Looking out at the upcoming summer was daunting this year. I've already managed the kids for 15 months, inside, mitigating boredom and online learning and inevitable sibling disagreements... how can I manage 2 1/2 more months of that???
I have found that breaking down the summer into blocks - weeks, really - and counting how many I have to fill helps me to make a rough sketch. I charted out June, July and August on a planner, but I often draw it out by hand; fill in anything you know will happen - Fourth of July with grandma, birthday or holiday plans, or trips.
This summer, we have 3 trips planned - one long weekend, one short beach trip, and a road trip - so I only need to fill 7 weeks. I don't count the weeks where we are traveling because there is so much to do around a trip and then everyone needs some down time after a trip, some basic activities will fill the rest of the week.
Looking at my calendar, I know I have 7 weeks to fill, 5 days a week. I made 5 categories, one for each day and then filled in 7 ideas.
My categories are Art, Nature, STEM, Life Skills and Cooking, but could have been building or exercise or puzzles - whatever works for your kids and you, and makes sense! Broad categories work well, because going to the Nature Center ticks the Nature box, but we can go for a hike to get plants for an Art project the next day.
Cooking and Life Skills are projects that I like to work on with the kiddos over the summer. I know my kids are sorely lacking in a few life skills, or otherwise, areas that drive me crazy! So, if I try to teach them how to do the laundry or fold clothes, maybe it will make my life a bit easier. For Cooking, I really enjoy showing the kids that food is just a matter of trying; that homemade ice cream or bread or pasta is possible! It could just be making brownies out of a box, but if they learn to read a recipe and measure ingredients - that is great! You don't have to go overboard.
So, once I have my 7 week's worth of ideas jotted down... I'm done. I don't over-schedule. This week feels like this; next week feels more like that. I don't make "Cooking Monday" and "Science Wednesday", just because some weeks, those days might be filled with something else! You can't go hiking if it's thunderstorming, so if I don't schedule "Nature" day, I can go when the weather is right. But, if scheduling it all out makes more sense to you, hit that!
We also supplement with some summer workbooks (I like the BrainQuest summer books), but there is no pressure or goal with those, except to stem the tide of learning loss. Last summer, we also did the local library's summer reading challenge. If you visit any National Parks, the kids can do the Junior Ranger activities, too.
So, gird your loins - summer is coming! With a small plan, you can have a great summer!
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