I am looking for ideas on what to do this summer with my kids

Hi! I’m a sahm of 4 and I understand how crazy the house gets when

bordom sets in. You also have quite an age range (I do too – 7, 7,

14, 15) which can makes it harder to please all of your children.

For my younger two (they are identical twin girls) they love when

activities are planned out. I make a big deal about something simple

like playing with playdoo, movie time, outside water time, bubble

bath, etc. During the summer I incorporate activities that we don’t

usually do during the school year. This makes it all “special”. I

also try to keep the day moving, but not completely scheduled. For

example, 9:00 – 10:00 would be craft time, 11:00 – 12:00 would be

dress up time, etc. I give them options as to what craft they wold

like, painting, coloring, playdoo, etc. Rotating an active activity

(water play outside) with a passive activity (movie) works well

also. However, if they are really caught up in what they are

currently doing, I don’t stop them just to stay on a schedule. The

same is true if they get board with their activity. Some activities

I don’t change, like reading. They have a set time for that.

For both age groups, don’t forget that they don’t have to play all

day. We use the summer to work on life skills. There just isn’t

enough time during the school year for this. My children learn to

set the table, load the dishwasher, fold clothes, bake a cake, etc.

This is all done in fun, especially for the younger children.

We also work on “school”, but I wouldn’t call it that. Some

suggestions would be: writing daily in a journal, writing to

family/friends, working on their handwriting, spelling words that

they struggle with (homophones), etc. My older two will be reviewing

Spanish all summer.

Children actually like to learn, especially if it’s done in fun.

Their minds are sponges so don’t overlook the precious summer time to

teach them what is important to you.

Sorry this was so long – I didn’t expect to go on and on. There’s

just so much that I do with my children, it’s hard to convey the

important stuff without getting to lengthy.

Hope this helps.

Carrie (mother of 4)

http://www.mylittlecandlebiz.com

— In Budget101_@yahoogroups.com, “teddysbutterflybluepit”

wrote:

>

> hi i am a sahm of five kids our budget is so tight it screams

sometimes

> i am looking for ideas on what to do this summer with my kids for

free

> or really cheap.the ages are 4,8,12,14,16.. i dont drive a car so

ideas

> on things to do around the house or neighborhhod.or if anyone nows

some

> good websites that give good craft ideas or fun stuff for the kids

and

> me so we dont go bonkers during summer break.