Summer Plans

It is that time of year when summer calls to me. Even Anne, usually so focused, is feeling the pull and is almost ready to set the books aside. She has worked so hard this year. It is time to shift gears and focus on other areas of growth. We will still do a bit of school, but it won't be the main focus of our days. Most summers end up having a learning theme for us and this year is shaping up to be the same. We plan to do lots of learning around slavery, the Underground Railroad and famous abolitionists. We currently plan to start back to school on August 20 which is a really long break for us. However, I find that with teens we get busier and busier, and while the seasons of learning change, they never pause.

Our Goals ~ Summer 2018

Read ~ We will be reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe this summer. I am really looking forward to sharing this book with my children. The children will also read books and magazines of their choice.

Watch ~ We will be watching a literature-based or history-based movie each week, complete with movie snacks.

Do ~ We will be working our way through all of the experiments centered on biology and earth science from The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science: 50 Experiments for Daring Young Scientists.

Exercise ~ We will go swimming once a week when we are together, and each child will continue with their passions of dance and boffing. I will walk every day -- one way or another!

Adventure ~  We are thinking about a family trip to Ohio, Indiana and Mammoth Caves, Kentucky. This would be an Underground Railroad Tour with a little bit of science thrown in for good measure. I still have to make sure I can make it affordable, but the plan is to do all or some of this adventure.

Stretch Skills ~ Dean just returned from an art retreat which was a great success. He will also be a camp counselor at his beloved childhood acting camp. He is so excited to be able to go to this camp once again, even if he doesn't get to play much this time around. Anne will be doing a two week dance intensive and working on street smarts downtown. I noticed on our trip to New Orleans that she got pushed around by the crowd more than the rest of us and didn't have a good sense of boundaries and maintaining a safe distance from strangers. We intend to work on this a lot during the summer.

Explore ~ We plan to explore some of the towns, lakes and waterfalls in our area that we have not been to in many years or have never seen at all.

Socialize ~ For the weeks that they will be home and have no commitments, we will try to set up some teen gatherings for them. Several of their friends are away for the better part of the summer, but there are still a few around that we will invite on outings.

Work ~ We plan to deep clean the entire house and finish painting the kitchen. Grandma is also offering some paying painting jobs at her house, which is very exciting to the kids. Lastly, we plan to prepare the wood frame shed for renovations. We will clean it out and assess what needs to be done in order to make it into a livable space for Tim (our adult son).

I always try to have a fun box of stuff for summer that I can dip into for the slow times.
This is what I found on my first Dollar Tree run. The Twizzlers are different flavors and intended for a taste challenge.

It is going to be a great summer and a well-needed change of pace!

Blessings, Dawn