School's Out. Now What?

Tell me I'm not the first Mom to question what to do with a pack of kids for three months before school starts again.  There are radio advertisements that start at the end of May and run through June suggesting ways to entertain and keep those kids happy.  Awesome!  But I don't have the $45/week for youth programs (and that's just per child!).  If I tried to pay for just my school-aged children, that would be around $100/week for educational summer camps.

Back to the drawing board.  We'll make our own summer camps and involve all of the kids!  My own mother had a schedule, complete with field trips, that made summer fly by. When I returned to school, I could proudly fill out pages of essay on "What I Did Last Summer" thanks to her efforts.  The following are some ideas of successful planning for a summer of pure enjoyment:

Education

Reading/Writing/Arithmetic

I'll admit this was the part of my mom's summer schedule that I hated the most.  School was out.  My friends didn't have homework.  Why did I have to sit down and practice my penmanship?  Well, last summer I found out her reasoning the hard way.  My kindergarten boy went from fairly nice handwriting, to writing 2's as S's and D's as B's.  His reading level declined from a first grade to pre-K in two months.  Whoa!?

All of those days I had spent practicing writing, doing math flash cards, and writing in a journal had saved me from the "summer slide."  The reviews at the beginning of the school year were boring because I had done all of this stuff the previous months.  I didn't need a refresher course.  My son, on the other hand, worked hard to "remember" all of the stuff he'd learned.

This year, we're implementing school work into our summer schedule.  It's not going to be overly time consuming, but enough to keep our pencils sharp and learning minds open.

One of the ways we're going to keep reading at the top of our game is through our local city library summer reading program.  Kids are encouraged to get their own library card, check out books for their reading level, and enjoy crafts, games, and story time all summer long.  If they complete specific tasks, they'll get prizes to parties, stores, and other goodies.  It's a great way to get the kids reading stuff they're interested in.

Field Trip Day

We planned one day a week to spend as a field trip day.  We stuck mostly to Thursdays because interesting sites were usually less busy.  We also tried to find locations that were either free or had a membership that we could use (our local zoo pass).  Here are some ideas for your own field trip day:

• Local restaurant:  We scheduled with a pizza company that had a brick oven pizza inside the restaurant.  They showed the kids where the food was stored (they got a kick out of how big the freezer was) and how it was made.  The company even let the kids make their own personal pizza.
• University Museum:  Local universities often have different kinds of museums to help display student research or faculty presentations.  We've walked through a small dinosaur museum, animal science center, and astronomy museum.  We haven't gotten around to the art museum yet, but that's coming up this summer.
• Theater:  Show the kids the workings of a theater backstage and then go see a show.  This would also work for a movie theater.
• Airport:  Does your city have a small local airport?  See if you can get a tour of the facilities and the tower.  Learn how an air traffic controller does his job.
• Fire/Police Station:  These are common field trip locations with schools and scout groups.  But what about a family?
• Zoo:  This just seems like a given.  If your family is large, consider buying an annual membership and then return whenever you like.  We make up the admission cost on just two trips to the zoo.  And we've found that winter at the zoo is a very good time to visit.  There aren't many people and some of the animals are more active.

Play Time

Don't forget!  It's summertime and that means it's fun time.  Sometimes remembering to play is that hardest part of all.  Go swimming!  Dance in the sprinklers.  Watch a popsicle melt.  And enjoy the easy life while you can.  School will come again soon enough.  Enjoy!