Pivot to Summer

School's out! Time to pivot to summer! What can I do to keep my children busy and productive in the summer? It is definitely a break, but it's also nice to have a little structure. One summer, in particular, I opted to have my children in zero camps, zero classes, and very little structure. By the end of the summer I felt like I knew what depression was for the first time in my life. If was just so hard feeling like it was a summer of cleaning up and chaos on repeat. I swore that would never happen again. There are 3 things that I implemented each summer after that made a huge difference to my and my children's well-being! 

The first game changer was signing the children each up for a small, affordable class. We lived in a very hot state, so they grew up with swim classes, swim team or dive team. There were also classes offered at the local high school that allowed them to take sports classes and camps that could be tailored to them: volleyball, basketball, strength and speed, etc. Various options for various personalities. Sometimes there were camps offered by teenagers in the community that we were able to take advantage of for a reasonable price. And we also found, even though my children didn't take drama or choir much at school during the school year, summer was a great time to participate in drama and singing camps that culminated in a exciting, creative show at the finish of the camp. My children loved all these and they really helped with a bit of structure!

The second huge help was to follow my mother's example and create summer goals for my children. Each child got a list of age-appropriate activities to pass off. If they passed everything off (I made sure we always did) we would go on a Summer Goals Outing at the end of the summer. It would be an inexpensive, but fun outing we could do all together. Some of out outings were going on a long bike ride through lake pathways, stopping at McDonalds for lunch, and coming back. One year we went horseback riding all together. One year we went to the local waterpark at the end of the summer. There are so many options that could fit any budget! The beauty of the summer goals was that it kept the children productive and helped ME directly many times. I always loved the goals that helped me with my spring cleaning or helping me in the kitchen. I wanted them to learn certain skills and these goals allowed them to have the motivation to participate in learning many things that they otherwise might balk at. They were assigned to help me make bread, memorize scriptures, read a certain number of books, write in their journal, help make cookies, organize a shelf or drawer, etc. It was great for them and great for me!

Finally, I always planned a vacation to look forward to. This could be according to any budget. Many years we camped. One year we traveled up the West Coast, stopping to explore tide pools, and pick strawberries in California. We camped as we went.Then further up the coast to Oregon, stopping at a pier to catch crabs in our crab nets we brought. We made it to Crater Lake before the sun went down...we were in time to take some lovely pictures before we set up our camp stove in the parking lot and boiled our crabs. I had brought butter, lemon, potatoes, and crab boil and we have the best memories eating our succulent crabs a hundred yards away from that pre-historic-looking lake while deer walked by. That trip cost so little, but always comes to mind first, when my children think of their favorite vacations. If camping is not your thing, there are a zillion other fun options out there. But it was always fun to have the special family vacation time to look forward to!

This summer don't forget some structure! Maybe think about things you didn't have time for during the school year! Set some goals! Help them learn some new skills!  Help them stay up on the skills they HAVE learned during the school year. If you don't use it you lose it, for reals. Don't be afraid to enforce a quiet time, as well! All children need to learn the skill of entertaining themselves, to some degree. Most importantly, make memories and enjoy your break!