Friday, May 16, 2014

Summer Break?

Wednesday was the first day of our summer break.  And how did we fill our day?

We took a morning trip to the library, getting there right as they opened. 


Then we met my mom and sister and spent several hours of our afternoon on a nature walk.


The kids studies the plants and trees, growing along the water's edge.



They gazed at ducks across the pond and fed the geese.


Then we had a chocolate chip cookie picnic while the kids drew in their nature notebooks.




*****

I guess this goes to show that summer break does not mean we stop learning, but this is what it does mean for us.

Summer means not adhering to a tight schedule.
Summer means the wading pool and the sprinkler.
Summer means sleepovers and library programs and coloring books.
Summer means Wii time. 
Summer means catching frogs.
Summer means salads, popsicles, and frozen bananas.
Summer means piles of books and more time to read. 

Often we use our summer weeks to check off a subject from our fall list.  Two years ago it was health.  Last year it was geography. This year I didn't have plans so I asked the kids if there was anything they would like to learn about.  One child asked to read more about the Vikings.  Two wanted to learn about cats-- both domestic and wild.  Another child asked to continue working through his typing program. 

What are your plans for summer?  Are you looking forward to a break from routine?





2 comments:

  1. I'm not exactly sure what our summer will look like yet. We have planned to cut back on official school work, but like you, we'll still be doing plenty of learning. Right now we're taking a couple of weeks off to relax, catch up on some house projects, and plan for the fall, before continuing with our reading and math a few days a week.

    I'm also trying to come up with some sort of loose rhythm for our days to keep us moving along, but I haven't nailed it down yet.

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  2. Summer break can be the best of both worlds when there is already an atmosphere of learning in place in the home. I love summer break, although I am always ready to get back to the schedule come autumn.

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