So, how do we do Summer school while keeping it light and fun? We keep things MINIMAL. I also hold the rhythm with an open hand. On days we decide to visit the zoo or go swimming we’ll skip academics in favor of Summer activities. On days we find ourselves at home we fall right back into our rhythm.
The first thing is that we limit screen time. Our kids are at an age that this is easier than in the earlier years. They are all old enough to be independent and come up with their own ideas to be creative. [This took a PAINFUL amount of time and practice to get here but hear me when I say it, TOTALLY WORTH it!] Typically we do not watch TV during the week. Because it’s Summer I have been letting them watch one educational show each afternoon. I know this might sound crazy, but hang with me. Since they were little I have chosen something to be our “Summer Show.” It’s usually something still educational but more cartoon-ish. They only watch it in the Summer. It eliminates arguments over what to watch because they already know the show. For the past few years it’s been Bubble Guppies. Last year it was Little Bear (you can find basically all the episodes on YouTube) I’m pretty sure they’ll always associate those shows with Summer. (As a caveat, there are days we claim as a movie day when it’s 10 hundred degrees outside or if someone’s feeling a little under the weather but for the most part that’s our screen policy.)
Next, I chose journaling to be our core rhythm, something we do daily. I got the girls Junior Composition Notebooks. It’s just a half composition book, but it’s less intimidating than a full page. They get such a happy feeling when they fill up a whole page with ideas and with a half sized journal that’s a much easier task to accomplish! I don’t put parameters on what they write. They can write as little or as much as they like. (I do encourage them to be reasonable-one word or one sentence isn’t reasonable) However, on less inspired days I offer copy work as an alternative. They can copy the week’s Bible verse or a fun poem. It’s just as valuable an activity when they do copy work as when they write on their own.
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