So, I know I'm starting a little late, but I got on Pinterest and my search engine yesterday and dug up some ideas to give our summer some purpose. I thought I might not be the only one who didn't have a plan, so I thought I'd share my idea list. If you are in our area I included some helpful links too.
Goal Setting
To start out, we plan to have each kid set a goal. I read about families who set goals in 3-4 different areas or who set multiple goals per child, but that seemed overwhelming to us so we thought one goal per child would be doable. Since this is our first time doing this I thought the kids might have a hard time with a "blank slate" so I thought of some examples of goals they might want to adopt.
- Academic - Read x books or read x minutes per day, write and illustrate a story
- Personal - Learn to tie shoes
- Physical - Learn to cross monkey bars, learn to swing by myself, learn to ride a bike, learn to throw a frisbee
- Spiritual - I don't have any examples, but I thought this was a good category for another year
- Read everyday (join reading programs)
- Play outside everyday
- Start doing some chores for pay
- Do 10-15 min. summer school everyday (to keep up math & handwriting skills)
- Do something special for someone else everyday (to help with "me" focus)
- One outing per week
- Each child work on one character trait that needs improvement (occassional Bible Study time with Mommy, memorize verses, accountability, etc.)
For the sake of example, and because I need some new motivation and accountablity for myself I set a few personal goals too:
- Try not to be on the computer unless the kids are resting or in bed
- Say “yes” more
- Discipline more, yell less
- Work on self-control with my words when I'm frustrated
Summer Reading Programs
One thing I remember doing in the summer when I was a kid was choosing new books to read. I remember participating in the summer reading program at the library. I remember my mom taking me to the bookstore in the mall to pick out a new classic to take on a trip. I remember spending summers in high school devouring my summer book list for my AP English classes. Our kids love to read and they are good readers, but I figured a little motivation couldn't hurt. I searched for "summer reading programs" online and found lots of great options! The kids are excited that they can win prizes for something they do anyway.
- Local Library
Fun at Home
Sometimes all we need to make a normal day into a memorable summer day is a good idea. Here are some fun ones I found around on various lists and posts or came up with on my own:
- Outside Play
- Water play (sponge bombs, pool, wagon, sprinkler toy, hose Homemade slip n’ slide
- Sidewalk paint/chalk
- Bubbles
- Build a fort
- Wash the car
- Board Games
- Camping (esp. backyard &/or basement)
- Watch the Olympics (July 27-Aug 12, 2012)
- Read chapter books outloud
- Catch fireflies
- Ice Cream for Dinner
- Fondue Night
- Grilling/Eating Outside
Outings
I need a little motivation to get out of the house most days. These ideas motivated me; how about you?
- Swimming
- Library
- Play Dates/Play Group
- Parks (playgrounds & splash pads)
- Feed ducks
- Yard Sales
- Picnics
- Hiking
- Free classes at Lowe’s (ages 5+) – every other Saturday, 10:00, 1 hr.
- Free classes at Home Depot (ages 5+) – 1st Saturday of the month, 9:00
- Free classes at Michael’s (usually ages 3+)
- Bass Pro Shops’ Family Summer Camp, June 9 – July 15 Tu, Th, Sa, Su 1pm-5pm (Free photos, crafts, activities, workshops)
Projects
I remember learning to type as a summer project one year. Seth, his brother, and his dad worked on models in the summer. This inspired me to think about some summer projects we might undertake. Here are a few ideas:
- Memorize a Bible passage as a family
- Do a hard puzzle as a family
- Do a simple sewing project
- Learn a new hobby
How about you? What do you have planned for the summer?
P.S. I apologize for the (as Talia would call it) "wiggy waggy" formatting. For some reason I can't figure out how to fix it.
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3 comments:
Great ideas, Kiersten!
We came up with a "Summer To-Do List" of 16 things we wanted to do this summer (going to try to do 2 per week for June & July). The kids brainstormed with me and it's been a lot of fun so far. Some ideas were to camp in the basement, catch lightening bugs, play putt-putt golf, and do a craft together. I love the idea of a summer break, but realize that I/we do some much better with some sort of structure. :) Plus, I want our summers to be as intentional as the rest of our year.
Hope your summer is full of fun!
After today, I think the McNair home is going to need some more structure as well. My sweet little girls locked me out of their room today during naptime so that they could play instead of sleep. It took 15 minutes of banging on the door and eventually removing the doorknob to get in. Your goal about disciplining more and yelling less would have applied to me in that moment. Nevertheless, I'm encouraged by your blog that starting late with a summer plan is better than not at all. :-)
I love that you wrote all this out Kiersten! Last summer I created structure in my house with some summer school work and special art stuff. It really really helped! I also learned last summer that housework just gets put on the back burner. I am full time entertainer during the summer and that's ok. It's not about a clean house. I, too, want to be on computer less and my phone is going to have a 'time out' period during parts of the day. This summer will be interesting since we are moving but I hope to keep some sort of structure still.
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