Summer Fun

Wild Strawberries

This year, like last year, we've had a fantastic wild strawberry harvest. The plants have spread quite a bit over the yard (which I welcome with delight!), and the fruit was the biggest I've ever seen in a wild strawberry!  We've been picking them with gusto, along with my "regular" strawberries that I have growing in containers. It's been a slow and rough year for my "regulars", because I didn't protect them well enough from the winter, and as a result I lost several plants. We still get about 4 strawberries a day from the regular ones, which is about half of what we got last year. I am chalking it up to a lesson learned, and I will definitely be sure to protect them better this coming winter.

The kids have really enjoyed this berry harvest, along with the usual free play in the yard.  It's been fairly hot here lately in Southern Maine, so outside play is done in the morning when it is not too hot.  This has made for some very long afternoons of house-destroying (ie. kids scattering toys from one end of the house to the other) because they cannot get outside to play. I'm not a big fan of the house-destroying game, but of course there is little choice.  There is also a bit of squabbling over whose turn it is on the ipad or desktop computer, which becomes a trying experience to referee as well.  

I hope you aren't gasping at the idea that it is not always rainbows and sunshine in our house.  We are mortals, just like everyone else, and I have no super-human powers to keep kids from disagreeing or battling over toys than anyone else. I pick my battles, and sometimes simply take away the item being bickered over if terms for a truce cannot be agreed upon.  The kids get along very well in general, but of course no child is happy to share every toy every moment of the day.  I look at it as conflict management skills that will serve them later in life.....you know, once they finally master how to use those skills ;)

I love that our summer rhythm is very low-key.  We do still try to have some continuity to our days, but there is more flexibility in the summer for us than during the school year.

My kids easily slide into a rhythm that makes sense for them most days without me directing it many times! They intuitively know when it is snack time, outside time, lunch time, afternoon rest time, story time, dinner time, family evening time, and then bedtime ritual time. The gaps in between those activities are where our summer flexibility comes into play, and they love coming up with different ideas for how we can spend that time.

We purchased a board game the other day at a local games shop called The Mystery on the Nile. We haven't played it yet, but are planning to do so this weekend. Our little ones will pick which team they'd like to be on, since the board game is above their abilities to figure out on their own. It should not only be fun, but will keep with our summer theme (Ancient Egypt) in a way that helps impart some fun facts and knowledge about the theme.  

I imagine we'll spend an hour as a family playing the game. Right there is an entire summer day of learning without "forcing" anyone to do anything. They will enjoy themselves and learn a thing or two...no worksheets needed. 

I hope you're enjoying your summer so far. I know we are!