Summer School!

Summer school has begun around here, and so far we are having fun! Today was the kids' first sewing lesson, and they were thrilled! They already have great designs on sewing elaborate doll costumes by the end of the summer. I think we'll at least get the pillowcases, tote bags, book covers, doll quilts, laundry bags and pot holders made!
Today the point was to introduce them to the machine and let them try the pedal. Then, they got to practice sewing straight lines on a piece of paper and even learned to backstitch at the beginning and end of every seam.

Ahhhh, Summer!

Summer has officially begun at our house! So, our summer schedule is in full swing! Movie Mondays, Living Room Play Tuesdays, Game (or Water) Wednesdays, Cooking Thursdays, Library Fridays! We will be doing some "summer school" in a few weeks, but that is fun stuff, like art, sewing, science, first aid, and a summer reading challenge for the girls with new reading lights as the prize!
We've also added a 30-minute tidy-up time right after our morning devotions and a 10-minute laundry time.  We're slowly attacking the stuff we just didn't get to during the school year cleaning-wise, and the laundry mounds (mostly clean clothes, I'll have you know!) are slowly dissolving as we get to them daily instead of twice or so per week!  My goal for the kids (and myself!) this summer is for them to learn to do it right the first time, working with all their hearts. 

Summer Ideas

Now that I have posted my summer ideas, here is a post from one of the pastors at Covenant Fellowship near us with some great thoughts on how to be purposeful with your kids this summer.

School is coming to an end and the summer awaits.  Without school, much of their daily schedule has become open.  How ought we fill that during a summer?  The answers to that question are endless and varied according to each family.  Here are just a few ideas on constructive and fun uses of time this summer:

He lists the following areas:

• Relational education
• Elective education
• Home Projects
• Bible study
• Fun

Read here for the entire article and some great suggestions.

Spelling Fun

Following the advice of Pioneer Woman, we held our first weekly spelling bee today. The girls and Liam loved it, though I suspect it may have been more because of the skittles and dum dums I hurled at them than for the sheer fun of spelling words correctly. Liam even correctly spelled his name (he already knew how to do that) and is beginning to learn the sounds for "a" and "e". They begged for more, which I always figure is a good sign. :)

Summer Break

We are on "summer break" now, so what does that mean this year? Here is what we are doing:

• review math 2 days per week
• review phonograms and spelling rules 1 day per week
• spelling bee once a week
• learn to type
• read library books together
• have the girls read to me!
• continue reading chapter books together (we are currently in Little Women)
• plant and learn about sunflowers (and the bees that visit them)!
• learn about managing our money with Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett
• read a Magic Treehouse book each week and learn about whatever topic the book covers
• read and pray through Window on the World, mapping as we go
• read and learn about different animals using Thornton Burgess's Animal Book for Children
• make and enjoy art with The Great Big Art Activity Book
• learn to sew, giving the girls sewing kits and scraps of cloth, like my grandmother did for me, as well as possibly a few machine lessons
• hone some cooking skills by learning to prepare some of their favorite dishes
• lots of nature walks outside!
• movies on Mondays!
• library summer clubs! (even for Liam)
• classes at our local arboretum (even for Liam!)
• summer music camp!
• crafty afternoons!
• play with our neighbors outside in the afternoons!
  

Busy and fun!! Yay for summer!!