Hello Summer!

Wow, I hadn't realized how long it's been since I posted last... Sorry about that. But I guess no news is good news, right? I don't have a ton to report--things are going well! The baby is growing (meaning I am getting more and more tired--only 8 weeks left!), the boys finished school yesterday and started swim team today, and Jeremy will be done with his 3rd year of residency in less than 2 weeks. That, in and of itself, is miracle enough for me--we're over halfway done!!! I can remember when residency was this huge, looming black cloud in our future--with its long days and sleepless nights, research projects and tests, etc--and now we're over the hump. We're making it! That should be hopeful news for anyone :o)

So school is out and we are getting into the groove of summer... It's funny, summer always seems like this huge span of time--the kids are all home, and every year we find ourselves asking, what are we going to fill it with? Being the organizational nerd that I am, I feel the need to make some kind of plan so that the time isn't wasted. The school year is always chock full of homework, sports, Scouts, etc. During the summer, we finally have time to do things we want to do and learn about things we want to learn about. It's a great time to teach new housekeeping skills--you can actually take the time to teach your child how to clean a toilet or fold clothes or whatever; a great time to take that trip to the museum or explore the historical gems right in your little community; a great time to sit and read an entire chapter book with your kids... whatever you want!

I stumbled upon this great idea a few years ago that I wanted to share. Take it or leave it--I know it's not for everyone :o) Each summer, when school gets out, I decide on a "theme" for the summer and do some kind of kick-off to introduce it to the kids. During the week we learn about our subject through books and the internet, and once a week we do something related to that theme that's fun and educational (a "field trip" of sorts)!

An especially memorable year we did Summer Space School. We checked out space books from the library, I printed up Space Workbooks off of NASA's website for our "homework", we learned how to find constellations in the night sky (meaning the kids got to stay up late :o), we memorized the whole "My Very Educated Mother..." phrase, and the boys did little reports about what they learned. We went to this spot in our county where the first radio emissions from Jupiter were heard and talked to some extremely enthusiastic NASA scientists, we went to the National Air and Space Museum and the Goddard Space Center--all places we would never have time to go during the school year. It was a blast!!!!

Don't get me wrong--we still did LOTS of lounging around at the pool, hanging out with friends, library activities, free concerts and movies, etc. But the boys always ask what we're doing for summer school, so I know they look forward to it and enjoy it :o)

The great thing about "summer school" is that you can pick what you want to learn more about with your family, and you can cater it to what's available in your area. Maybe it's American History, maybe it's the Human Body or Dinosaurs, maybe it's the Scriptures or the Articles of Faith! The whole key is to make it FUN... And there are tons of ways to do it--look for ideas on the internet, at the library, etc. This is a great way to make for a memorable summer without being expensive :o)

What do you think? What do YOU do in the summertime?