Summer Slow Down

Summer begins in this house in the next couple of weeks. I know it is still May. Technically, the first day of summer is June 21, correct? Not so here. The first day of summer is the last day of school for my kids. They can't wait! And honestly, neither can I.

I plan for summer each year. Last year I hit upon a plan that gave the kids and I the best of both worlds. Lots of fun and lots of activity and also lots of downtime.

I developed "Days of the Week" for our summer schedule. Don't worry. They are very flexible.

Excursion Day
Green Day
Culinary Day
STEAM Day
H2O Day

Just 5 days. Because hey....downtime.

Excursion day includes trips to museums, play places, camping, movies, bowling, and even playdates.

Green Day includes trips to parks, picnics, playgrounds, nature hikes, building bird houses, star gazing and any nature exploration.

Culinary Day includes learning to cook and bake. My kids have baked pizza, cookies, cakes, and candy.

STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math 
This day includes painting, fort building, puzzles, STEM kits, and science experiments (oh gosh slime!).

H2O Day includes anything water. Swimming in a pool or at the lake, water balloons, or a sprinkler.

My kids choose the days mostly. Sometimes I choose H2O days based on weather (we don't swim in a thunderstorm) and excursion days when there is a special event I know they would love. And they choose a "day" each weekday. Weekends are open for more downtime or family trips.

This system seems to be the best way to get in experiences and fun without being constantly on the go and wearing everyone out. I still have plenty of time to get things done at home. And the kids can sleep in, play video games, and lay around in their PJs a lot.

When I mentioned to my kids that summer was upcoming and what kinds of things were they interested in doing, they both emphatically asked for our "summer days" schedule again.

So here's to summer! Slowing down but still having fun.