THE SCHEDULE!!!
How do I incorporate all those great things my very own kids came up with in the great LIST of Summer 2008? Here's how. Remember the KID's are in charge of most of this!
There's only one real hard and fast rule.
The television and computer are limited to 1/2 hour per kid. So in my house, that could mean 1.5 hours of total TV time if they all agree to the same show! (This was the alternate plan, the first plan involved putting cable on hold. They were happy to agree to this plan, believe me!)
Mondays:
Mid-Morning is Movie day: (Our local Dollar Theater has 50 cent Mondays. We saw Speed Racer this week. And we don't even care if we've seen the show before or not! For 50 cents, and free a/c we don't care! And I'm totally cheap, no way am I paying $20 for popcorn and soda, we bring our own water and small snacks.) Check you local Cinemarks for Movie Deals.
Then we spend the rest of the afternoon using the list as a guide.
Mondays are also Planning Days:
Plan out various activities for the rest of the week. Any recipes for the cooking time, calling friends for playdate days and items needed for kid's camp.
Tuesdays:
Early morning: Tennis--we make use of free courts in local parks. None of us knows what we are doing, but that's the best part. And when we get tired out, we head to the swings and the little stream that runs near the park.
The rest of the day we fill in with items from our 4 hour list, and if playdates have been made they join in!
Wednesdays:
Pool Day--We try out a new pool each week. There are 6-8 county pools to pick from and
even a few friends with backyard pools to mooch off! We never get bored! (And the kids are beat by the time we get home, they don't need entertaining at that point.)
Thursdays:
Early Morning: Hikes and Walks. Plenty of local trails to mix it up! Some allow bikes, we LOVE that. Fill in the rest of the day from THE LIST and/or host a kid's camp. This week we are having a 'sidewalk chalk art show'.
Fridays:
Mid Morning: Park day and then over to adjacent library for our weekly 'fix'. Fill in the day from THE LIST and have a Lemonade Stand! Especially good if they can use whatever they made from cooking time at the stand.
I know everyone is going to say what a lot of work... But seriously the kids do a lot of this. And remember I get as much as 4 hours of 'work' time. So it's totally worth it to drag 'em off in the mornings knowing I get creative, happy kids come afternoon, with very little TV as babysitter!
The weekends you ask? What the heck is Dad for, after all?
13 comments:
I've copy & pasted for future reference - I'm so glad you're such a good mom & that I know you :)
I'm in travel-hell here in the heartland - sorry to be so out-of-touch. August will be better! Your summer is kicking mine's butt!
Magnificent! I'm a bit in awe and looking forward to implementing a similar regime when my kiddo's get a bit older. Sadly the labour laws in this country don't allow babies to run lemonade stands!
Oh yes, Dad's are great for entertaining the kids on the weekends!! Of course, now that I am going back to work I won't be able to use the "but I've been home all day with her" argument.
Just to let you know...I'm going to print all of you acivities up and save it for next summer...or maybe start this summer...Next year, I hope you re-post this information in May...so I can be prepared for summer early!! LOL, casue I can use all the help I can get.
Holy cow! Lot's of good ideas. You really do all that? And have time to blog, do all the little online clubs, and run a business??
Wow, is all I can say. I can't even keep my house clean.
What the Heck is Dad for?
Having fun and not being the bad guy. The girls always have tons of fun with Tim...
What the Heck is Dad for?
Having fun and leaving the mess for Mom to clean up. Tim makes huge messes.
Good Ideas. I'll get this all together much earlier next year. I'm sure the kids will come up with a ton of other (and better) ideas by then!6
What's the going rate for lemonade these days 'cause I so think the kids down the street are trying to rip us off...they're not getting my quarter!
A mom after my heart. In watching other people's children, I feel a need to organize pretty much all of their time, this list looks similar to mine, except two are toddler and can't really do much of anything~
You are so awesome. It seems like we're always flying by the seat of our pants. I sort of like it that way, but a schedule like yours would be great too.
you make my head spin. But I suppose when you plan, it does make the rest of the day go smoothly.
Wow! Sounds like you are quite organized. Do you have "daily" chores for each kid? My daughter's summer "dailys" were keyboarding (we had a software package that taught her correct fingering, she started that in 2nd grade!), piano reading (time varied depending on her age and school level). Have a great summer!
People should read this.
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