Less than two weeks our home will officially be on Summer Break! YAY! Uhoh! I can tell Gabriel is getting the senioritis. Senioritis is simply when they are DONE, he is done with this year. Gabe is ready for the break and ready to move on to Fifth Grade. As ready as Gabe is for Summer break he is also slightly upset with me for signing him up for the Extended School Year (ESY) program. Lucas is going too so that takes some of the sting out for him but still, he feels like I am robbing him of his summer. Too bad kid!
As Gabe is winding down from his school year I am gearing up on Summer plans. I always tell Gabe he is lucky having a Mommy that doesn't work because I get to spend the whole summer with him. I enjoy having my boys home with me for the short 10 weeks. I do my best to fill our time with structure, responsibilities, relaxation and activities. Some of my plans have to be loose and flexible considering my health. Summer is the time of year when my RSD doesn't bother me as much but the constantly active aspects exhaust my chronic back pain.
I strongly believe children should have a combination of relaxation and responsibility over the summer. No couch potatoes or vampire video gaming in my house! During the school year the focus is on the importance of academics. During the summer the focus is placed on being responsible for a clean room, getting some natural vitamin D and then he gets gaming time. This year I am also throwing into the mix that he reads and writes 2 book reports for me. All of this may sound extreme but if you break it down it is quite an easy accomplishment. If Gabriel reads between 1-3 chapters a day he could easily accomplish both reading his books and writing two reports before we go on our summer vacation. As with any major accomplishment there is always a reward at the end.
Here is how I will be breaking down our summer schedule.
7:30am Rise and Shine - Breakfast and get dressed for the day.
8:30 - 11:30am Summer School
11:30 - 1pm Lunch and Fun outside
1 - 1:30pm Clean room
1:30 - 2pm Read (however long it taks to read the chapters designated for that day)
2 - 6pm FREE TIME (as long as he did everything he was supposed to do!)
6pm - 8pm Dinner and Family time
8-9pm Shower, family and relaxation time
9-10pm bedtime(flexible because he is getting older)
Sounds easy right? Summer school is only for the month of July so when August starts we will switch up the schedule. The reading and cleaning will change into those earlier hours and leave the rest of the day open to more fun.
I am looking into activites to include into our weekly schedules. Lemonaid stands, constructing a birdhouse and taking nature walks are amoung some of our favorite standby's. This summer we are also going to borrow my parents tent and camp out in the backyard. I may also plan an end of the year sleepover party for Gabe and his friends. These are some of the simply and cheap summer plans that make a big impact for kids. If you want to see your 10year old get serious about cleaning his room tell him he can have a few of his friends come over for a sleepover! He will run and do anything you ask with a smile on his face. That is called positive reinforcement!
Lucas has an easier schedule obviously. I cannot ask a 3 year old to read for 30minutes and then write a book report. I can try and fail to get him to pick up his toys every day. I am trying to gather idea's of what I can do with him to instill the sense of Vacation Fun! I want to center Lucas' activities on his speech accomplishments and goals. I welcome suggestions from other Apraxic/Dyspraxic Mommies!
I am considering other fun activities that we never did before as a family. I have read in 'New Jersey Family' magazine about an Open-air Theater for kids that sounds like a fun new experience! We have never been to the State Fair Meadowlands. Maybe if we have a rainy day we can try one of those Dine-In MovieTheaters? Sure these are the options that you throw money at but having a new experience as a family is priceless.
As always (well except last year) we end our Summer on a BANG! with our family favorite vacation to Ocean City Maryland. For us this is the best way to end the Summer and start a new School Year fresh. During that week we live it up. We eat out 5 nights out of 6. We spend our day at the beach finish it off with a swim in the pool then clean up for fun either in the game room, at the board walk or playing mini golf before heading out to dinner. We fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean. Gabe and I love walking the beach in the early morning to look for the perfect seashells while watching the sun rise above the ocean. Leo and I have dreams of retiring in Ocean City MD.
The kids may be winding down from the school year (only 2 more weeks) but I am gearing up for my 10 precious weeks with my boys. Obviously life doesn't ever go as planned for me but that is why I make back up plans and keep both plan A and plan B very flexible. These last 3 weeks my pain levels have been managable so I am praying that the rest of summer keeps the record going! If not then the kids will enjoy down time with Mommy until she is better enough to do the active and outgoing activities she has planned. Either way, life goes on and I will do my best to give them a great summer! Only time will tell which plan gets put into action. :)
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