The Frugal Grandmom

Library One of my all-time favorite things about summer is the Summer Reading Program offered at the library. We’ve always taken advantage of the free and very fun planned events at our local library. The ladies there take great pride in providing specific activities for each age group: 0-3, 3-5, 5-12, and 12-17. I know some years they even had a plan for adults. They offer free family movie nights, too. Each year there is a special theme that makes everything blend together and there will be prizes along the way. A special prize and party will occur at the end of the summer for those who complete their reading goals. What is the best part about the Summer Reading Programs at the library? Your kids will be reading!!!! They get to read lighter books, too. Nothing heavy or historical, unless they want to. When my children were very young they liked books like Junie B. Jones or other silly books. Even Sci Fi books or Fletcher the Dog series were fine, as long as they were reading. I approved their choices, of course. Going to the library and having all the fun activities is free and a great thing to do on a hot summer day! Children will only love learning if we as parents show excitement and joy in learning. They should see that we enjoy reading and learning. As we start reading with them right after birth with little cloth books, we teach them that books are a good thing. Reading and learning isn’t a punishment that we only do during school. Learning is a privilege and a joy! You will be surprised what you can find in your library: concerts, movies, crafts, as well as those dvds, cds, and books that can be checked out. Most libraries also have eBooks to download for free now! You can access foreign languages like Mango, too.  We loved using Mango German in our homeschool! Summer reading programs are great for homeschoolers and regular school kids alike.  So, see you at the library! Travel  Summer time and the living is easier for learning.  You would think that homeschoolers want to take a break like everyone else in the summer.  Even though I always took a summer break from the textbooks, the learning didn’t stop.  Because hubby and I are both educators and history buffs, all of our kids love history, too.  It probably rubbed off on them as we taught history with a true love of the subject. The beauty of this type of learning is that you customize it to fit the interests of your family.  Whatever you and the kids are into can be added to your trip/s.  If your budget is tight, you can make these into day trips.  You would be surprised what you can find on Google.  There are many days that museums have free admissions, too.  Pack your own picnic lunches and have a great time.  If your family is adventurous, you may do daring things: hiking or who knows what! Summer travels seemed to always be centered around touring museums, forts, and national exhibits of various types.  Only one child was the adventurous type, so that child did her roller coaster rides on youth trips.  The rest of us couldn’t stand them. Just point us to the closest monument or museum and we would be in there for days! We always loved field trips during the school year, but the summer gave more time since hubby had the summers off (teachers schedule).  We didn’t force the kids to write papers or take notes, but just let them soak in the love of learning. Life Skills Summer is also a perfect time to learn or develop life skills.  During the school year, we often get too busy to spend as much time on life skills as we would like.  There might be one skill that your child wants to take to the next level.  Your daughter, like mine, might want to learn to decorate cakes or cupcakes.  Since I’m not gifted in this area, my daughter took a class at our craft store.  It didn’t cost much and she became very good.  She even took the entire series of classes and was soon turning down too many offers to make wedding cakes! My son liked working on engines and took apart an old lawn-mower and rebuilt it.  He also worked on building a computer from scratch.  The kids have time in the summer to develop skills in the areas where they have gifts and talents.  This is why we homeschool, isn’t it?  So, I guess in the summer, I become an un-schooler?  Whatever you call our family, we are learners.  We learn year-round, but not always with a text-book.  What about your family? @2017. copyright Lisa Ehrman

How do you plan your summer time?  Do you envision the lazy days ahead with lots of sleeping late, relaxation and family vacations?  Or are your summer days filled to the brim with scheduled classes, to-do lists, and organizational goals? As a homeschooling mom, I always looked forward to summer as a time to accomplish all the things that I couldn’t do during the school year.  We didn’t homeschool during the summer break (June-August), so those months were free for other activities.  That didn’t mean that summer was a free-for-all for the kids or me.  We actually had plans. Every summer was a little different, but there are many things that carried over from one summer to the next.  I guess it’s because I come from a long line of teachers, that reading and libraries are so extraordinary to me.  My children were always expected to read over the summer and participate in summer reading programs at the library. When planning the summer’s activities, I think it’s so important to include each child’s opinion.  No matter the age of the child, letting them have a say-so is a good idea.  We liked to get together and plan what we wanted to do.  It was necessary to put some things on the calendar or they probably wouldn’t happen. When you ask children what’s important for them, you might be surprised at their ideas.  They may want to have a picnic, pick peaches, or something completely unexpected.  Older children might have to be reminded of the family budget, but they can still contribute ideas that are meaningful to them.  Everyone will feel important and part of the family when they are able to help plan the summer fun list. Children will also understand when the plans to organize the closets (or other chores) may need to be done in the summer.  Having more time for relaxing and daydreaming than working can be a great thing!  I always thought that being the mom and teacher was tough, because I didn’t want to always be a person who just enforced rules.  Summer gave me a time to be a different person with my kids; a time to wear another hat. My favorite summer was one that included lots of time chilling on the deck reading books.  I read 15 books that summer.  Many were homeschooling books and sitting there with the tree’s shade was so refreshing.  The children played in the backyard with a slip-n-slide and had a great time. What are some of your favorite summer plans?  Have fun making your Summer Bucket List! @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman