Let the games begin! Well, not quite. It's more like let the complaining, whining, hot tempers, and long days begin! On their first day at home, by ten in the morning I had already heard, "Can we get going and do something? We're way bored." I love how they pin it on me like I'm the 'Cruise Director' and in charge of their daytime happiness. This is when I start praying mightily and making sure to take my Confianza for beyond-my-capability-patience. On the flip side, Preston woke up happy, made his bed without being prodded and got dressed before ten. His attitude flipped when we started talking about the Summer time schedule and regulations.
We're doing what we normally do in the summer, which is extreme structure. They are expected to practice their math facts three times a week (particularly multiplication and division) and to write in their journals or write a story two days a week (one day in print and one day in cursive). They will be reading two books a month and doing small book reports. There is the summer time chore chart and every time I hear the words, "I'm bored," they get to create a list of ten activities that they can do that doesn't include television or friends. There is no daytime television - the possibility of earning a movie in the evening which is dependent on good attitudes and a probable extra chore.
I'm going to do a trial run with Preston regarding homeschooling and tomorrow is our first field trip to an air force museum. We'll be learning about aircraft and the Wright Brothers, and how flight has influenced the outcome of wars. I plan on several trips the library, zoo and aviary, as well hikes and park time (although the park has to happen before the heat becomes unbearable for me) and picnics. I suppose I'll do a few trips to the pool but I admit that I'm just not a pool girl and the fact that my last few pool experiences disgusted me, I'm not going to go out of my way to get them there (and if you are curious - first pool-side experience was watching a kid barf in the pool from the side lines and my kids almost swam through it. Second time- we had to be cleared from the pool while the staff went fishing for floaters. Third time - my husband pointed out the swirling, foaming brown water pushed into the corner of the hot tub by the jets and the nasty film from the foam left behind on his swim trunks. Needless to say, public pools are creepy gross!).
I know, I know - I sound like the meanest mom ever. Little pool time, assignments in the summer. To that I say BAH! I know that my kids need the consistency and they both need that constant stimulation. My fourteen-year-old seems to forget information almost instantaneously (that is not a joke) and despite his grumpiness toward the summer regiment, he really does NEED it. I also read several articles last spring regarding keeping them working through the summer in that in that short, three month time frame they lose some crazy high percentage of information they lost during the school year. The brain is a muscle and it needs to be worked regularly to stay in shape! Here's to summer! Cheers!
We're doing what we normally do in the summer, which is extreme structure. They are expected to practice their math facts three times a week (particularly multiplication and division) and to write in their journals or write a story two days a week (one day in print and one day in cursive). They will be reading two books a month and doing small book reports. There is the summer time chore chart and every time I hear the words, "I'm bored," they get to create a list of ten activities that they can do that doesn't include television or friends. There is no daytime television - the possibility of earning a movie in the evening which is dependent on good attitudes and a probable extra chore.
I'm going to do a trial run with Preston regarding homeschooling and tomorrow is our first field trip to an air force museum. We'll be learning about aircraft and the Wright Brothers, and how flight has influenced the outcome of wars. I plan on several trips the library, zoo and aviary, as well hikes and park time (although the park has to happen before the heat becomes unbearable for me) and picnics. I suppose I'll do a few trips to the pool but I admit that I'm just not a pool girl and the fact that my last few pool experiences disgusted me, I'm not going to go out of my way to get them there (and if you are curious - first pool-side experience was watching a kid barf in the pool from the side lines and my kids almost swam through it. Second time- we had to be cleared from the pool while the staff went fishing for floaters. Third time - my husband pointed out the swirling, foaming brown water pushed into the corner of the hot tub by the jets and the nasty film from the foam left behind on his swim trunks. Needless to say, public pools are creepy gross!).
I know, I know - I sound like the meanest mom ever. Little pool time, assignments in the summer. To that I say BAH! I know that my kids need the consistency and they both need that constant stimulation. My fourteen-year-old seems to forget information almost instantaneously (that is not a joke) and despite his grumpiness toward the summer regiment, he really does NEED it. I also read several articles last spring regarding keeping them working through the summer in that in that short, three month time frame they lose some crazy high percentage of information they lost during the school year. The brain is a muscle and it needs to be worked regularly to stay in shape! Here's to summer! Cheers!
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