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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Simple Summer Schemes

This summer, my girls are enrolled in an 8-hour/week summer preschool program. I love the fun of summer preschool because it's usually all about water play and silliness, rather than full days of super-structured learning. I love that they still get to play with their friends into early July. And (be honest), I also love the few hours of writing (or reading, or cleaning, or shopping) time I'm allowed two mornings a week.

But still, that leaves us with lots of free time to wander aimlessly around the house and (now scorched and crunchy) backyard. Though it's hard for me to admit, I have trouble with that free time. I often forget that too much boredom (while sometimes good and constructive) can lead to irritation.

They fight. They melt-down. They whine. I whine.

So, I need plans. Nothing major, but something to do in our hours and hours filled with summer freedom. Something simple. Something to look forward to. Something to spur creativity and imagination, perhaps.

A few weeks ago, the girls and I sat down and made a list of our summer hopes. It's a super-simple, low-key list including things like Throw water balloons and Make our own rainbow and Dance in our bathing suits. Its purpose is just to spur us towards fun things on a daily basis, but I also threw in a handful of personal hopes along the something-to-look-forward-to lines: Visit family in Kansas; Stay in a hotel; Go to the lake.

However, our summer list doesn't include many specific project-type things. And since I'd like to have a couple of those activities planned each week, I need to step up my mom-game.

Therefore, I do hereby clang the gong to announce Simple Summer Schemes.

I have a few ideas up my cyber-sleeves, and hope they go over well so that I have actual ideas to share! So if you're like me and need something to keep your summer days filled with at least a bit of planned fun? Stick around this summer.  I'll share what I've got.

Up tomorrow is Bubble Painting. Be here or be....

Bored :)

3 comments:

  1. Oh, fun! I can't wait to hear what you guys have in store this summer!

    (And, ahem, I hope that the 'stay in a hotel' goal was immediately followed by the phrase 'near Emily'. I miss you, girl!)

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  2. I'm doing something like this, too! I've been dusting off my old pre-k student teaching skillz to come up with activities to do with Ariel each day! It's seriously more fun to do this stuff with one toddler than with thirty preschoolers. I'm planning on posting about it, so don't be surprised if I link to you when I do!

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  3. Em - I'm definitely working to make that happen :)

    Lucy - Yay! Because I only have a FEW ideas...I need your pre-k skillz!

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Hmm...And how did that make you FEEL?