Jun. 3, 2009 - Summer Plans
We school year-round ... but don't tell my children! They need an end date. They want to be able to tell their friends when their last day of school is. So I pick one. Usually it's the last Friday of May -- that way they get to be the first ones to be finished among their peers! LOL!
However, I have no intention of stopping their education just because it's summer! Don't get me wrong -- I always plan to be finished with formal homeschooling by the end of May. I fashion my lesson plans to coincide with a "normal" school year. But you know what? Life happens! Man plans but God laughs! In 20 years of homeschooling, we have never gotten 100% through with every lesson in every subject. And I've learned .... that's okay!
Ask some public school teachers that you know ... do they finish every page of every book? No! And why do they spend the first month back to school going over stuff from last year? Partly to review and refresh their students memories, partly to teach the stuff that didn't get taught the year before! :o)
It's not all work throughout the summer at our house. But I do loosely plan our days. Every day I want my children to do something:
- Physical -- bike ride, jump on the trampoline, push mow the dog pen ... something that gets the blood pumping!
- Educational -- Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays are math-related. Tuesdays and Thursdays are English/grammar/writing-related. I also read to them during lunch-time, usually a book from whatever historical time period we've been studying.
- Intellectual -- read a book, write a story, research a topic of interest, create a game, design a bird feeder, plan a party ...
- For someone else -- write a note to grandma, walk the neighbor's dog, bake cookies for their Sunday School teacher, clean out dad's car.
Some days they have friends over, but that doesn't stop me! I can usually make sure they (and their friends!) get their 4 R's (requirements!) in ... and they usually don't even realize it!
I'll have more ideas for filling the 4 R's next time!
For more summer fun ideas, visit Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.
Please leave me your email or web address so I can "talk back" to your comments! :o)
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