Summer Homeschooling

Well, the kids have been out of school for close to a week and let me tell you....I've been keeping them kinda busy, hehehe. I do NOT want them to totally veg out in front of the TV and their game boys and other toys. Oh no no no no! That, to me, is a total WASTE of time of their dear little minds.

Yes, I know they are kids and they deserve a chance to have fun and have a SUMMER. But they will be...just as long as they are productive for a GOOD, MAJOR part of the summer months!

So what have I got planned for them? Nothing too structured, as I think that will totally take away from the fun of teaching them throughout the summer :) Something along these general topics:

1. Art work - drawing, coloring with crayons, oil pastels, maybe even some painting (which I know aboslutely NOTHING of, but shhhhh! they don't have to know that!)

2. Reading - I am going to get my kids to LOVE books as I do....even if I have to die doing this! In this world of technology, the computer and the online world are out there. The television is out there. The various electronic toys are out there. Not to mention the regular dolls, legos, etc out there. I want BOOKS to be part of their small little worlds, and by GOLLY, they're going to HAVE it!

3. Vocabulary - of course, it goes without saying (although I'm saying it here, hehehe) that reading will greatly increase their vocabularies. So along with their sketch pads, they will have with them a dictionary, a thesaurus and a rhyming book. :)

This is what I have so far, and any suggestions would be highly welcome! :)

As for sports, they have that, too. They are in training in competitive swimming three or four times a week for the summer (they have been for a couple of years now, I think). So that takes care of the physical aspect. We have been looking into enrolling some or all of them in taekwondo this summer, but we'll see.

Another thing that interests me is the musical world. Voice lessons didn't go all that well for all of them a couple of semesters ago. They were too lazy to practice, and I had NO idea what to practice them for, so we did away with that. This summer, I am dabbling in the thought of enrolling the kids (and myself) in a native instrument class ensemble. Need to get more information on this though, so I have nothing on this yet.

I'll get myself a LIST of the lessons we've had so far just so I don't lose track.

{SCRAPS}

BIG BABY SMALL BABY
Journaling reads: Only 1 month apart, there is a huge weight and height diference between Robyn and Bric!

Credits: kit - Tweet Baby by Royanna Fritschmann at Divine Digitals; doodle - Flower Doodles by Princess Lala at Divine Digitals; flower - Freestyle Flowers by Princess Lala; onvex bend - by Jen Caputo; bended photo template - by Jennilyn Layden; fonts - KGD AMber Print, KGD Anne Catherine

SIXTY-ONE
We greeted Mom at midnight in her hotel room in Hong Kong last week.

Journaling reads: For Mom’s 61st birthday, the adults in the family went to Hong Kong, including a day trip to Macau. It was the first time we had Stella and Zhar with us, making our trip all the more meaningful because our family was complete.

Credits: kit - Arabesque by Silvia Romeo at Divine Digital; alpha - by Angela Barton; photo filter - All that Pops by Holly McCaig; fonts - KGD Bretta, Marcelle Script; layered sketch - Ultimate Sketch 1 by Kim Smith at SDK

THMILE!
Journaling reads: Papa had to tease Raegan so that she would give a big smile for the camera.

Credits: kit - Tooth Series (Tooth Baby, Tooth Dentist, Tooth Fairy) by Michelle Swadling at Divine Digital; font - KGD Mozer Print; paper fold action - by Jen Caputo; layered sketch - Ultimate Sketch 8 by Kim Smith at SDK

SCENES FROM TRAVEL TOWN
Journaling reads: Ranger enjoyed his trip to Travel Town to "ride the trains". It was a dream come true for him.

Credits: kit - Beautitide by Amy Teets at ACOT; journaling scroll - Write It by Amy Teets; alpha - Ye Ole Book Alpha by Eve Recinella at SSD; font - Stonehenge; photo filter - Virtual Photographer; layered sketch - A Little Eclectic #5 by Janet Phillips

TTFN!