Having a Summer Schedule

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As spring, baseball, and t-ball finish up we are already thinking about having a summer schedule. We are already signed up for camp. My son is signed up for a week of Basketball/Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Camp. My daughter is signed up for a week of ballet and tap camp.

When I think of our summer schedule, I like to plan it out and stick with daily themes throughout. I begin the week with Make It Mondays. After that is Time for A Project Tuesdays. I follow it up with Water Wednesdays. Next, is Thematic Thursdays. Foodie Fridays is how we end the week. I do not have themes on the weekend when we have more time as a family.

Make It Mondays

We usually do an art project. Both of my children like to do craft projects and paint, so Mondays are fun. I look for ideas on Pinterest. Sometimes, we work at a table in our playroom or sometimes we take projects outside to work in our driveway. Especially if we need more space or if it is going to be a messy project. I tend to organize one activity per day during the summer and make sure that there is time for free choice activities.

Time for a Project Tuesdays

These are usually quick and easy projects. These might be designing holiday decorations for the Fourth of July, making birthday cards for family members, or using a science or art kit that we received during the year. We have a good supply of construction paper, stickers, coloring tools, and ink stampers that we use to make cards. All supplies are in different containers and labeled so everything is easy for my children (who are seven and four) to find.

Water Wednesdays 

These days are a splash! Sometimes I take out the water table. Other times, I use a sprinkler. I have Water Wow Pads for rainy days and a larger pad that uses water pens. The pens allow you to trace stencils and draw freely. This is large enough for both children to use at the same time. We also explore various splash pads depending on our weekly schedule. I purchased a beach pass this year, so I plan to utilize that on Wednesdays and the weekends.

Thematic Thursdays

On Thursdays, I pick two themes to last throughout the summer. Last year, I chose Dinosaurs in July and Kindness in August. I remember reading a book each Thursday about dinosaurs before an activity. We sorted dinosaurs into carnivores and herbivores. We sorted them by number of legs. We put them in order from smallest to largest. We also created a dinosaur mural. We went outside and traced the shadows of our toy dinosaurs onto large pieces of paper. Then, we painted the dinosaurs and hung the mural in our Foyer. It was a fun culminating project. For Kindness, we read stories, created pictures, and worked on a workbook that I purchased from my favorite bookstore, Tatnuck Bookseller.

Foodie Fridays 

At the end of the week, I love to cook and bake and try recipes with my children. We make granola bars together and snacks to share. One hot Friday last summer, we made homemade lemonade. We make popsiclesand we bake pies when we go berry picking at Tougas Farm. The berries are always huge and ripe!

Having our theme days help shape our summer schedule. We also participate in programs at local libraries including summer reading, concerts in the parks, storytime, and book clubs. We visit the EcoTarium (Worcester), Discovery Museum (Acton), and Dr. Seuss Museum (Springfield). With our EcoTarium membership, we can visit the Discovery Museum and Dr. Seuss Museum for free. I also organize park playdates through my Facebook group, and we visit family members and take a vacation. 

Summer is a wonderful time of year to enjoy with both of my children in the warm weather as they grow and change together and as individuals. I hope that your summer is a magical one!

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