Planning For Summer

I can't wait for summer!!! All the Seilers are ready for it to arrive! We've been working very hard for over nine months now, and we're ready to play. Apparently, we're not the only ones...many of my blogging "friends" are starting to write about their summer plans as well.

So why a "plan?" Because summer can easily become a nightmare if children don't have some direction. My kids, left to their own devices for hours on end, end up fighting like cats and dogs and destroying the house. A plan or schedule keeps them productive and moving in a positive direction.

Tomorrow evening, our family is having a "Not-So-Bummer-Summer" Family Meeting. We are serving ice cream sundaes and discussing what everyone wants to do this summer. We want input from every family member, so everyone gets to do something they want to do.

I'm going to steer the meeting a bit by providing some ideas to the family, to get their creative juices flowing. We're going to talk about daily activities, weekly activities, and other activities we may just fit in once through the summer.

Some of my ideas include:

DAILY

• Time with Jesus
• Chores (still have to do those)
• Breakfast, lunch, & dinner time
• Reading (I want them reading something every day)
• Exercise (perhaps I'll create a list of exercise ideas for them to choose from each day)
• Movie (there's a ton of great summer movies out, or we'd love to continue on our Little House on the Prairie series)
• Computer Learning Games
• Errands (inevitable)
• Cooking (summer is a great time to teach kids to make meals for themselves)
• Gardening
• Afternoon Quiet Time (a must for mom's sanity)

WEEKLY
Each week, we may include something like: 

• Trip to the Library
• Pool Day (at the community pool)
• Museum Day (we bought a pass to the Sacramento Children's Museum this year)
• Family Night (see below for ideas on themes)
• Picnic in the Park
• Scavenger Hunts

ONE TIME DURING THE SUMMER
Here's some ideas I'll present to the kids of things we could do once throughout the summer:

• Camping
• Day at the Beach
• Day at a Nearby Lake 
• Water Park (mom secretly LOVES water slides)
• Bowling
• Slumber Party for all our friends
• Lemonade Stand

I'm sure my children will add to this list of ideas. How fun!

FAMILY NIGHT THEMES

• Dessert-before-dinner night
• Craft night (my children know how mom hates arts & crafts - I know, it's bad - so this night would be very special)
• Coloring Night
• Late Night Family Walk
• Ice Cream Sundaes
• Game Night
• Bonfire & S'mores
• Playdough Night
• Movie Night
• Scavenger Hunt
• Wii Tournament 

I found many great ideas in Life As a Mom's "Summer Survival Guide" as well as  Planner Perfect's "Ten Summer Fun Ideas to Do With Your Kids" and Smockity Frock's "Ten Tips for Free Summer Fun." Also, don't forget the Summer Family Movie promotions at nearby theaters: Regal Cinemas and Cinemark.