This is what summer looks like to us most days around here. Some summer camps thrown in and play dates with friends as well and some fun family time. Of course it is all mixed with the boring stuff of errands, laundry & cleaning.
We also have a love/hate relationship with something called 20-20-20 that a friend told me about a few years ago. On less busy days I ask the kids to spend 20 minutes cleaning something, 20 minutes reading and 20 minutes "brain building" which means educational workbooks, computer games, journal writing or something else that reinforces dormant school skills. I also (unsuccessfully) tried to add another 20 minutes of piano for my two older kids. It brought me back to the summer between 4th and 5th grade when I spent one morning a week at Mrs. Rockstead's house finishing the spelling & language arts workbook I didn't finish during the school year. I don't think it was real summer school, I think it was just my parents wanting to keep those school skills from becoming dormant. I guess 20-20-20 is my Mrs. Rockstead's weekly meeting for my kids.
But this summer there was also some of this...
and even this...
which meant that I skipped enforcing the 20-20-20 rule for a while. But I suspect all the things they saw and experienced on our trip more than made up for missing brain building time... and I think even Mrs. Rockstead would've thought this is better than any workbook in her house!
How are you filling your summer days with your baby dumplings?
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