It's Summertime!

Ah- summer.  Riding around the neighborhood on your pink two-wheeler, traipsing through the trees, jumping in the sprinkler.....such great memories.  But seriously- I don't know how my Mom maintained her sanity, especially considering she doesn't drink.  Say wha?!?  With three children very close in age and a solid two months off from public school- activities were a must.  Girl scout camps, swimming lessons, Disneyland, visiting family, art classes at the local fabric store- yeah, we did some pretty fun things in the summer time.

And you just know I'm going to do my best to give my own child the same great summer memories that I had growing up.  I'm also a planner and a bit OCD so you know I've got this down to a science- a science people!  My goal is to allow the kiddo plenty of summer free time with a few structured activities in there to break up the monotony.

Today I'm going to share with you what we are doing this summer.  This is targeted at the 10 year old boy crowd (because that's what I have mmkay) but you can adjust as needed.

We begin by kicking of our summer with Field Day at the kiddo's homeschool program.  This is always a day long event the very first week of June and includes a live DJ, bouncy houses, a dance, food, carnival games, cotton candy, face painting, tie dying, friends and other fun stuff.  It's a jam packed loaded day of AWESOME.

I have several local sources when pulling cheap or free learning activities for the kiddo.  They are the two closest libraries, the YMCA, the Lego store at the mall, dollar movies at Regal Cinemas, local parks, museums, FREE bowling and FREE baseball game tickets and the local indoor water park/recreation center.

I highly recommend you stop in at your local YMCA to see what programs they offer for summertime.  This time of year is when they really excel and we love taking advantage of all they have to offer.  This year the kiddo will be participating in the Slice of Summer program.  It's FREE to members and it runs Monday through Friday from 1:30-3:30pm as a drop in program.  They play fun games outside or in the gym and it's a great way for your kids to make new friends and get some exercise.  Oh- and at my YMCA branch, the parents can drop off.  Mama's- did you hear that?!?  You can have 2 free hours in the afternoon ALL TO YOURSELF.  Sign me up!

In addition to the Slice of Summer, the kiddo will be doing two different camps.  The husband and I have strict rules when it comes to camp- no away, no overnight, no full day and we must know the camp leaders.  Yeah, you could say we are a bit overprotective.  Thankfully, this year they have half day camps held at the local campus and we know EVERYONE there!  The first one is a Lego themed one- right up the kiddo's alley!  The second is called Map It and it's about navigation, treasure hunting, solving mysteries etc.  Each camp runs for one week and is from 9am to 12:30pm.  Perfection!  Cost is just $25 per day or $100 for the week.  And since I'm super smart, I planned one for mid June and the second one for mid August to give the kiddo something fun to look forward to.

Of course the kiddo will also be spending quite a bit of time just hanging out at the YMCA.  It's kinda his home away from home.  With open swim times, open gym and a youth center- there's lots of spaces for him to hang out with friends in a supervised and active environment.  For those of you that aren't YMCA members- you can purchase a day pass for just $5 per person.  So if you're wanting to take the family for a day of air conditioned fun, this is a fairly cheap way to do it!

Alright, after the YMCA, the local libraries are where it's at!  They offer a Summer Program for school aged kids and I have to say that ours are pretty impressive.  They bring in fun performers and experts in the field- like the Reptile Man and they have themed events with crafts and games.  While some of these can be a bit on the "young" side, for the most part- the kiddo still enjoys them.  This year they are doing a fun evening of Mad Science with dry ice storms, balls floating on air, burp potion- seriously some great stuff for kids of all ages!  The will also have local legends and stories, animal heroes, Lego clubs, Minecraft building competitions, duct tape crafts, superhero movie marathons and more.  And the best part of all- it's completely FREE.

My tip is to check with the libraries closest to you, especially if they are within different library systems.  We are fortunate to have 3 to choose from and between them all, there's something fun and free to do several times per week.

While you're there don't forget to check out the Summer Reading program.  Each year the kiddo meticulous keeps track of his reading so he can enter to win a new bike.  This year he's decided he wants to read 10,000 pages.  Let's do it!

Other ideas for summer include the $1 movies offered by Regal Cinemas- yes, they are really just $1 per person.  There's also FREE summer bowling daily, although you do have to pay for adults and shoe rentals.  Don't forget to register with Lowes or Home Depot for FREE building clinics for kids!  Local craft stores offer weekly crafting classes for $2 for kids.  There's lots of programs and ways to get FREE minor league baseball tickets- our library gives them away each year.  The Lego store at our local mall offers a FREE building clinic on the first Tuesday of each month and yes, you do get to keep what you build!  They also have monthly Club meetings and lots of contests and ways to get FREE Legos.  Stop by the store and grab a calendar!

In addition to all this great stuff there's also your local museums, many of which will offer FREE days during the summertime.  Don't forget to check out all the great parks near you as well!  We try to find a new park to visit every couple of weeks- it's a great way to teach your children some very useful life skills (like how to find your way home when lost) and it's fun to find something new in your own neighborhood!

We cap of our summer fun with a long weekend away in September once all the public schoolers are back in the classroom.  We try to go somewhere we've never been before (hello great learning opportunity!) and usually invite friends along for the fun!  Unfortunately, due to the nature of the husband's job, we simply aren't able to take a longer vacation.  Summer is his busy season....BOO.  But we do make up for it with plenty of fun activities.

So...are you just a bit overwhelmed with all this info coming at you?  I know I would be....so here's what I want you to take away from the above.


My Goals for Summer

• Have a planned activity for each day.  Even if it's just going to find a new park and get an ice cream- something to do each day will keep the boredom away.
• Leave plenty of time for free play.  Even though we have a daily planned activity, it does NOT take up the entire day.  After school work is done, the rest of the day is open for free play.
• Mix the bigger activities/events in with the smaller.  This will give you some variety.  For example, don't schedule three weeks of camp back to back.  Try to do one each month instead.
• Encourage active play.  Our summer is NOT spent in front of the electronics.  
• Ask your kids for their input.  Find out what they want to do this summer and see if you can make it happen.  The kiddo is ALL about the Legos right now and while his wish is to go to Legoland in Florida, that simply isn't going to happen.  But I did find plenty of Lego events- camp, builds, contests etc to keep him happy.
• Be flexible.  We have a goal for each day.  Schoolwork, planned activity, fun.  That's it.  But as all Mama's know, sometimes even accomplishing a small amount is difficult.  So remember your goal as you begin your day but don't stress if you can't make it to the planned activity or your kid wants to ride bikes all day instead of going to the museum.  It is summer after all....
• Leave one day completely free.  Summer is all about hot, lazy days spent playing outside with friends.  Give your children this gift.

Want to read more about Summertime fun?

• Summer Homeschooling
• Gearing Up for Summer
• The Summer Schedule

The Summer Schedule

Well here it is- as promised, the second in my 2 part summer series.  Hmm...can you even call 2 parts a series?  Well, whatever....you get the idea here.

Part 2- The Schedule.

So if you remember back to the first part, I described ALL the seriously awesome free and cheap summer activities that my family participates in.  I'm now going to tell you exactly how I make this work AND keep myself and the kiddo on task.  Because let's face it- it's hard to sit down and do homeschooling lessons or focus on work when it's beautiful and sunny outside!

First, I begin by printing off weekly calendars for the entire summer season.  Not too worry- these are FREE and can be found here.  Just make sure you select the weekly calendar and not the monthly or yearly and print them off at the local library so you're not throwing away all that money on ink and paper!  Oh- and I start my calendar on Sundays.  But really, do whatever works for you.

So now you've got your big stack of weekly calendars.  Time to get color coding!  What's that you ask....oh be still my OCD heart!  How I do love my colored sharpies!  Begin by assigning one color to homeschooling lessons, one color should be for scheduled activities and another for chores and rewards. 

Color coding is fun!

For example:

• Green is for workbook, reading and online learning
• Black is for all those awesome activities
• Red is for chores and rewards

Easy peasy!

Now get to work!  It's time to fill in those calendars!  I suggest you start with the activities first because depending on how many things you've got going each day- you may simply not have as much time for homeschooling and chores.

Once you've got your calendar all filled in, it's time to add in the incentives or rewards.  This folks is the super simple way that I keep my son on track all summer long.  Some would call it bribing and you would be totally right.  No shame here folks- sometimes we do what we must.

So you'll notice at the very bottom of my weekly calendar, I have marked "GOAL" in red sharpie.  Each week has a different number.  Here's where these numbers are coming from...simply count up all your green and red (homeschool and chores) and viola!- you've got your targeted goal for that week.  And what would a goal be without a reward- right?

Before you just start filling in the weekly rewards all crazy like- stop for a minute and think about them.  I have a couple bigger rewards spaced throughout the summer time to keep the kiddo excited and motivated.  Things like $10 to spend at the Lego store (which BTW- this would have happened at some point anyways) or a trip to the family fun center.  Mix in smaller rewards like a trip for FROYO, a new app on your phone or Ipad, a pack of Rainbow Loom bands, a new Lego mini fig or an ice cream sundae party with friends.  Seriously- keep it simple here but make sure it's something your kids want that is not something they normally get.

Next, it's time to add in the monthly rewards.  I'm going to be honest here and say that these are things that we are planning to do regardless.  But for goodness sakes- your kids don't have to know that!  Make them work for it!  And folks- just one piece of advice.  Don't make these monthly rewards about "things" or purchases.  Try to focus them on family time and learning activities.  For us, in June we will be going to either the local zoo or aquarium.  July is for the Museum of Flight, August is for the Pacific Science Center and we will finish our summer with a trip to Idaho in September.  My goal is to always start small and end with a bang!

And here's how this is all put into action.  As your child completes the daily red and green tasks, simply check them off.  If they reach the goal, they get the weekly prize.  And you guessed it- they need to get every single week completed in order to earn the larger monthly goal.  You can also add in some "extras" as a way for them to earn more check marks.  This works well for those days where they might not complete all the tasks.  If you have a running list of items- like an extra 60 minutes of quiet reading, dusting, mopping, cleaning windows, projects, workbook etc, your kids can simply select a task to earn back the missing check mark.


Here's another thing you may notice about my weekly calendar.  There's not a lot of chores.  The reason behind this is simple- the kiddo doesn't have a lot of assigned chores.  He's expected to pitch in and help when asked and we don't reward him for this.  As I tell him all the time, we all work together as a family.  And the day you start paying Mommy for doing your laundry and cooking your dinner, is the day I'll start paying you for sweeping the floors and picking up your socks.  This is the way it works in our home- your home may be different.  And that's totally ok- just adjust to suit your family's needs.

You might also see that there's a lot of free time.  I do NOT schedule all the hours in the day.  Yes, there is literally something going on almost every single day.  But it's not all day long.  This folks-this is intentional.  I work from home so I need to be around for the majority of the day, every day.  Many of our activities don't begin until later in the day when I can call it quits at work.  But the other main reason behind this is simple.  I intentionally leave time for the kiddo to simply be a kid.  I want him to ride bikes, jump on his friend's trampoline, play in the backyard, to eat Popsicles in the summer sun, to run through the sprinklers with the neighbor kids...basically, I am giving him time to enjoy his summer and just be a kid.  Don't underestimate this!  Kids need time to just relax, have fun and enjoy their childhood without a constant schedule pushing them forward.

I have not put in the time the kiddo will spend at the YMCA this summer either.  The reason behind this is because its more of a casual/drop in thing.  If he wants to go swimming or hang out at the Sparks Youth Zone, he can.  As long as he has his other items checked off first!

I also use this handy little chart that I found on Pinterest.  Oh- how I LOVE Pinterest!  This is SO easy to adapt to your weekly calendar.  Really!

Mondays are our Project Days.  So this is where we do art projects or science experiments.  I usually just print off a whole bunch of worksheets from Education.com (FREE!!) and then the kiddo picks whatever one he wants to do.  

Tuesdays we usually go to the $1 Movie.  Sometimes we might run a few errands or go out to lunch too.

Wednesdays are spent at the pool or the local splash pad.

Thursdays are the activities and free programs offered by our local library.  And most often, these programs help to jump start the kiddo's creativity and imagination.  It's very common for him to come home from the program and continue on with the learning.

Fridays are for FUN!

So there you have it.  Our summer homeschooling schedule.  I suggest that you keep this calendar visible and easily accessible- we keep ours on the fridge.  Feel free to make a weekly calendar for each child or just use a different colored sharpie for each kid.  Do what works best for you!  I hope this will give you some inspiration for keeping your kids on track this summer- whether you homeschool year round or not!

Bring on Summer!

And just in case you missed it- here's the first part to this Summer Series.  Gearing Up for Summer!

Gearing Up for Summer

If you homeschool year round like we do, summer time can be a bit tricky.  There are a ton of free or very low cost activities that are only offered in the summer.  Add in beautiful weather, working from home and homeschool and you've got yourself one FULL calendar!

So here begins a two part series on getting your homeschool ready for the summertime.  In this first part, I will be talking about all the awesome activities that our family participates in and the best part is that they are all either FREE or super cheap.  As in, super duper cheap.  Yay!

Well let's just jump right in shall we?


First, I start by checking out our local library program online.  You could also stop in and pick up a summer program flyer.  However, I like searching online because they post the programs for all ages for the whole library system, not just school age.  Everything is free too!  And don't forget to check the libraries closest to you, not just your "regular" one that you go to.  We are lucky to have a couple within 20 minutes- I'll drive 20 minutes for a fun, free summer activity!

These programs are typically offered weekly or twice weekly.  Here's just a few of the programs that our library system will be offering this summer:

For Teens- Marble Magnets, Duct Tape crafts, Make It: Ditigal Microscopes, LED wristbands, CODEACADEMY (learn how to code computers), Minecraft Building Challenge, Hands on Henna, Guitar 101, Writer's Workshop, Soundlab, Amazing Race Digital Scavenger Hunt

For School Ages- Summer Kickoff: Raptors in the Library, Lego Club, Reptile Man & Friends,  Explore Summer: All About Frogs, Whale Tales, How to Train Your Dragon (dragons & vikings), Blast Off to Mars, Our Magnetic Sun, Animal Habitats, Project Recycle

For the 5 and under crowd- Saturday Science: More Trees Please, Storytime, Science: Sea, Sand & Surf, Toddler Play & Learn Group, Saturday Science: Earthworks, Baby & Me Storytime, Ready Readers

Seriously- how awesome is this!?!  Something fun for kids of all ages- and yes, many libraries also offer adult programs.  So check them out!  Really.  Do It.

The local YMCA is up next.  They offer lots of extra fun summertime activities for the kids, especially for the school aged kids.  Every day, Monday through Friday at our local Y- there's a specific activity from 1:30-3:30pm.  Typically, there's only one or 2 per week that the kiddo wants to attend.  So those get marked on the calendar.  They also offer summer day camps if you're so inclined and there are swimming lessons too.  But let me share something totally awesome with you now...shhh....are you listening?  You don't have to be a YMCA member to participate in their activities.  You can pay a flat one time "day rate" and just enjoy a fun day of swimming, crafts and classes.  Our Y charges just $5 dollars- yep, only $5 dollars!  There is also something totally cool called Swim Week.  It's a full week's worth of lessons for just $10.  It's open to everyone in the community, all you have to do is sign up.  Now that's a sweet deal!

Next up is the $1 movies offered by Regal Cinemas.  Yeah, you heard me- just one dollar!!!  Here's the link to see if they offer this in your area.  These are movies that have been released throughout the school year, they are NOT new releases and they are all kid friendly movies.  The kiddo and I sit down and go through the list and then I put the ones he wants to see on our summer calendar.  The movies are usually offered first thing in the morning before the movie theater opens for their regular business day, for our's- that's 10am.  But not too worry friends, you can still buy popcorn!  Although who can stomach popcorn at 10am is beyond me!  They offer a choice of two movies each week and do this on two days per week, usually Tuesday and Wednesday.  So if you're up for it- you can see one movie on Tuesday and the other one on Wednesday.  However, because our summer schedule is so busy- I limit this to just one day.  And for anyone who has a Lego fan like I do- they will be playing the Lego Movie.  I repeat- the Lego Movie is on the summer schedule!

Now let's add in FREE summer bowling.  Say what?!?  Another freebie- how awesome is that!  Here's the link to see if this is offered in your state.  For this activity, you must sign up and register.  You will print off weekly coupons to take into the bowling alley you've chosen from the list of participants.  You can also add up to 4 adults at a flat paid fee.  So parents can bowl with the kids every single day of the week.  Beware- you must pay for the shoe rentals, but everything else for the kiddos is free.  Sweet!

It's time to add in FREE museum visits.  Holy Crap- can you even handle all these FREEBIES!!!!!  So here's how it works- most museum's offer one day per month, sometimes it's a specific time frame, that is totally free for everyone.  They do this year round- not just in the summer.  You can simply google "visit museums for free" and your local city and you should be able to pull up a nice list.  Or you can visit the museum's websites directly to see if they offer this- not all of them do.  Our favorites to visit are the local children's museum, Imagine and the Museum of Flight.  Imagine offers the half price admission on Thursdays and then totally FREE admission every 3rd Friday of the month.  So just do a little research on the museums near you and then make sure to mark it on your calendar.  And word to the wise- plan for it to be busy.  Any time something is free, it will be busy.

And here it is- another awesome FREEBIE!  Did you know that most local hardware stores offer a free building clinic for school aged kids?  Pretty awesome!  You simply need to register online, print out the form and go.  They are usually offered on Saturday mornings- we like the ones at Lowes.  You get a free apron, goggles, an iron on patch and of course, you get to keep what you build.  These are offered year round- but during the summer, they have fun movie themed builds.  Visit your local hardware store online or in person for more information!



Pick up your calendar in store or online.

Next up, at least for this house, is the activities at the local Lego Store.  The kiddo is obsessed, so we make this a priority in our schedule.  You can pick up a monthly calendar in the store or view it
online at Lego.com.  Each month they offer a FREE mini monthly Lego build that you get to keep.  But be prepared for long lines!  In addition to this they also do a themed monthly Lego Club meeting.  These you have to register and pay for and you do not get to keep what you build.  Instead, you are given a "goodie bag" upon leaving.  Typically, these are offered on Saturday mornings before the stores open.  Cost is about $30 but if you sign up for a free VIP membership, you get a discount.  We do not participate in these every single month- could you imagine the added costs to doing this!  Instead, I sign the kiddo up for the Club meetings that are on the specific Lego's he's currently into.  For example, he LOVES the Superhero themed Legos- so we did that one.  And next month is the Lego Movie themed Club meeting, so he will participate in this one.  We've skipped the Star Wars ones, Lego City and more because they aren't his favorites.  Just be selective here to save on costs.


Ok- so far we've filled our summer calendar with FREE library programs, FREE activities at the local YMCA, $1 movies, FREE bowling, FREE museum visits, FREE Lego mini builds and Lego Club meetings.  What more could there possibly be?!?  Why FREE farmer's markets and water parks of course!

Let's start with the water parks.  Ok- these aren't water parks in the grand scheme that you're probably thinking....but more of those little splash parks that many local parks have.  We are lucky enough to live literally right around the corner from a pretty great park that offers one of these splash parks.  So you better believe that we add in a weekly trip here!

Splash Pads!  Totally free & fun!

This park also offers a Farmer's Market in the summertime on every Friday.  So we usually end our week by stopping at this local Farmer's Market.  This is a relatively small market but they offer fruits and veggies, local honey, flowers and the all important- kettle corn and snow cones.  What more do you need?  To find a local Farmer's Market near you, click this link and simply enter in your city. 
And don't forget to check out what's happening on your local farms!  Berry picking, corn on the cob, animals, hay mazes- all super fun and low cost!

Now what would all these activities be without a little book work.  Right?  During the summer time, I keep the kiddo's lessons light and fun.  Each year, I plan something new and different.  This summer, I purchased a monthly science kit membership.  I was lucky enough to score a deal on Amazon local for 50% off making the kit just $120- that's only $10 per kit!  Every month, a different themed kit is mailed directly to our house and includes everything he needs for a complete science based unit study.  Now that's pretty awesome!  Click here to see the kit I ordered from the Young Scientist Club and the Magic School Bus.  This is by far- THE MOST money I've ever spent on summer time lessons.  In fact, it's probably the most I've ever spent on school stuff period.  Seriously.  You think I'm joking- but I'm really not.

I have also signed the kiddo up for a FREE summer math program.  The cost is typically $40 but they are currently offering a summer special.  Here's the link to sign up your kids!  Because we've never done this program before, I can't offer any reviews.  But I can tell you that it looks like your kids take an assessment to determine their skill level and then the assignments are given based upon that.  You can also set up rewards and incentives along the way.  For example, I just put in a reward for a trip to Menchies for FROYO after the kiddo completes 5 assignments with a score of 80% or higher.  Sweet!

I also print out FREE worksheets, art projects and science experiments from Education.com.  You will need to register with your email address and then you have a specific number of free downloads per email.  Folks- register every single email address you've ever had and you can seriously maximize this great free source!

Whew!  Are you tired yet?  Let's recap!

• Free library programs
• Free summer programs for YMCA members
• Low cost ($5-$10) activities at the YMCA for non members.  Including swimming, arts & crafts, swim lessons, exercise classes, recreation hour, sports and more.
• Free summer bowling
• Free trips to local museums
• Free building clinics at local hardware stores
• Free Lego mini builds
• Discounted Lego Club meetings when you sign up for the free VIP membership
• Farmer's Markets, parks and splash parks
• Half price science kits from the Young Scientist Club
• Free online summer math program
• Free worksheets from Education.com
• Free science experiments and art projects also from Education.com

Holla!  This list is sure to keep the boredom monsters away from your house this summer and keep your wallet nice and fat.  Ok....well at least it won't be totally empty, right?

Stay tuned for my next post discussing how I incorporate all these awesome summer activities while balancing working and homeschooling.  And can I just tell you how hard it is sometimes to keep your kids on track with lessons when it's gorgeous and sunny every single day?  I've got a plan for that too and I'm sharing it with you all!  Don't miss it!