Keeping Sane in the Summer

I knew I would go crazy this summer if I didn't have a plan.

We're now 2 weeks in, and I can say that so far my approach is working:

1. School is still going!
Nathan and Benjamin are both in Provost Elementary's summer school. It is Monday through Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30. Perfect! Everyone can sleep in a little and then they have something to occupy their time for the morning. They do a little bit of review, but most of the time is fun activities. They've made kites and berry pastries, painted watercolors, played P.E. games, read stories, and checked out books from the library. And every Thursday is a field trip -- Tracy Aviary in SLC, Fat Cats bowling, mini golf at Trafalga, and swimming at Seven Peaks! And Joshua, Elizabeth, and I get a nice quiet morning to hang out or run errands! Too bad this is only 4 weeks long :)

2. Fun family activities.
So far this one has not been too obvious to the kids. We went to the city library last week and checked out books on octopus, squid, and other sea creatures. Next time we go, we'll pick a new topic to learn about. I intend to take advantage of some of the free crafts at the library each week, but right now that doesn't fit into the schedule with T-ball and summer school and gymnastics and scouts :) We will also go to the local pool a few times, have family come visit us, go visit family, and other fun activities.

3. Daily structure.
I was worried that my little Wii addict would beg me all day every day to play the Wii for hours upon end. So to prevent that scenario, I created a chart for each boy, and introduced the charts before school got out.


The top row of pouches are things they are expected to do everyday: get dressed & make bed, brush teeth in morning (a habit we are trying to focus on), pick up toys, and reading time. When they do each item with a good attitude and within a reasonable time frame, they get to turn the white card to a green smiley face. If they don't get dressed until 11:00 or refuse to clean up their room, then they get a red frowny face instead. In order to do anything fun, like play with friends, they have to have all green smiles.


The bottom brown pouches are things they can choose to do to earn "Fun Points." The activities on the charts vary between kids, but they are things like: practice piano, school activities, household jobs, yard work, and scouts. The cards in each slot have a number on them: 5, 10, 15, or 20. I made extra cards so I can vary how many of each number are up there on a given day -- I just make sure the same amount of points are available to each child. They don't know which amounts are under which categories. They can decide what they want to work on, and then once they complete the activity or job to my satisfaction, they get to turn over the card to see how many Fun Points they earned. Fun Points are used for minutes on the Wii or the computer, but also anything else I might want to use them for. Some days I let them watch a movie just because, and other days I won't let them turn it on until they've each earned a certain number of points.


I love that this system gives us structure, but without a schedule. Some days they get everything done first thing in the morning. Other days they don't read until after lunch, but that is okay with me. Letting them choose keeps the harmony in our home! I love that they get excited about practicing the piano (well, not every day!) or doing math. In fact, Joshua has started reading his books for next year's preschool because he's so excited about it!

There have been days when they don't work towards any fun points. Some days I let it go if we are busy with other things. Other days when they are grumpy and bored, I have to force them to earn some. But then once they start, they get excited and keep earning more. They can save up some fun points if they want. Since the charts are laminated, we keep a running total of the saved points with a dry erase marker right on the chart. Nathan is saving up for another Pinewood Derby car. Benjamin has some points saved, but I'm not sure what he wants them for.


The last pouch is for attitude/behavior. It is like the green/yellow/red cards back from when I was in elementary school. They start the day on green (unless there were problems with staying in bed the night before). The first warning they move to yellow. If they move to red, then they cannot use any of their fun points (or really do much of anything) until they get themselves back to green.

Hopefully the excitement and good attitudes will continue throughout the summer!