I had Ella Fitzgerald’s lyrics, “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy” on my mind when the DH and I {ok mainly me} planned out activities for the kids. I took the entire break a week at a time and did my best to find meaningful activities for them. Here’s what I came up with.
Every Tuesday, the kids attend a one-hour reading program at the local library. The best part about this program is that to attend the end-of-program you have to be one of the top readers. This has made Stinky and Blinky more cooperative during reading time at night. Thank you Jesus!
The first week of June, the kids went to Lego Math Camp at Auburn University Montgomery (AUM). It was a long commute, but the kids enjoyed it immensely. I don’t think they learned any new math concepts, but they did have fun doing activities that reinforced what they already knew. The second week, we spent with my MIL in New Orleans. For the next three weeks, they are at camp at our local Rec Center where they do arts & crafts, music, and get the opportunity to swim, play basketball, and go on the playground. In addition, Blinky is spending her lunch hour this week at ballet camp where she is learning the choreography for a recital this fall.
The second week in July, they will attend VBS at our church. The third week, they will head back to AUM where Stinky and Blinky will attend Second Grade Prep and First Grade Prep respectively. My Mom gets into town the following week, which is great because she will keep the kids until school reopens. She’s a teacher with 40+ years experience and will have lessons with them in the morning to help bridge that summer gap. We are also planning a long weekend with her in Asheville to visit the Biltmore Estate.
One of the things I was most concerned with this summer was not overscheduling our evenings. In fact, we have no organized events after 5pm. The idea was to be able to spend quality time together. As a result of this both Stinky and Blinky have learned to ride their bikes without training wheels. YAY! (But let me tell you, this was not without a fair share of tantrums.) I also didn’t want hectic {ok let’s call it what it is, CRAZY} moments leading up to bedtime, which has been pushed back from 7:30pm to 8:45. Yes, the DH and I have sacrificed precious quiet time, but it makes for more peaceful mornings. Too bad this won’t work when school reopens.
So that’s our summer. What does yours look like?
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