It's official, our family school is done for the year. It's summer vacation. I have big plans for cleaning every closet, painting a couple walls, reading a stack of books, and enjoying days with some free time built in to them.
The secret of summer vacation here is that we are committed to a lifestyle of learning. (I'm afraid the kids are on to us.) A lifestyle of learning is parent-speak for school that never really ends, or begins, only the rhythm changes. We meet the State mandated 182 school days, but what about summer? Our kids won't spend all day in front of the TV, or the Wii. They won't sleep in late every morning. They won't spend hours texting friends or on Facebook.
What will we do with our kids do this summer? We'll refresh our math skills in a fun way, using Math-It, for example. We'll read quietly for an hour every afternoon, a reading list provided for those who are reluctant to challenge themselves. We'll read chapter books aloud in the dim living room during the heat of the day. Ally and Sam will wake up early and beat the heat to paint the back porch. We'll weed the garden, I've told the kids they're giving me 15 minutes every day, and mow the lawn. We'll play games, build Lego creations, cook, do science experiments, and swim. We'll memorize Bible verses, stacks of them, for the Bible Bee. We'll have stretches of quiet, even boredom, that creativity will fill and transform.
This is summer. A wonderful fullness every day.
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