School's Out For Summer!

image via Google

Kids everywhere are celebrating and parents are crying just as thrilled. :) Now that Makenna no longer has preschool 3 mornings a week, I really wanted to keep her on a schedule this summer. We decided not to sign her up for camp, but Matthew is in camp 5 days a week until noon. Both of them thrive with a constant schedule. They like to know exactly what is going to happen each day, and Matthew can tell you down to a T what is planned for the week. So far he is LOVING camp. While he is in camp, I want to make sure Makenna is just not sitting around.

This is what our summer schedule looks like so far:

Monday: Library

Tuesday: Swim Class / Letter & Number reviews

Wednesday: Park/ Movie (depending on weather)

 Thursday: Swim Class

Friday: Our free day for just lounging around

I recently took Makenna to the Library for the first time. She is beyond obsessed with going there now. She asks every day if we can go. It is just our TINY town library but they have a cool kids section with computers. The computers have awesome learning games on them. They also have a story time starting in a couple of weeks. She loves to read! You will not find Makenna without a book somewhere close by. She "reads" them to anyone who will listen and just out loud to herself. I am a big reader also, so I am so happy she loves books just as much.

I signed Makenna up for swim classes at the local YMCA. She has only been in a big pool a couple times, clinging for life to me. I thought taking a swim class would be a fun way to help her get use to being in such a large body of water. Of course it's a mommy and me class so I have to get in a bathing suit twice a week also. BIG thumbs down. I'll keep you all updated on how this goes. 

I want to make sure this summer that Makenna doesn't experience any learning loss. She is pretty great at identifying any number below 20 and can count to around 25 without messing up. She also knows her ABC's and can identify about half of them. I want to work on nailing them all down. We have little activity books and flash cards, then we practice writing them out. I'm sure she'll have them down in no time. Matthew will also be working on this.    

I blogged earlier about the Summer Movie Express going on at Regal Theaters. On Wednesdays, we will definitely be heading to some of those movies. On days where it is just to gorgeous to stay inside, we will head to the park. There are a ton of really great parks in the area. Makenna loves to go on the swings. We are working on having her pump her legs. She is getting really good at it! We can head out early before it is too hot and bring a little picnic breakfast to enjoy.

Friday's are our day off from being with Matthew. So we have the whole day to just hang out and do whatever we feel like. I see play dates and just hanging in the backyard eating ice pops in our future.

After Matthew gets out of camp at noon every day, we also have some fun stuffed planned. We have a membership to pool and a local sports club. There are also little afternoon day trips I have planned and lot and lots of picnics at the park. These kids love to eat at the park and then run around like crazies. When the weather is bad out we can head inside and just relax. This is summer after all! It's okay to have a nice relaxing day of nothing!

What does everyone else have planned for this summer? Do you like to keep you kids on a schedule or just take it day by day?

-K

From the Amazon to Saving Gotham City!

Have you ever just had the LONGEST day in history with your toddler or big kid? They have these abnormal amounts of energy and you just don't know what to do with them anymore? It may even be approaching bedtime and all you want is just a few minutes of down time and relaxation.

I wanted to share a few of my techniques that I have used on toddlers and big kids while nannying. The best news is that all of these activities require little to no equipment or toys and just a touch of your imagination ;)

The first activity you could try is pretending to be a wild animal or a fairytale character. It is always fun to prowl through the jungle and make different animal noises. You can visit the jungle, rainforest, zoo or even the farm. It is great for your child to hear all the different animal noises and they will be able to identify them through practice. All the boys that I nanny for LOVE to be different Superhero's! Whether it is Superman, Spiderman, or Batman, who needs to save Gotham City from all destruction, my boys are always all about this! Most of the time I get stuck playing Superman... they can't even let me be Wonder-Woman! Sheesh! On the other hand all of my girls thus far have been top notch GIRLY GIRLS! You already know that means its Cinderella, Belle, Tiana or even better... the entire cast of frozen! Ahhhh! (If I have to hear the song "Let It Go" one more time...) One time when I was working, I had a little girl who was into being a Princess but she also looked up to her older brother so she had to hold a light saber. I swear ... a princess with a light saber. It cracked me up! For all the men out there, if you ever wonder how us women run the house and keep things in order, its all because of our superpowers & light sabers ;)

For my older girls, who range from six to eight years old I love to put my music folder on for them and we have the time of our lives coming up with random dance routines. They get to use their imagination and tire themselves out at the same time.

We would also pretend to put on a, "Rock Concert." I would put the music on blast and sing off key to all the words while the kids pretended to be playing an air guitar, a piano, or a saxophone.

Another great indoor activity is if you have a small beach ball or even blow up a small balloon. Play, "Air Ball." All it is, is the children have to keep the ball or balloon in the air. If it touches the floor the other person or team gets the point and vice versa. This is great for teaching your child some skill and coordination.

Well, now that I have done a great job at showing you activities that will get your child moving here are three fun bedtime activities where they still can use their imagination and relax at the same time. Before bedtime I enjoy building a small fort with the kids. Just using two chairs and a blanket. You can even put a couch pillow under it along with a flashlight. You can read your bedtime stories in your fort and pretend that your camping out in the woods under a starry night sky. It is SO much fun! When it comes time to cleanup before bedtime I will put on a calm or even classical song. I tell the children that they have until the end of the song to finish their cleanup and whomever wins can pick the bedtime story. Trust me, it beats repeating myself five times over! Lastly, you may think I am crazy for this... however, it works. I will do night time stretching with the kids after they put on their pajamas. Some call it stretching, some may call it yoga. You can call it whatever you wish. Stretching before bedtime promotes a healthier and deeper sleep. It allows your blood to flow properly to all your organs and it relaxes your mind (along with taking a few deep breaths!). If your one of those people who lay in bed at night with a million thoughts running through your head.. try to stretch or do some bedtime yoga. I bet it works better than counting sheep. For me, it always goes one sheep, two sheep, ugh I have laundry in the dryer to I need those shoes I saw at the mall. It never goes according to plan ;)

Hope you get to try some of these ideas for yourself and all your little ones! What are some activities that you do with your children or babies that require little to no equipment? Please comment and share all of your ideas! We love hearing from you!

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A Special Thanks to Everyone for all your support!

-D