As an educator I am blessed to have time with my kids during the summer. As an administrator I am still pretty busy for ‘off all summer’ but I do get to spend plenty of time at home just being a Mom which I absolutely love! To start summer for a Type A person like myself it means switching from school calendars to home activities and from hockey practices to library activities, etc.

The first thing I did was get the chore chart all ready for the summer chores the kids do. The next thing I do is figure out a summer schedule. I am okay with being flexible and changing things as needed but I like having a schedule to be sure things like laundry are taken care of and the kids have time carved out for reading books and keeping up with their math skills.

Once the kids and I had determined our summer schedule and talked about the different expectations for summer vs. school year we took a trip to the public library to find out about the summer reading program and any special events. The kids had a great time picking out books and seeing what was in store for the summer reading program. It took no time at all to fill up the calendar with activities, story times, crafts, etc. Summer practically plans itself! 🙂

There are a couple of things we have decided to try as a family this summer that we have not done before and I am excited to see how they go.

1-We hear so much about the 1:1 initiatives but they are typically laptops or iPads….Well the Menne family is taking on a 1:1 technology to reading imitative. The kids were a bit apprehensive at first but so far (a few days into it) it’s going well and they seem to understand in order to earn technology time they have to read. Twice already I have been trying to get their attention where normally they would be zoned out in front of a TV or engrossed in a DS game but I have found them reading. A nice surprise right?

2-I have heard about the toy bin/tote with the chore envelope where parents pick up any toys found on the floor and put them in the bin/tote and in order to get them out the child has to pick a slip from the envelope complete the chore listed on it. The kids are against this idea but I gotta tell yea, I am psyched to put some chores on the list like cleaning up the bathroom floor. (With 4 boys in the house their aim isn’t always great and I could use some help cleaning up the potty area).

I’ll have to post later in the summer my feedback on how those new things go. What summer plans does your family have? How to you keep your family busy during the summer? Or maybe not so busy? (That is tricky too) Do you have any tricks to share or any thoughts on these ideas?