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Why would you want to have any kind of structure after months and months of it during the school year??? Because kids THRIVE with a framework for their days! They feel confident and secure when they know what is happening next. I’ve had a few summers that I just completely let go of the reins and let whatever happened happen. Guess how that turned out? Fights, chaos, huge messes, temper tantrums, meltdowns, and very few fun activities happened because of ALL.OF.THAT.
I decided to implement a very loose summer schedule every summer since and it has been GLORIOUS! We are all happier, healthier and more productive. The kids know what is happening, and when, so there is less pestering (SCORE!). They look forward to all of that outside time and free play that they can see coming after chores and summer learning activities. They know that they’ll get lots of play time and that makes them happy.
Since we have a lot going on during the school year with therapy, playdates, field trips, service days, holidays and, of course, illness, we have decided to school year round. We try to get the vast majority of our math and English courses done between September and June, but usually have a little left over. I like to continue some math work throughout the summer to help with retention. We also work on fun projects for history and science. It is so cold here for such a long time during the traditional school year there is very little time to get outside and study nature or do a really messy science or art project outdoors.
Don’t worry, we take lots of time off! We usually take a few weeks off in June when traditional school lets out, another break around Independence Day, then another couple of weeks in August. We also take vacations and days off during the traditional school year. Choosing to lengthen our school year has given us a lot of freedom. We really enjoy it!
Here is our summer schedule for your use or just to get an idea of how things work around here. I hope it helps make your summer a little more relaxed and fun
Our family also made a summer bucket list. We are hoping that we will get more of these activities done because they are written down. Here it is:
- Backyard Camp Out
- Walk to the end of the pier.
- Watch the sunset at the beach.
- Pool/Sprinkler Days
- Picnics
- Tea Parties
- Petting Zoo
- Farmer’s Markets
- Pick Blueberries
- Visit the Cottage
- Fishing
- Fly a Kite
- Read Great Books
- Complete Puzzles
- Grow Delicious Tomatoes
- Make Blueberry Jam
- Make S’mores
- Family Movie Nights
- Learn Something New!
What does your summer schedule look like? Do you have a summer bucket list? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
I really like the idea of the summer bucket list! It would be so easy for me to let the summer be loosey-goosey but I need to see it as an opportunity to play with and learn structure.