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?