Thriving this Summer

Too many times I hear, "how am I going to survive this summer with all my kids" and I have even caught myself saying it in the mix of little boy mischief. However, I DO NOT want to ever get in that mind set. I want to be filled with ideas to ENJOY wonderful MOMENTS with my children because I have the opportunity to GET to be with them all day! So here's the info I have gathered:

1. Mix of Six: Oh the Summer we will have - She came up with the idea to make these wonderful lists filled with ideas of good things to enjoy during summer. Her categories are: Oh the Activities we can do, Oh the FOOD we will EAT, Oh the PLACES we will GO, Oh the CRAFTS that can be MADE, and Oh the SERVICE that can be DONE. You can purchase her lists for $1 or you can help your children fill the list with your help (this is what I did). I am planning on checking out this cool website for service opportunities and ideas: Just Serve Additionally, because my children are on the younger side, I am going to assign a category for each day of the week and let my children choose what we do off of that list for the day.

2. Screen Time Summer Rules- We haven't really needed to have set rules on these things during the school year because we really don't have that much free time, but in the summer I want them. I love the idea that we have SCREEN FREE DAYS, meaning only certain days of the week do my children even have access to IPADS, IPHONE games, TV, etc. I want my children to use their imagination, be creative, entertain themselves, and never need to rely on screens for entertainment. However, I am realistic and will have set days and a set amount quantity/time for screen days.

3.Polkadot Chair: Kids Travel Journal- I love this idea! My kids are young so I am going to include LOTS of cutting, and pasting of tickets, pamphlets, leaves, sticks, etc that we will collect during our travels. It is the perfect way to keep up on your kids writing skills and encourage them to share their thoughts. It is also going to keep my kids busy during the hours we will be on the road between destinations!

4. Thirty Handmade Days: Summer Binder- Reading Charts, Activity lists and more. I like this because it will let my kids have a personalized binder with things to do. I'll probably keep our binders more academic focused with reading charts, handwriting activities, printable I find online, etc.

5. Speaking of Reading- I did not find any summer reading programs that suited my children yet. My children are all on the young side, but I want to keep them reading so I am going to do my own Summer reading program with a point system to earn prizes like treats, legos, etc.

To be Continued.....