The Last Few Days of Summer

Kids and I at Union Station with some Chihuly glass.

For most people, the last few weeks of summer are filled with preparation for the upcoming school year, maybe sneaking in a last minute vacation, and generally counting down the minutes until order comes back into the household. Well, not in this family! As someone who works in the education field, I know that as soon as September second hits, the stress will begin again. Please note, I love my job, I really do. It is just very hard being around students all day, only to come home and help my own kids with homework, and then begin doing homework of my own. Draining, that may be the better word!

At any rate, the last few weeks of summer are crammed full of things that cannot be done once fall comes. It has helped that some friends and I have created an online group to share different local activities that are family oriented. Some of them are learning based, and some are just for fun. Take a look at some of the things we've done, hopefully it will give you and your family some ideas for the last little bit of freedom and sunshine!

Why not sign your kids up for a last minute swim course? Ours was fun, and very informative, and was able to be completed within a week!


My son and his swim instructor



My daughter getting some last minute tips
 



Or, take the kids to go berry picking. It's relaxing, and they are able to save these for healthy snacks throughout the week!

The excited kids after picking a few berries

Another idea is to head to the zoo and check out any summer only exhibits. A lot of zoos will have items on loan from other states, and will promptly send them back once school resumes.

Touching a bamboo shark

Oh so fuzzy and weird!

Feeding the budgies with Grandma

In addition to those fantastic ideas, why not take the family for a fun mini golf outing? It's inexpensive, fun, and something even little ones are able to enjoy for short spurts. Another benefit is that, usually, mini golf is in the shade and moves slowly enough that, though exercise, it will not be horrible in the summer heat!

Mom, Reyna, and dad discussing angles

Posin' Reyna

And who can forget the beach? Not only is it relaxing, but most beaches have fun things to explore, shells to find, rocks to skip, and possibly some seals to spot!

Kids in front of a lighthouse on the beach
at Maury Island

Beach time at Vashon

 

Big crab shell my daughter found

Kids on the ferry ride to the beach!

And, lastly, why not check out some local museums? Many are free certain days of the month, and offer fun things for kids of all ages to do. Not only that, but museums are easy to take at your own pace, a refuge from the heat, and full of awesome learning opportunities!

Helping friends try on bonnets

Discovering a rotary phone

Wonderland exhibit

In these buildings we go "shhhhh"

Fun trying on pioneer clothing

I hope you all have had a wonderful summer, and take these last few, precious, weeks to spend quality time with your kids. Hopefully, this has provided some ideas of what to do next!

End of Summer Catch-Up

Back in June, I found out that I would be having a crazy school schedule. As soon as I accepted what was in front of me, I realized that I would be shorting my kids on having a great time this summer. So, we sat down and made a bucket list of all of the things they wanted to do before summers end. Though I realize I should have shared this at the beginning of summer, I forgot and am making up for it now. Side note, the items that are bolded are what we have accomplished so far.

And here it is:

1. Baskin and Robbins
2. Going to the beach
3. Family game night
4. Picnic pizza day at the beach
5. Holiday celebration
6. Getting shells at the beach
7. To see lily pads
8. To see frogs
9. Have another family movie night
10. Go to the Rainforest Cafe/Museum of Flight
11. Go to the Art Museum
12. Go to the Glass Museum
13. Go to the train station
14. Play in the sprinkler
15. Going to Uncle Doug's
16. Ice skating
17. S'mores nights
18. Swimming lessons
19. Art projects
20. Sleeping in the tent
21. Go to the park
22. Go to the water park
23. Squirt gun fight
24. No tattling for a day
25. Watching The Lego Movie
26. Watching Smurfs 2
27. Staying up late
28. Alder Lake
29. Mount Rainier
30. Put put golf

As you can see, we haven't made much progress.  That being said, we have done #29 several times this summer, and have had family come to us (#14) instead of us going to them. Also, some of them were done two weeks before school let out (we went to the beach, collected shells, and slept in a tent), I just haven't put it as official summer fun since school was still in session. I hope when my kids look back on all of this that they won't be disappointed, and will have had an awesome summer!

Summer Reading the Painless Way

One of the best children's books ever written!

The summer months are upon us, which should mean days filled with sunshine, laughter, sprinklers, and playing outside. It also means a break from school, which can lead to a loss of learning by the time August/September comes around.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am the first person to line up and say kids should be kids. Let them be free to develop their imaginations, and play before adult hood hits. As a teacher-in-training, though, I also feel bound to keeping my children from the summer slide which inevitably will leave them with questions and confusion the first few weeks of school.

In my house, we have found a solution with an earning system: 20 minutes of reading a day earns them technology time, as that is what they view as a treat. 20 simple minutes is enough to keep their brains wired for learning, not forget the word patterns their teachers mercilessly drilled into their heads, and as an added bonus it will also open their worlds up to an even bigger land of imagination.

It's such an easy thing to do, head to the local library and check out some cool, new books (I personally recommend Molly Lou Melon, she's the best!), quickly review the book before your child starts, then set the timer and be prepared to as them for a minute recap when they're done to assure they actually read the book instead of staring blankly at the pages. Work together to come up with a free reward that can be earned with reading, maybe it's daily, or maybe 5 days in a row earns them staying up an hour past bedtime. It's a way to be creative, yet easily achieve greatness!



What about you, what are some of your summer tips to keep your little ones mentally active?