Finished Beyond! Summer plans?

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Busymomma1
Posts: 231
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: Ohio

Finished Beyond! Summer plans?

Post by Busymomma1 » Mon May 17, 2010 8:49 am

We finished Beyond on Friday, and so today (Monday) is our 1st day of break! The kids are enjoying "just playing", and I'm enjoying cleaning the house. (Sad, I know! ha!) While we certainly enjoy doing school with HOD, it is so nice for us to take a "hard-earned" break. We celebrated with an Auntie Anne's Pretzel on Saturday, and I've written up "end of the year evaluations" for my older two. I reviewed my dd's with her and Dad last night, and we'll do my ds tonight. So now...I really feel that sense of closure on this year. :D

Are any of you planning on schooling through the summer or just doing a few activities to maintain skills? We'll still be doing some work in the summer (math facts and probably Emerging Readers for my ds(7 y/o), math review for my dd (8), and TRL for ds (4), and maybe continue LHTH with him. I'm torn on LHTH b/c I really like the down-time of summer break and not being on a formal schedule. So other than keeping up with those basic skills, we'll probably just have fun, unscheduled learning (like, reading books to the kids that we never get to, playing more games, etc). And, of course, soccer and swimming lessons will be thrown in there, Vacation Bible School, maybe a sports camp.... I'd like to even take Tennis lessons myself, but we'll have to see about that! ha! Anyway, I'd just like to hear what others are planning to do!


And... on to planning for Bigger! :-) Being able to plan and drool over the books and activities is half the fun! :D
Tricia
Married for 14 great years!
Mom to DD (10)
DS #1 (9)
DS #2 (6)

my3sons
Posts: 10702
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Finished Beyond! Summer plans?

Post by my3sons » Mon May 17, 2010 1:11 pm

Congrats on a super year with Beyond, Tricia! :D I cleaned the front of the fridge today and felt like a new woman. Those magic erasers really work! :D So, I get the loving cleaning feeling. :lol: We are taking it easy-peasey right now and loving it. We are doing a Bible quiet time with everyone in the living room each reading their own thing. I love this. I told them that Bible time is something we never stop because it's our own private time with the Lord. I read a story or 2 from a story Bible to my toddler, and then he pages through it or quietly plays with his tractors. I had my older 2 dc choose what they wanted to read for their Bible quiet times. My middle ds decided to continue reading through the 10 volumes of the Arthur Maxwell series - he loves it. My oldest ds decided to do his "Building on the Rock" series along with looking the accompanying passages up in his own Bible. I asked them what things could be part of a Bible quiet time, and they said Bible reading, devotionals, singing hymns, singing praise songs, and prayer. I told them they're welcome to make their own Bible time and choose the parts they want to do each day. It's been neat to see what they choose. My toddler always has me pop in his "Singing Bible" CD from LHTH, and I was surprised that he requests the songs that go with what I just read in his story Bible because it's a different Bible than the one we use with LHTH. It's neat to see the connections even the little ones make by using HOD. My older 2 sons end up doing their Bible quiet time long after I'm done with mine and singing with my little Emmett. It's a blessing to see. I am thankful my dc understand what a Bible quiet time is, and I credit HOD for that. :D

WHEW - sorry I got long on that - I'm just excited about how that's going (plus, I have time to do my own Bible quiet time during that time together too). As far as other things we're doing - math flashcards, independent reading time, and audio book reading time. I'm also still having my oldest play with my toddler for 30 minutes, and my middle ds play with my toddler for 30 minutes. Keeping up this routine makes sure they time with the little guy and helps me out during the school year too. We also have 1 big cleaning project together each week. Last week, it was the upstairs toy closet. This week, it's all of the bathroom cupboards. That's it - otherwise, we are just having fun in the sun. :D Have a good time figuring how you'd most enjoy your break!

In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

Busymomma1
Posts: 231
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: Finished Beyond! Summer plans?

Post by Busymomma1 » Mon May 17, 2010 5:58 pm

Great ideas, Julie! As I was going around cleaning, I was thinking that I needed to continue to start the AM with prayer and some Bible verses or songs with the kids. But we didn't do it. Your post serves as a reminder that I really need to do that, b/c like you, I don't want my kids to associate that with just school. I'm especially interested in the Bible quiet time for kids... I'm going to think about some of the things you wrote and see how I can have my kids start doing that. My dd reads her Bible on her own sometimes, but nothing like a "quiet time." I'm thinking that maybe I can just continue LHTH with my little guy, and the olders can join in (they like to!), and then I need to figure out something 'age appropriate' for them.

What a great blessing your ideas have been. Thanks!

PS: I may be back to ask some questions about what you have your olders do!
Tricia
Married for 14 great years!
Mom to DD (10)
DS #1 (9)
DS #2 (6)

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