In the summer, I tell my kids that they can have “as much freedom as they can handle”. They are still relatively young though, so they need a bit of structure. If they have too much unstructured time, they start to fuss and fight! That is why my husband and I “run” an informal summer camp for kids – Camp Coleman each summer. It’s funny – each year when I post about Camp Coleman, people want to join. I think that because I ran actual camps in the past, people think that it’s a real camp. It’s not! It’s just for our kids – although we do offer “day passes” for friends and family. 🙂 Anyway, the four of us sit down at the beginning of the summer and discuss our summer “wish list” in a variety of areas (spiritual, physical, relationships and learning). Some of the things that are on our “2015” list include the following:
-Going to Hershey Park with friends
-(Me) going on a cruise with my mom
-The boys learning to cook
-Sean practicing photography
-Michael learning video game design
As I have mentioned before, I don’t worry too much about summer “brain drain”. In my opinion, the summer should be more about what the kids want to learn. The only “academic” thing that the boys do is consistently read the books that they want to read.
Summer Reading for Boys
-On (8 y.o.) Sean’s reading list: Encyclopedia Brown and Goosebumps books
I’m so happy. I LOVED Encyclopedia Brown books when I was a kid. The boys met R.L. Stine at a blogging event for the upcoming Goosebumps movie yesterday. The movie was so good. That is what sparked his interest in the Goosebumps books.
-On (11 y.o.) Michael’s reading list: The rest of the Harry Potter books (4-7), The Inheritance Cycle books, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series
In addition, I throw in my own book suggestions. I was sent one such book, CHIZI’S TALE: The True Story Of An Orphaned Black Rhino, from my friend Beth Feldman.
Written by 18 year-old author, Jack Jones, Chizi’s Tale is a story about an abandoned baby black rhino and the family who saves him. Jack’s goal is to bring attention to these endangered animals and he is donating 100% of this author proceeds to Tusk.org. (It’s important for our kids to see other young people who are making a difference for the causes that are important to them!)In any event, I hope that you all have a great plan for your family’s summer. Reading books, watching movies, playing and spending time with family and friends are the “high priority” things at Camp Coleman. I’ll keep you posted…
What fun summer ideas can we “borrow” from YOUR family? Please let me know. Thanks!