Summer Learning

My family thrives on routine. Not a strict schedule (with three kids you've got to be flexible or you'll lose your marbles within an hour of waking up) but a general guideline to our day. Wake up, have breakfast, get ready for school, go to school, dinner, whatever that nights activity is, bedtime routine...you get the idea. I love the school year not because my girls are away from me all day and I can get a bit more quiet, but because of the routine. Now by the end of the year I am the first to say, "I can't wait to not have to be anywhere any certain time." And it's true. Which is why the week they get out of school (which is typically a Monday or Tuesday) is our down week. We literally do not plan anything and mostly lounge around the house in jammies watching tv, playing computer games and the like. After that week though, it's time to get back some order. 

A couple of years ago (the summer before Thing 1 started Kindergarten) I instituted summer learning at our house. We learned very quickly that our family sort of falls into this pit of technology blackness. Mess and chaos began taking over our home. It became pretty clear that Thing 1 was the primary instigator in most arguments and incidents (giving stuffed animals a bath with an actual bottle of shampoo, drawing on the walls, cutting her sisters hair, etc). We quickly realized the girl was BORED and thus finding things to stimulate her mind. Lesson learned. 

Prior to school getting out in May I raid the internet and Pinterest for ideas as well as hit up Half Price Books for workbooks to suit the needs of each girl. Thing 1 is a very high order thinker, reading well beyond her years, and inquisitive which can make it difficult to find work that takes her more than a few minutes or that challenges her (that's another blog post as the coming school year approaches). Thing 2 takes a little longer to grasp something. Once she does though, she soars with it. We have found that Half Price Books is the best place to get a variety of different books - many different publishers that approach topics and lessons differently so we are able to find what best connects with them. It's almost a "the wand chooses the wizard" moment when we find the right book. 

I probably sound like a complete micro manager but remember what I said before? This is all VERY loose and each day is a little bit different.  Here's a little glimpse into our summer days...

Our "daily schedule" is posted in a heavily trafficked area of the house (between the kitchen and table to be exact). Both of the older girls can read now so this has been a HUGE hit, especially with Thing 2. When they aren't sure what to do, we no longer get the "I don't know what to dooooo" whining. They don't even come to ask us what's next, they simply go look at the schedule.

Because The Husband and I swap work schedules (I head into work about 5:45 am and get home around lunch time. He then heads to his shared office space and to meetings with clients.) and because we also take care of our eight month old nephew three days a week, sometimes things get moved around. Some days we need to hit the grocery store while the babies are up from their naps so we'll do that and then do workbooks or that days activity. Some days we'll throw in a trip to the pool or extra park time. For the most part though, our day flows like the schedule states. If there is extra time to kill I have set up folders of links to educational websites that they know they are allowed to get on and play without asking or they can go read. We did set aside an hour each day for computer (read: Minecraft) time and TV (read: Netflix) time.

I also made sure to include simple daily chores. Nothing more than wiping down tables, dusting, sweeping, picking up their playroom, etc. Each girl has a specific chore each day on top of helping out with everyday things like dishes and keeping things generally picked up. We used to do this as a family on the weekends but I got a lot of moaning and groaning. Something about them seeing it written out and only having to do one small thing a day has completely changed their attitude towards the jobs. They look forward to seeing what they get to do that day and it has been SO helpful to me in keeping the house picked up. Living in a small two-bedroom townhouse as a family of five creates a lot of small messes. Their help with daily chores has helped calm that chaos.

Each girl has a folder containing their workbook, a calendar which lists out the daily activities and assigned pages, as well as their reading logs for the summer reading program. It is so fun to watch them just go get their folder, sit down, find what they are supposed to do, and DO IT without constant reminding.

A sample of our calendar. Each day they are given a learning activity of some sort as well as workbook pages to do. I often leave it up to The Husband whether he would like to tackle the activity or pages for that day and I will do the opposite in the afternoon. (Note - there is absolutely no way I could accomplish all of this without a supportive and willing husband. I love that he is equally as determined to keep their love of learning alive.) 

I absolutely love our local library's summer reading program. The prizes get better every year and motivate them to keep reading. Thankfully I have excited and willing readers without it but it's a great bonus! Prizes include zoo passes, froyo passes, bags, free books, Noodles & Co meals, tickets to local baseball games...AWESOME.

So what do the activities involve? Simple things we can do that make them think. Tuesday's throughout the summer are Lego Quest Tuesday's. Check out this site - it's filled with lego tasks for kids to create. Things like self portraits, monochromatics, cars, tools, building something together, etc. The Husband LOVES Lego Quest day. Friday's are always library days and days in between are filled with art projects, crafts, science experiments, etc. Today, we did a cloud and rain demonstration found here.

 (This probably seems a bit overboard but remember, I have a high order thinker that needs to keep thinking...)

 Summer learning is great for this mess-avoiding momma. Messes stress me out so I often find myself trying to take over and do things myself to keep it neat and orderly...I'm slowly learning to let go and let them get messy! 

 They loved watching the color drop down. They soon got out spoons and straws and created their own little experiments with the foam and water. 

Keep checking back - I will continue posting our summer activities. Some have proven more successful than others, but that's all in the spirit of learning!