It seems like there is excitement all around at the beginning of summer. Suddenly the mornings are less stressful because you aren't trying to get groggy kids ready on time. The weather warms up and time outside becomes something to be desired instead of dreaded (at least it does here in the NW). Popsicles and otter pops take their place in the freezer and the various mustaches and brightly colored tongues they make begin to become the norm. Summertime is the time for backyard BBQs, camp outs and family picnics. What is not to love?
Within a few weeks (if not a few days) I start to hear things like. "I'm BORED." The school that was the bane of their existence for the nine months previous begins to look attractive to them all of a sudden. They miss friends, recess, even school lunches. They miss the structure of the school day. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss school too. As much as I love my boys and love spending time with them, I start to miss the quiet time after they are all at school. There is less fighting, less begging for a snack, less destruction of property, and less all around chaos during the school year.
Living here at the coast, we have extra reason for summertime blues as well. Our beaches are suddenly crowded with inconsiderate tourist types, our grocery stores, gas stations and Costco are suddenly busier than at any other time of year with the possible exception of Christmas time. Traffic suddenly becomes an issue and going to the beach ourselves becomes suddenly less attractive. We like it during the quiet times of the year. Small town living suits us, and being able to enjoy the beach as a family without crowds is lovely. We have many more beach pictures of our family in winter coats taken on a sunny day in January or November than we do of us in shorts and sunglasses. Most of the time we don't hit the beach in the summer unless family comes down to see us.
So what am I going to do with five boys all summer? Usually we end up sitting around bored, running through the sprinkler, watching too much TV and playing on the computer too much. This year I am trying something different.
First of all, we are going to have homework over the summer. A couple of our boys have a hard time with homework during the school year, so I want to keep them in the habit. I am not going to torture them with it, but each of them will have to do a worksheet or two per day, and the older ones will be assigned books to read and give us reports on.
Next, we will have recess. Our yard has a lot of potential with its small grove of trees, blackberry bushes and open space. Its only a little over a quarter of an acre, but for around here its pretty big. We don't have a fence though, and that means I need to be out there to keep an eye on the three year old whenever they play outside. Luckily we live within close walking distance to the school and to the city park. I think that at least a few times a week we will be going to the park in the mornings before its too hot, and before the crowds get there. This will let the boys burn off some energy, and I can get some exercise walking the school track or walking the distance to the city park as well. On the days we don't go to the park, we will play in our yard and set up the sprinkler or the tent for some outdoor fun.
We are making a daily schedule. I mentioned this in my last post about the laminator. I think it will help if the boys see that there are things to look forward to later in the day.
Lastly we are having a weekly theme. My sister and I came up with themes together, and the boys and I will have different activities during the week revolving around the theme for the week. Some of the weeks the theme will coincide with family visiting or us visiting family. I will have more on the themes as they happen. I think one blog a week will I cover the theme and what we did to go along with it. Hopefully I can stick with it and make a good go of it. The first week we are just going to relax and enjoy summer before the boredom sets in. The second week we will start with a theme. The third week is cub scout day camp, so I will be doing a mini theme with the three younger boys while the big boys are at camp. I am thinking it will be a mini day camp for us at home. After that we will get into the meat of our themes. We came up with ten weeks of themes (more actually but we are using ten of them) and I will post about them and post links to ideas if they apply. Maybe some of you can get some ideas from it as well.
Wish us luck! Today was the last day of school and summer vacation has officially started!
Within a few weeks (if not a few days) I start to hear things like. "I'm BORED." The school that was the bane of their existence for the nine months previous begins to look attractive to them all of a sudden. They miss friends, recess, even school lunches. They miss the structure of the school day. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss school too. As much as I love my boys and love spending time with them, I start to miss the quiet time after they are all at school. There is less fighting, less begging for a snack, less destruction of property, and less all around chaos during the school year.
Living here at the coast, we have extra reason for summertime blues as well. Our beaches are suddenly crowded with inconsiderate tourist types, our grocery stores, gas stations and Costco are suddenly busier than at any other time of year with the possible exception of Christmas time. Traffic suddenly becomes an issue and going to the beach ourselves becomes suddenly less attractive. We like it during the quiet times of the year. Small town living suits us, and being able to enjoy the beach as a family without crowds is lovely. We have many more beach pictures of our family in winter coats taken on a sunny day in January or November than we do of us in shorts and sunglasses. Most of the time we don't hit the beach in the summer unless family comes down to see us.
So what am I going to do with five boys all summer? Usually we end up sitting around bored, running through the sprinkler, watching too much TV and playing on the computer too much. This year I am trying something different.
First of all, we are going to have homework over the summer. A couple of our boys have a hard time with homework during the school year, so I want to keep them in the habit. I am not going to torture them with it, but each of them will have to do a worksheet or two per day, and the older ones will be assigned books to read and give us reports on.
Next, we will have recess. Our yard has a lot of potential with its small grove of trees, blackberry bushes and open space. Its only a little over a quarter of an acre, but for around here its pretty big. We don't have a fence though, and that means I need to be out there to keep an eye on the three year old whenever they play outside. Luckily we live within close walking distance to the school and to the city park. I think that at least a few times a week we will be going to the park in the mornings before its too hot, and before the crowds get there. This will let the boys burn off some energy, and I can get some exercise walking the school track or walking the distance to the city park as well. On the days we don't go to the park, we will play in our yard and set up the sprinkler or the tent for some outdoor fun.
We are making a daily schedule. I mentioned this in my last post about the laminator. I think it will help if the boys see that there are things to look forward to later in the day.
Lastly we are having a weekly theme. My sister and I came up with themes together, and the boys and I will have different activities during the week revolving around the theme for the week. Some of the weeks the theme will coincide with family visiting or us visiting family. I will have more on the themes as they happen. I think one blog a week will I cover the theme and what we did to go along with it. Hopefully I can stick with it and make a good go of it. The first week we are just going to relax and enjoy summer before the boredom sets in. The second week we will start with a theme. The third week is cub scout day camp, so I will be doing a mini theme with the three younger boys while the big boys are at camp. I am thinking it will be a mini day camp for us at home. After that we will get into the meat of our themes. We came up with ten weeks of themes (more actually but we are using ten of them) and I will post about them and post links to ideas if they apply. Maybe some of you can get some ideas from it as well.
Wish us luck! Today was the last day of school and summer vacation has officially started!
1 comment:
What great ideas. Are you out of school already? I usually make the boys do school for about an hour everyday starting the second week of vacation. Mostly dull handwriting practice, math, and reading. But we have found it helps so much when school starts up again, gives them a confidence and an edge.
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