Being a homeschool mom means being on a schedule; there’s just no way around it. The many activities available to each of our children (music, sports, co-op, church, etc.) must be organized somehow, and we’re the ones responsible for that job.
It’s easy to stay in that groove during the summer. There may not be as many activities available as during the school year, but there’s certainly no shortage. Signing the kids up for summer activities can become something we do automatically. But that could be a mistake.
I’m old enough to remember a time when there were very few summer activities available to kids beyond swimming lessons at the community pool. What did kids do back then? We entertained ourselves!
We played games, we had races, we played Barbies, we played baseball.
We ran through the sprinkler, we drew on the sidewalk with chalk, we played hopscotch, we ran lemonade stands.
We rode our bikes, we read library books, we planted and weeded gardens, we played hide-and-seek.
We went to the park, we played on the front porch, we had Kool-Aid and cookies on the patio, and when it got dark, we played Ghost in the Graveyard on the corner under the streetlight.
And all the time we were doing those things, where were our moms? Not entertaining us, that’s where. They were used to having the day to themselves while we were in school, and they weren’t going to give that up. We were expected to be off playing while our moms were busy cooking, cleaning or watching soap operas. We weren’t very concerned about what our moms were doing, because we were having too much fun outside.
Kind of gets you thinking, doesn’t it?
My nine year old – social – daughter wants to particpate in EVERYTHING. On the other hand, she always is wanting more time for her projects (art, sewing, etc) and realistically she cannot have both. It is challenging to help her see for herself the need to say NO to many good activities so she can say YES to the projects she’s always dreaming about (or starting but not completing).
And here I’ve been feeling guilty about being “too busy” to spend much time with the kids the last couple of weeks, and you’re reminding me that it’s good for them to amuse themselves. Bless you!
I read this, Barb, and thought, Amen, Amen, Amen! I remember reading an article years ago that encouraged kids to make their own fun. It was an excellent article (wish I could remember where I saw it!) and it reinforced my belief that kids should be able to occupy themselves, be creative, etc. With a healthy balance of family time, I think this is a fabulous way to raise children. Thanks for the reminder:)
I COMPLETELY agree. There is nothing worse than seeing kids who have NO IDEA how to PLAY. I do not plan a whole pile of stuff for my kids for the summer. It’s their time “off” and mine too! Right now, for instance, they are going around the house trying out the new power monitor. They are turning things on and writing down how many kilowatts of power they are using. Tee hee.
This is how I parent. We bought ten acres just so our kids could go out and play.
I wish I felt safe enough to allow my kids to run off and entertain themselves away from me! Every time I think something like, “When R is ____ years old, I’ll let her go to the playground by herself (it’s 2 large blocks away and would require crossing a relatively busy street),” I learn about another child snatched from their yard, or some children that were inappropriately approached and then chased by some men at a local park! It’s alarming. And those who do evil are doing it more openly and brazenly than I’ve EVER heard of before. So, I think I’ll just keep my girls (THREE of them) under my eye until they are teenagers. I sure would love the quiet time, though! ahwell… I can dream and send myself to the quiet place in my mind. heeheehee
I don’t know, summer camp is an old tradition where I grew up in New England. Both my parents attended and I’m pretty sure they are older than you (unless you had your kids on the later side).
Hi Barbara, I met you on the homeschool lounge…We had a lot of sickness this last school yr. so we’re still puttering along to the finish line. At this point, I think we’re just going to continue at a snail’s pace on through the summer and just take a few weeks break before starting again. I’d love for you to come see me at my blog. I hope it’s not rude for me to leave my blog info. I hope you are having a wonderful summer so far!! 🙂 Blessings, Jerelene
http://jerelenesblog.blogspot.com/
I’m still deep in the schooling trenches this summer. We had an overseas move last winter, so we didn’t start our normal academics until January. The kids have had some fun stuff, like scout camp and summer swim team. But we’re also enjoying the luxury of freetime for reading, robotics and even games once our lessons are done.
We live on a military base and while there are a lot of summer camp options, there are also a lot of families who want their kids signed up nearly every week. I know parents who were in line on sign up day at 4 am and were still 20th in line. I just wasn’t getting the on fire response that I would have needed to make me camp out to get summer camp slots.
Maybe a good number of these families have both parents working and see camp as a day care substitute for the months when school is out. But I wonder how many just don’t want to have to deal with their kids on a daily basis.
Thanks, everyone, for weighing in! 🙂