to see letters in the mailbox from my daughter's friends - addressed with beautiful handwriting, and containing heartfelt messages.

I'm so grateful to this mom for teaching the girls to SLOW DOWN, appreciate things of beauty, CREATE things of beauty, and then share those gifts with others.

A handwritten letter is a thing of beauty our children can share with someone else!

4. Find a pen pal

For our younger children, finding a pen pal can be a GREAT way to practice letter writing.

It can be as simple as going to one of your favorite groups on Facebook (I happen to like Equipping Homegrown Learners!) and inquiring if anyone's child would like to be a pen pal with yours.

If you're looking for others ways to find pen pals, this article about How to Find a Pen Pal for Your Child is super helpful.

Many of the books listed at the end of this post are also helpful to inspire your children when writing their pen pals.

5. Model letter writing

Mamas, so much of what we desire for our children can first be modeled!

Do you take the time to write letters? Do you require your children to write thank you letters when they receive a gift, or after they have attended a party at someone's home? Do YOU write thank you letters alongside of them?

Keep a supply of pretty stationery and writing supplies on hand and use them - invite your child to sit with you and use them, too.