When Zach got ready for the last day of school, I noticed that he donned the same outfit he wore on the last day of kindergarten in Oregon almost exactly one year ago. Why I remembered this nugget of information is beyond me, but the blog archive backed me up! Here's a photo. I also thought it would be fun to compare these shots with the first day of school in 2008.
And now summer begins.
The weather is fantastic (read my gushing on the previous post), there are neighbors to play with, and we have a big yard to enjoy. At our house, though, when kids wake up before six o'clock, summer days are mighty long. I had ample time in April to contemplate this reality, so I devised a plan. Because I am me, it took shape in the form of a theme, a chart, a plastic bin, and an idea jar. I know I have OCD, and I'm sure I'm passing it on to my children.
The theme:
(There's nothing like a scripture to validate my personality quirks.)The chart:
(The boys have three daily jobs in four categories: mind, body, spirit, and home.Each job is listed on a card in the color-coded category pouch.
The purple pouch says "done!" Gotta love that "checked-off" feeling.)
The plastic bin:
(Here we have a collection of books and workbooks--only two of which were purchased for this purpose--that will help the boys complete their tasks throughout the week.)The idea jar:
(Summer boredom is inevitable, so I put about 50 activity ideas in this jar.The only catch is this: if a boy draws a slip, he must complete the activity
whether he thinks it's fun or not!)
We used a similar system last year that was pretty successful, but this is definitely an expanded and refined version. The kids are a year older, and I figure it's a fun-ish way to keep them occupied for a couple of hours each morning. I guess we'll see how it goes!
12 comments:
You seriously have the best ideas. I love the idea jar and the chart. After reading that, I'm trying to figure out how to adapt it to the slightly younger crew at our house. Thanks for the inspiration!
Okay, so give me some of the ideas you put in the jar and the jobs you have on the chart. I would like to implement this in our house too! Email me if you can: adelariel@yahoo.com. (This is Shannon Barker Richards, is you couldn't tell!).
Aw! The picture of the kids together brought back fun memories. I love your job chart ideas. I just might apply that idea this year. Especially because my kids can't argue with it being based off a scripture, right? Great ideas!
I love it. Now that I'm not in survival mode after having a newborn last May (though the summer went by faster than I thought), I feel I can expand our summer structure like you did. Except that you just had a newborn, so good for you for being better than me :) She's beautiful. It's so fun seeing the other HALF of the world...the pink side. Love, Jenn
I wish I could be you for a week or maybe just a day-oh the things I could get done! You are amazing!
sister: you amaze me. you are like a week post-pardom & bustin' out chore charts & idea jars. fer reals: i bow to you.
interesting fact: i am currently working on a toddler-friendly system very similar to this. i'm tired of no structure & constant disney channel.
dixon minds think alike. (:
You inspire me!
Great ideas.
ummm, can i borrow your creative mind, for like, forever? :) awesome ideas!
Awesome, Heidi! How inspiring! You are the queen of preparedness! I would love to hear your "I'm bored" ideas. That jar could be quite useful here as well.
What a great idea! My girls are still a little small but I'll have to file that away for another summer.
You're amazing!! I'm curious of what the 3 chores are from each category!! Would you expound?
Okay, looks like I'm one of many requestors, but I WOULD LOVE TO GET A COPY OF YOUR IDEAS! I've been working on a "summer program" for our house. If you wouldn't mind passing it along...I'd be so grateful!!!!
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