Too many kids, too much time during the summer. Anyone that has kids can agree with that. So, in an attempt to keep minds moving and bodies busy, Coco and I are conducting summer school sessions all summer long. Yup, that's right. School. She takes "The Littles" (ages 3 - 7) and I take "The Bigs" (Grades 5- 9) and we have school.
Here's how the Bigs are set up.
We start our day with a run (to get their blood going and to tire them) then reading comprehension, grammar, and even art. We do "Rotations" (stations for computer time, flash card time, and preparing lunch everyday) and we end our day with a reflection and some good old fashion housework.
I was a little anxious at first, but it has turned but to be great. Because, despite what kids say, they DO want structure. They want discipline and they want to spend quality time doing something productive, not just video games and television all day long.
On Friday, I ran with the six kids to the neighborhood park. We did some conditioning and then we sat under a gazebo and I read two short stories to them from Tyler Durman's Ten Stories and Maya Angelou's Stories for My Daughter. They listened, they asked questions, they asked for another story. On the way back to the house, we picked up a few flowers, leaves, and pine cones for a project.
Then, we did some drawing and writing about nature. I even tried a "Forced Association" lesson, but that may have been too much. After all, it is summer vacation.
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