The one thing I used to fret over, was the deterioration of my kids’ brains over the summer. I worried that all the academic information that infiltrated their little minds would be long gone by the time school started up again. I would prepare for the summer by going to the store to buy the review workbooks for their grade levels, and then incorporate a rigid schedule of ‘school time’ during our busy fun filled days…
It was exhausting.
Somewhere along the way, this momentum lost it’s power and will to survive.
I recently found my daughter’s fourth grade review book under her bed, while sorting through the wreckage of the mysterious treasures hidden there. The book had five pages completed. Five.
She is now in 7th grade.
I’ve learned a few things about letting go of the stress and worry in allowing my kids to simply have fun over the summer. I’ve discovered that their brains don’t turn into mush after all, rather- a few months free of spelling and math and vocabulary may actually nourish those intricate cell systems and prepare them for the school year ahead.
Come read more about my take on summer workbooks and perhaps you might feel encouraged to not sweat over them after all.
My piece has been published over on The Mid (click to read)! Head over to their amazing site to read it, then take a look around at the excellent articles they publish over there. There are no comments, so if you want to support my post, I would love for you to share it with your friends and followers!
How I loved this article and yes have definitely been worrying about so much of what you said in your article, but loved hearing how both your kids have never been worse for the wear on this. Thank you my sweet friend for sharing.
It really is true Janine!! I promise you that if you don’t attack those workbooks every day, your girls will be JUST. FINE. 🙂
I have such high hopes for an academic summer every year. Then reality sets in and I realize that we all need a break. And you’re right, then learn in a lot of other ways anyway!
I’m with you on the ALL of us needing a break, Rabia!! I am slacking even more this summer, with their reading. I usually always make them at least read every day. We have been SO busy and I just can’t say NO to anything fun! It’s summer… I think that’s how it should be. 🙂
I couldn’t figure out how to comment there so I came back! I Love it! We’ve only started kindergarten here, and it had no homework or summer work but I do wonder about keeping her mind active. I do believe that more learning takes place outside of school, though! Or at least – just as much
Happy Summer! Yes, ours finally started.
There are no comments on The Mid… I kinda like it that way!! Thanks for coming back to comment, my friend. You are such a sweetheart. <3 I used to worry SO much about the academic slip... but honestly, my kids are just fine without any workbooks or reviews. After a few weeks reviewing in the beginning of school- they are right back where they started. 🙂
Oh how timely and true! LOVE this Christine!
YAY! I’m SO glad you agree, Sybil!! Thanks so much for reading it!! 🙂
Heading over there now….
Thanks for your support, my sweet friend!!! XOXO
My son has speech and a tutor throughout the summer and we’ve been slacking on both recently and you know what? He’s FINE! 🙂 Great piece, Sweets! Glad you’re enjoying the summer!!
Good for YOU and that sweet Tucker!! I always want to call him “TuckMAN”!! It’s my own personal nickname for him. 🙂
All the fun of summer could make a kid forget their academic concerns. I think it’s important to expose them to a fun yet informative class and activities.
Great read! 🙂
Thank you so MUCH for reading the article, my friend! I truly appreciate your support Lux! <3
Hi Chris! How are you feeling? I hope your foot is healing well. I am commenting on your FB as my married name (Cecilia Dacquisto), so I hope you know that was me?
When my kids were in grade school, we’d have ‘Mommy School’ during the summers. I did pretty well getting workbooks from the local teacher’s store. I think the kids actually liked them, because they weren’t very hard to do.
Did I stick with it? Not always. But hey, I’m in there trying!
Thinking of you my friend,
Ceil
You are such a dear to check in Ceil!!! I keep thinking about you with your screws… (That sounds bad… but you know!) It has been rough going- but NOTHING like the first surgery. Just holding on, hoping this will be short lived. Stitches out on Monday. Pain still immense. Boot still on for a while. Ugh. 🙁
I swore that I would keep my kids reading and academically involved all summer. Well, we’ve watched a lot of movies…
We have too!! And swam, and had tons of sleepovers… and basically done everything BUT academics!!
Meh, I found dust bunnies under my girls beds and I couldn’t even be bothered to deal with them, let alone a school workbook. Not that I don’t think continued learning is not a good idea — I do!! but I think a more natural, hands on let’s get out into the big wild yonder and watch the bees in the flowers and the squirrels digging to find their nuts. let’s stop for 5 minutes and watch the road crew lay down asphalt. Let’s go catch minnow in our sand buckets at the beach. You know, I really do think that kind of learning is important too.
I never want to stop learning, and every time my kids look at something with awe and wonder, it inspires me to just keep noticing all the beauty and awe around us. You can’t learn that in a book. that’s grass in your toes and wind in your hair kind of learning. 🙂
Ah… such a beautiful response Leslie!!! “That’s grass in your toes and wind in your hair kind of learning.” LOVE LOVE LOVE!!
Yes! I had a long list of what I wanted to work on with mine this summer.
Then life happened. Had to take college courses to renew my teaching certificate (oops — almost forgot that!), my mom broke her foot, my dad was sick, I had surgery….and now it’s almost time for school to start and we are lucky if they’ve read 5 books by themselves all summer. So much for best intentions!
WOW Christina!! You have had QUITE a summer!!! Bless your heart!! What surgery did you have? I hope you are okay… I think you have some serious justification for not getting to all that work this summer, my friend! I hope everyone is doing better- and you finished up those courses too. 🙂