Time for a Break

It's time for a break. Did you know that I have homeschooled through the summer every year since I started teaching Lincoln to read when he was four? He'll be nine in August... and I am burnt. out. I haven't lifted a finger to motivate the kids to do any school work since Memorial Day. I haven't so much as batted an eyelash at our books. I don't even want to. And you know what? An incredible thing is happening at our house. My kids are blowing my mind with what they are choosing to do with their free time. Check this out....

One afternoon during quiet time, Lincoln kept running downstairs and asking me for things like batteries, wires, an old bike bell that didn't work anymore, etc. I let him have what he needed as long as he promised to clean up whatever mess was left over when he was finished. He was occupied all afternoon.

When he came out of his room around dinner time, he had an electric doorbell to show me. What!? How does he even know how to do that? I surely don't. But he's learned all about circuits from his Snap Circuit set, and he loves the Nick and Tesla's High Voltage Danger Lab book series. He got an idea from one of the books, but they had to modify the instructions to fit in with the parts he had available. He used a trial and error process, and after a few rounds got his doorbell to work just they way he wanted it to. I was so impressed. And he was so proud of himself. And I thought to myself: THIS. This is why we homeschool.

I haven't had to pester any of my kids one time to read since summer started. We accidentally stumbled upon the Springville Library book sale the first day it opened. We stopped in after swim practice to pick up a hold that had come in for the boys and walked out having spent only $16 on a plastic crate full of books. I found Story of the World volumes 2 and 4 for 50 cents each, a ton of beginning readers and early chapter books for Ivan and Adelia, some Children's Classics such as Jason and The Argonauts, and War of the Worlds for Linc. He's really into H. G. Wells, I'm sure that surprises you. And the boys found (what they consider to be) the treasure of all treasures, Calvin and Hobbes books, for 50 cents each. Between our basket of newly acquired books and the Library's summer reading program my kids have been avid little readers so far this summer.

Ivan and Adelia have picked up a new hobby: pressing flowers. Every where we go, they have been on the lookout for interesting plants, leaves, and flowers. Even at Home Depot the other day, they walked up and down the garden section, picking up flower heads and leaves that had fallen on the ground. They bring these collections home, arrange them between two pieces of wax paper and pile books on top of them. When the plants are sufficiently smashed flat, they take them out and glue them onto paper. At first they hung their artwork up all over the house, but now they've decided it would be fun to make a plant journal by combining all their pages together in a book.

They've also made an art gallery. Designed and built cranes to haul things from the floor to the top bunk bed. Role-played animal food chains. Started a band consisting of a ukulele, wooden flute, accordion, trumpet, and drums. Made a bug collection. Cooked meals and treats. Set up a paleontologist dig site in the sand box, and so on and so forth.  One day I even walked in on Ivan attempting to teach Ollie how to play chess.

And THIS is why I'm taking the summer off this year. Because my agenda gets in the way sometimes of the things they can and will teach themselves. And let's be honest, when they want to learn something, they are more thorough and come up with cooler projects than I ever could.

So here's to summer break: Cheers!