I AM Summer Fun!

It's summer!! Long lazy days are here and preschool is out! I am ecstatic about our plans. But there is something bugging me. A few different moms from a few different circles have encouraged me to sign my preschooler up for a zillion programs with them. Oh come on, they say, it will be so fun. That way we can do this and that together. And they don't take NO for an answer. It is not my idea of summer to load my kids up with activities just to get rid of them. And that is the caveat they present; we need a break from our kids. Now don't get me wrong. My kids are going to summer reading programs through our library and other kids programs where they will play with other children. But I am not going to load my preschooler up with weeks of activities just to get rid of them. This is probably going to make some people cringe and, oh, probably even ruffle some feathers, but I am telling you about what is important to ME and my family. I don't like the idea of dropping my kid off left and right at different activities all over town by himself and running myself ragged to get places on time, all in the name of a break for me. He is three. Maybe when he is a little older, I will drop him off different places, but not now. That is not summer fun, and not relaxing. Because folks, I AM SUMMER FUN.

In the mornings, Son1 and I spend a little bit of academic time together, no more than thirty minutes. He writes his entire first and last name independently, but we have to work on legibility. He is a lefty, which is posing a few fine motor challenges. We are also learning to write short words like "Hi" to send postcards on our upcoming trip. Hubby's mom sends postcards to him frequently, so he is motivated to learn to write.

One of the best presents my mother has given my kids (ok, all of her presents are usually good) is Highlights High Five. If you have not heard of this magazine you MUST MUST MUST check it out. It is a brand new in 2008. There are so many age and developmentally appropriate activities. Of course, since I used to write curriculum for my last school district in the summers before I had children, I don't just stop with the parent guide. I tend to extend the activities. So, when we read about Spot, a dog that hides under the bed, we used play doh to make little Spot dog. This is also great for Son1's fine motor skills. We pick out the rhyming words in the poems, and use the tear out cards in the back for Math skills. We sequence the stories, and work on listening comprehension. The Hide and Seek pictures reinforce visual discrimination. I could go on and on, but I won't. The parent teacher guide has plenty of ideas, crafts, and recipes that compliment the monthly magazine. We were sent a calendar in January from Highlights that we use to work on calendar skills, too. It is so fun for him and I am enjoying our one on one time! Starting in July I have planned a number of field trips for us, too.

There are times, though, when learning just happens all on it's own, and he goes a little Montessori on me and does his own thing. (I am a proud product of the Montessori method, so I can say that confidently. It explains a lot about me, though, huh? Yeah, I will take that as a compliment!!) Some days he insists on doing a puzzle, and today he told me he was drawing the American flag. He showed me he had produced a pattern, and recounted it to me. If you can't see it, don't worry, I couldn't either. But what matters is he could see it and recite it correctly.But that time is such a small fraction of our day. Most of our time is spent just being silly and goofy. Some days are chase days, or peek a boo days, or monster truck days. Our days amount to just undefined schedules and summer fun.Last week we went to the Ko'Olina lagoons. I felt like a star. I can't remember another time since having the two kids where I was in the ocean, alone, with both of them. I have been alone in a pool with them, but not in the ocean. I had Son2 in a floatie, and Son1 hung out on his boogie board. After awhile Son2 protested. I remembered I had my Body Glove infant carrier stashed in my back pack, and strapped him to me. The water was so shallow I sat on my knees and back on my heels while Son1 floated past on his boogie board. After awhile I called time to go. Just as we were about to walk up to the outdoor showers, Son1 flopped in the sand and made a sand angel.
This struck my funny bone and I laughed out loud. He has read in books and seen children on TV make snow angels. Of course he doesn't remember he ever lived in a snowy place, though. But there he was in the sand, his arms and legs swinging in and out, in and out, until he was satisfied he was done creating a SAND angel.

Night time is eventful, too. We are blessed to live on a culdesac with 10 boys under 9 years old. They own the culdesac. There are only two girls on our street. The boys really love Son1 and share their toys with him, include him in Hide and Seek games, and bike riding. So our summer nights have been active, until way past regular bedtime.We are having so much fun it shows. One night Son1 didn't quite get to his dinner.