Summer Vacation is Upon Us

[joelsgirl]

I'm always thinking how nice it will bewhen Jack is home all day because I miss him while he's at school, and then the weekend rolls around, and I'm like When are these kids going back to school?!

Can I get an Amen?

So even though I'm not a schedule kind of girl, I think we're gonna have to have one to survive the long days of summer. Anyone have a good plan for summer break? Or have some ideas to throw out there?Links? Anything?

[joelsgirl]

Oh, I'll start with this. I just ordered 2 SN@P albums and the childhood mini kit so the boys can work on their own little albums. That's one project we're going to work on this summer.

[KristinCB]

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/summer-schedule-for-kids/

I saw this via pinterest and am hopeful I will be able to do it.. I am bad at schedules so it will be a thing I need to force myself to do and be consistent with but I know it would help my youngest for sure.

[tanyiadeskins]

I get like that too and after dd have pneumonia and having the past 2 weeks off school I was so glad when she went back today! I said I needed a break before summer lol ... but then I complain I miss them hehe

All I have to say is that I am glad my kids are older and pretty much occupy themselves when we are not running around. We will be going to Disney a lot of , cause we have passes, Sea World too, and in June we will be gone to PA most of the month. Oh...and lots of beaching!

Thankfully, no one here complains they are bored... if they do they get a chore to keep em occupied :P

[rach3975]

Amen! I'm really dreading this summer. The kids have some morning camps scheduled, but the timing ended up being bad. I need to be in 2 different locations across town from each other at the same time for drop off and pick up. Sigh. So 2 kids will go late, and for my oldest who is doing a few science and technology focused programs, I think being late is going to make it hard for him to catch up and know what's going on. I'm going to have to listen to him complain about it ALL.SUMMER.LONG. Then the child who is going to go on time in the morning will get picked up early so we can go get the other 2. I suspect he's going to fall asleep on the drive across town, then I'll need to wake him up after a 15 minute nap so we can go in and get them. If he only gets to sleep for 15 minutes, afternoons are going to be tantrum filled and so not fun. Wish I could just have all 3 kids at the same place during the same times, but 1 child has to do a special needs program which is not offered at the same location.

In the afternoons we'll do the pool 2-3 times a week and playgrounds or other activities the other days. There is a summer movie program for kids that we usually go to a few times, a few things through the libraries, and some activities from Pinterest that I think will hold their attention well. Last year I planned too much and we never did most of it, but we have fewer camps and scheduled activities this year so I think I'm going to have a hard time keeping them busy. I have to be pretty scheduled with our summers because 2 of my kids thrive on routines and knowing what's coming when. (Not to mention that if I don't make myself schedule things and stick to it, we don't do anything.)

[Keely~B]

I was thinking about this today too. Most of the people I know don't love summer break but I do. I don't really ever having trouble filling the time but luckily my kids aren't really "I'm bored" types. Heck my kids are just thrilled to be out of school. We go to the pool in the evenings a lot. We've got a few close to home weekend trips planned and we do a low key bucket list. We do the library and museums and movies and symphony in the park and things like that. My oldest spends the month before school starts at all day band camp, and my youngest is going to go on a trip with my mom for a week. I think they'll probably have a bit of time vacationing at Grandma's too.

[clearskies]

We're doing our second annual Summer of Fun. Last year we did 55 things and recorded them in a Smash book. This year our list is 42 items and I bought a mini Project Life album. We do everything from library visits to beach/pool trips to exploring local and regional sights. My boys love it! Somedays we have an event planned, sometimes they wake up and pick an activity off the giant checklist we hang on the kitchen wall.

[lorigaud]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/summer-schedule-for-kids/

I saw this via pinterest and am hopeful I will be able to do it.. I am bad at schedules so it will be a thing I need to force myself to do and be consistent with but I know it would help my youngest for sure.

Love this! Although I really prefer not to have a schedule during the summer, I think that this is flexible enough that I could make it work. My boys are older (12, 14, and 16) and the oldest is working this summer at an amusement park (1st job) and the youngest is in rec camp M-Th, but DS2 is going to be hanging with me for most of the summer. I want to keep him off of the computer and tv as much as possible. He loves to garden and do craft stuff with me, so hopefully we can get some projects done.

[Kara]

We don't get out for a few weeks yet, but I'm painfully aware that we need a solid routine. Left to themselves, these kids will either kill each other or their eyes will end up glued to a screen. Both older boys are going to camp and all three older kids have swim lessons. The boys are also signed up for flag football at the Y, and Maia in tumbling. We'll be spending a lot of time at the Y between lessons, classes and swimming for fun.

We're also planning on one or two VBS programs. I'm hoping to take the older kids camping a few times, too, but since we can't travel with Timothy, it will probably be within an hour or two of home in case we need to get back quickly.

[YepBrook]

My kids don't *like* to be kept busy too much, actually! Our year is already winding down as far as our weekly activities coming to an end, and with Ben's end-of-year eval at the end of this month... so, 3 weeks!!! I am looking forward to free days to just do whatever we want. I'm definitely thinking we will have more time at the beach and pool, as well as the zoo and parks. More playdates, and museum trips, etc. But mostly just leisurely time at home, reading & doing artsy stuff. Ahhhhh!!!

I'm too cheap to send him to camp, but they will be doing ballet & Judo all summer. And I'm thinking of sending them to VBS if I can find one at a good nearby church. Our church doesn't have VBS.

[nun69]

well my DH and I work full time, so my kids are going to a local neighbor's for the summer (but her boys are the same age as Abby & Peyton and luckily enough 1 is in Abby's 1st grade class and 1 in Peyton's K class, so they are not strangers at all)....they are actually looking forward to it.....

[Beebo]

I went on line and signed Adrienne up for 2 free games a day of bowling at one of our bowling alleys.
Here is the link if anyone wants it
https://freebowling.amf.com/

[joelsgirl]

Originally Posted by Kara

We don't get out for a few weeks yet, but I'm painfully aware that we need a solid routine. Left to themselves, these kids will either kill each other or their eyes will end up glued to a screen.

THAT is my problem exactly. And the longer my kids spend glued to a screen, the more likely they are to kill each other once the screen gets turned off.

We have to continue language learning during the summer, so I've hired a teenager to come and occupy them during those 2 hours we're meeting with a tutor. Hopefully she'll think of some fun things for them to do!

[AnalogPaper]

Originally Posted by joelsgirl

Oh, I'll start with this. I just ordered 2 SN@P albums and the childhood mini kit so the boys can work on their own little albums. That's one project we're going to work on this summer.

That's amazing--I love that you're getting the boys to start scrapping early

[purple_colourz]

I'm kinda at lost what to do this school break. Last year both of my DD's month long school breaks were spent traveling so it was fun and we had lots to do and places to go. Next month though I don't have any plans yet.

[mariewilcox]

Thankfully Cheyanne is at an age where she entertains herself. The first month of summer break we will be traveling across the US from Maine to Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming and back. When we get back to Maine we only have a month of break left and one weekend we already have booked to spend with friends who will be in town from Florida. The rest of the time Cheyanne will most likely be beaching it with friends or at the town pool. We'll go to Acadia some and probably hit one of the local fairs also.

[joelsgirl]

That's a great picture of you and your girls, Jacq!

[Milmomma]

We don't start summer for a couple weeks but I've already got a list of everything I wanna do. I'm not setting dates or anything. I figured we will mix it up with the stuff that isn't set.

Dd has ballet all three months(one night a week)
Ds has soccer camp, 1 solid week of nothing but soccer
Zoo (with friends.... Tara )
Movies on the beach
parks
Canoning on the Lake
Camping
spray park
pool(we got a new one right by our house)
bowling
museum(has a free day we will hit up)
hiking
possibly Six Flags but not sure as its more than I'm hoping to spend

I have this list on my desktop so we don't end up stuck in the house going crazy all summer alone.

[maryinaz]

I am one who LOVES her kids home on any break no matter what their ages are. They've always been able to entertain themselves because I've always worked in some capacity (albeit from home) and don't provide entertainment for them.

The boys are all honor students and play sports so I have no problem with them vegging as much as they want when they are home. We have a pool so they are in that every day and then they spend time with friends and playing video games/watching TV/playing on the computer. We will be going back to Joplin unexpectedly as my mom just had a stroke on Mother's Day and now can't come out for my son's graduation. And we are going camping at some point. (I am SO not a camper!)

This summer my oldest is not coming home to live and he has a paid internship so he gets to work and be a real adult! The youngest 2 start football for high school so they will be up at 6am every day for practice all summer. DS2 will be looking for a job.

Love summer and can't believe it's time for it already! We only have 6 days of school left and lots of big activities in those 6 days.

[MamaBee]

Well, we will still be schooling... But it will be more low key than during the main school year. I'm trying to get kiddo signed up for Spanish camp, still waiting for them to call back. I'm thinking of doing theme weeks... one week we do pirate things - read books on pirates, craft projects, worksheets around pirates, etc... will see how much I can actually plan, haha.. we probably will just spend as much time outside and at the park as possible...

[MommaTrish]

^my thoughts on summer vacation