Happy Thursday Ladies!
Like usual, we are ready for the weekend!
This school year just flown by, hard to believe there are only 4 weeks of school left! I can't really say we are shedding any tears over here about the school year coming to an end. My kids love school, and I do enjoy the little bit of peace during the day, however, I truly love having them home. We are not morning people over here, so sleeping in is one of our favorite things to do. And aside from being able to shut down the alarm for a few months I will absolutely NOT miss packing lunches daily, homework, studying and signing agendas and papers.
AMEN!!!
Back in the day when I just had Brooke and Harrison, I really felt the need to keep them "going" during the summer. I would stand online at the crack of dawn in February, to make sure I got them in a crap load of summer camps. I mean just because school was out, they still needed to be kept "busy" all day right??? Well after two years of doing summer camps, I realized it really wasn't something either one of them really wanted to do. They would complain about getting up early, not being able to play and swim with their friends, just hang out and do nothing....that's exactly what they wanted to do....NOTHING.
I always give the kids the opportunity to sign up for a week long camp or two, if it's something they want to do. About 5 years ago Jack wanted to do a lego camp with one of his buddies, so he did it, and loved it. If any of them ask to do a summer camp or two, I will absolutely let them do it. I just learned early on, that pushing them to do it just didn't work for our family. My kids are so laid back, and we are so super crazy busy during the school year with school work, sports, activities, etc, they really truly do crave the down time.
We always go away during the summer, we will go to the beach or go to Michigan to spend time with Mark's kids, and they always look forward to that. But they are really so content with just staying home, getting to sleep until noon, hanging out in the neighborhood with their friends and spending countless hours at the pool.
I really miss them so much while they are in school, they are such great kids and they are so fun to be around. I love that during the summer we get lots of time to just "hang out" together. Whether we hit up the pool, go to lunch, or just hang home watching movies or a favorite TV show, we all just love not being on a schedule.
Olivia still has a "bed time" during the summer, it is later than it is during the school year, but she is still little and needs to be in bed by a reasonable time. As for the boys, they are 13 & 11 now, and I pretty much let them decide when they want to go to bed. They are old enough to realize when they are tired and need to go to bed. There was one night last summer they stayed up all night, literally all night playing video games. Mark went downstairs to leave for work and there they were playing video games, they proudly stated how they "pulled an all nighter playing video games", well let's just say that only happened once, they both were asleep by 6 that night! I am totally fine with letting them stay up late, and sleeping until noon if they want to. They work so hard during the year with school work and sports, I love that they have the summer to just chill, recharge and relax.
I don't make them do any school work over the summer. I am sure there is someone reading this right now that thinks I am the world's worst parent for not making them do any school work over the summer:). Once they get into middle school here, they are assigned a summer reading project, which in my opinion is 100% total BS , so they do have to read their assigned book, and complete that work. But other than that, I just don't make them do any work. I am a firm believer that they need a break, I mean seriously who wants to do school work over summer break?!!?!?! During the school year we are sticklers when it comes to their school work and grades, and because they do so well in school and give 100% I am totally OK giving them the summer off!
There are so many wonderful summer programs offered to the kids nowadays, and I think that it's great for kids to be a part of that. For our family though, we are just lazy and enjoy simply doing nothing! For us we are counting down the days until school is out!
Would love to hear how everyone spends their summers with their kiddos!
I totally agree with the no school work over the summer. Kids work hard all year and deserve a break from it. Summer is for relaxing and playing and recharging! Come September they can resume those school duties again. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there is a teacher reading this that is cringing that I am that mom that doesn't make my kids "work" over the summer ;). Thanks for taking the time to read and comment today. Have a great day.
DeleteI totally agree that kids need a break BUT don't forget that kids can lose up to SIXTY PERCENT of what they learned last year over the summer and then feel stressed and "behind" when school starts back up and they've forgotten a lot of what they were taught. My "teacher advice" would be to keep them engaged in learning (and practicing) during the summer in fun ways... reading a book together as a family and talking about it, online math games, writing in a journal a couple times a week about what they've been doing, etc. I TOTALLY get the "they need a break" mentality (I need a break too! hahaha), but keeping them actively learning during the time off can reap great rewards at the beginning of the school year (and be fun at the same time!). Counting down right along with you!!! Only 10 more days for us!!! Have a fabulous day, girly!
ReplyDeleteTen days...I'm just jealous!!!!!
Delete60%?? That's insane! I have to wonder if the concepts were grasped in the first place...
ReplyDelete60% is crazy to me too! I know all kids are different, and this is just what works for our family. I have been lucky that my kids seem to go back to school each year and don't struggle or feel "behind" but I can totally understand some kids might. And I would have to agree in that if they lose that much did they even really understand it to begin with
DeleteAndrea-thanks for your input. I have a 4 month old right now and reading this post I wasn't sure what I would want to do about this when he's school age. I agree with them needing a break but I'd be scared they'd forget it all or get too far out of the learning mindset if you don't do any school work with them during the summer. Good topic, Kim!
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! The one thing we still do is read, luckily my kids enjoy reading so that is something that is a constant here year round, but I admit I definitely don't do my type of worksheet or workbooks with them during the summer months. It's definitely a tough balancing act
DeleteWe have 15 more days... cannot wait! I definitely need a break! My oldest is Olivia's age, and she'll still read over the summer, and I buy the little work books from the dollar store, that focus on math skills. They're great for when we're traveling in the car, but it's definitely not our main focus over the summer! We love to sleep in and get to the pool each day! We also go to the library and I let the girls do their summer reading program- they think it's so much fun, and always get the program finished within the first month!
ReplyDeleteKimm, I can totally relate to the change of pace that the summer offers. We are out in 13 days. I'm not saying that your children should or shouldn't do school work, camps, schedules etc during the summer. Every child and family is different. However, please look into a library summer reading program or something. If they do nothing over the summer then it's harder to catch up once school starts again. Reading is very important and can be done on any schedule. I sign up with my kids, because I need to be a good role model for them. I just ask for between 15-30 minutes a day. I don't even care if sometimes it's the Lego magazine, etc. And most libraries has prizes for completing the summer reading program. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Christi ! Thanks for taking the time to comment! My kids do read consistently throughout the summer and I let them choose what they want to read. I guess I don't consider reading school work, it's something hey do everyday and do it through the summer. !
DeleteI'm thankful my kids are pretty laid back too. Dillon would be perfectly happy to just lay around all day most of the summer. Carly likes to go to a few fun little camps and I will sign her up but I really just love for them to chill and have fun. And less running around means a little more chill for me to!
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