Friday, May 28, 2010

Summer Fun School


This week has been the start of a new dynamic in our family. Yes we have a new baby, but also, I'm determined to take it slow this summer. Ok, not slow, but slower than before I had the baby. I kind of hated the dynamic between the kids and I- so much of what I wanted to do was centered around the computer, and preschool and other errands kept us away from home more than I like. I just never seemed to have time to sit and play with them- so many other things were more pressing.
Well, it's summertime here. Preschool is done, dance is finished, and I am not supposed to go places with this baby.

So while I was recovering with John's Mom entertaining the kids 24/7, I made a list of topics and summer activities to go along with them. Then I made this board:






I took a huge cornflakes box, cut off the top and bottom, and used spray adhesive to glue the front/back together.




Then added a scrapbook page in summer theme, and the lettering.

The papers each have a topic and a list of suggested activities. I'm trying to do activities that require little prep time and money, and focus on the process, not just the end result. I'll attempt to post every Friday or Saturday with a recap of what we did this week.
Our topics are:
Flowers and Plants
Dancing and Musical Instruments
Maps and Directions
Families and Bodies
Building and Bridges
Ocean Animals
Farm Animals
Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids and Princesses
5 Senses
Bubbles and Science Experiments
I'm excited to do activities I've seen on the internet. And I'm excited to play. Lots of playing this summer.

3 comments:

Shelly Beth said...

Holy crap. You are amazing! This is "taking it easy" for you? This blows me away. Alright, you are inspiring me and making me feel guilty all at once. I need to do the same thing this summer! So here is the one thing that is scaring me - how do you find all the time to research, get materials for, and create these fun projects? I think that is what is keeping me from diving in. I can't wait to see and read about all the fun things you are doing!

Jacki said...

This is taking it easy- because I'm staying home. Somehow staying home and doing activities is less stressful than going all kinds of places and leaving the house everyday.

As for ideas...I sat down and brainstormed activities for each week, and most were things I remember doing as a kid, or I'd seen on a blog. I usually ditch a project if I don't have materials or they're more than a dollar.

Don't feel guilty- most of the activities I'm doing are geared towards Sophia's age, and Natalie's along for the ride. For Isabelle's age, I'd be all about finding books about a subject, some coloring, and glueing projects. I tried to do some themes last summer, but ended up with mostly coloring projects.

As for research, for a specific subject I'm doing, I usually google the theme with "preschool activities" or "birthday party" and that usually brings up lots of ideas.

Amanda said...

I love this idea. I need to play with my kids more--I usually just let them play with each other while I get my things done. Thanks for the inspiration!

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