Plans for Summer

I just read "A Summer Schedule" on The Homeschool Classroom and it inspired me to come up with my own plan of attack for summer. Of course the thing I look most forward to the most is a little relaxation and fresh air. Most years we end up doing way too much stuff and by the time the summer is over, we're exhausted. Last year, we purposefully did not make any plans for the summer and by the end we felt like the summer was wasted. This year, I want a happy medium. So, I'm making a plan.

Places to go

• Park days with our home school group
• Library
• Greenbluff
• Lake Coeur d'Alene 
• City pool (for swim lessons and for fun)
• The Farmers Market

Special Events

• Shannon's 6th Birthday and he actually asked for a party with his friends so we're having one for the first time. -sigh- How they grow.

Things to do with Stacey

• Sunday evenings at Arbor Crest 
• Warm afternoon dates on restaurant patios

Household Projects

• Get doors installed in basement
• Thoroughly clean kitchen (something that slipped through the cracks during Spring cleaning)

Homeschool prep for Fall

• I want to create activity boxes for Athena so she will something to do while I do one-on-one lessons with the other two
• Order the rest of our materials
• Create a few weeks worth of lesson plans

Chores to teach Shannon and Chloe

• Fold and put away own clean clothes
• Wipe down bathroom throughout week
• Get into a better chore routine with the chores they already know

Activities to do at home with kids

• Cooking: I have a couple of cookbooks that I have been meaning to crack open with the kids
• Lots of picnics to enjoy our newly baked creations
• Decorate the various glass jars I have been saving to store craft supplies in
• Teach Shannon to ride his bike (I realize many 5 year-old boys can already ride a 2-wheel bike but he just wasn't ready last summer. He has actually shown interest in learning so I have a good feeling about this year)

Creative projects of my own

• I want to give digital scrap booking a try
• Canning peaches and pears from Green Bluff

My next step is to get out the calendar and start planning on where these things can fit in. Of course I can't plan every little thing, nor would I want to, but I do want to have a rough outline.

We will continue reading over the summer and take advantage of other learning opportunities but I do want a more laid back, summer-like, feeling around the house.

Now if only it would stop raining, we could get this summer party started.