Hey, friends! The days are flying by, aren't they? I have been trying so hard to get things done around here, because it is only a few weeks until school is out!
16 more days of kindergarten.
6 more days of preschool.
AAH!
The summer looms before me...what on earth am I going to do to keep my excessively bright, creative, and energetic children engaged all summer?
Sure, we've got camps scheduled, a family vacation, Backyard Bible Clubs, and there's always the pool.
But it's those days here and there when you hear...
"MOM, I'M BORED!"
Now, my mom's favorite answer to this problem was to hand my brother and me a mop or a toilet brush, once we were old enough to use them properly. Oh, I firmly believe in lots of chores, yes I do. But my kids are merely 6 and 4, so there are only so many chores they can be expected to do.
A couple of years ago, I started doing themed weeks or days during the summer. For example, "Princess Day" required costumes, pink pancakes (made with beets instead of food coloring, of course), and we used royal titles for each other all day long. (I really liked being called "Queen Mother.")
This year, I've got an awesome idea in my "Summer Box," thanks again to my mom, the Retired Teacher Extraordinaire.
DINOSAUR WEEK!
(I don't have any pictures of us actually doing the activities yet, because I am keeping it a surprise from the kids for now.)
We've got bones!! These are those very cool wooden dino skeleton puzzles. I'm gonna hide them in the sandbox and have the kids dig them up and attempt to put them back together. Some of these are incomplete skeletons, which actually makes it more realistic when you think about it.
Activity books - how to draw, word search, etc. I also expect that my girls will need to make dinosaur models out of pipe cleaners, their current favorite sculpture medium.
My 6 year old probably knows all of these guys by sight already, but maybe these flash cards will help me keep up with her.
Let's not forget a bunch of random fossil pictures, labels, etc. Perhaps we will use the labels to organize our drawings, or create "learning centers."
So, if you are wondering what to do with your kids this summer, send them to my house for Dino Week, or hit up your favorite retired teacher for some cool stuff. And check out the Save Our Summer series on the Brassy Apple blog, one of my favorite bloggy haunts - just click this big button!
Do you have any theme ideas to share?
P.S. a new look for the blog is on the way, keep your eyes peeled!
