Links may direct to affiliate sites. Purchases made through these links support our family’s work in spreading the Gospel to unreached areas.
It’s been hot. So hot. I know I’m a broken record about summer in the South, but goodness… it’s not tolerable. I’ll happily be outside with my kids in 40 degree temps, but double that and add 10 and no, I’m going to pass.
We’ve been restricted to enjoying the out of doors in the early morning. Breakfast outside is just as fun as lunch or dinner, believe it or not and thankfully, we don’t have immediate neighbors to protest over the fact that my kids are running off their pent-up energy before 8 a.m. Our companions are the flirty goldfinches who dart in and out of the hayfields, delighting us with their flashes of yellow and air acrobatics. We venture out again in the late evening, when we make a final check of the garden, lettuce beds, and fruit and berry field. At this time of day, we have cicadas serenading us and maybe even lightning bugs beginning their lazy drift from the moist grass under the trees. These magical little hours are made more precious, I think, by the fact that we’re house-bound for the bulk of the day.
Those numerous hours of our confinement are, of course, framed around school. But we’re homeschoolers so no, it doesn’t take hour upon hour to get the deed done. Even adding in a generous hour-long rest period, we’ve a bit of time to fill each day. And we can’t spend every minute of that time reading.
Art projects are an obvious go-to. My kids use more paper, glue sticks, pencils, markers, crayons, pastels, you name it, than I can keep stocked. It’s a good problem to have.
Board games are huge right now (Exploding Kittens, Dragonwood, and chess are extremely popular with John Mark and Birdie right now, and Phin, Simon, and Jude are enamored with Blink, Tenzi, Caves and Claws). Lincoln Logs and Legos are still hands-down the number one thing my five youngest kids play with. This is usually done to a background of books on cd or music. The Jonathan Park Adventure Series, Kingdom’s Dawn Series, and Classical Kids Collection are in heavy rotation this summer. Phineas, Simon, and Jude also spend hours with the Plan Toys City they inherited from a dear friend. We’ve aggressively whittled down most of the toys in the house, but I’d never put one of these three collections on the chopping block. They are worth every inch of space they take up in our small home.
When games and play wear thin, handicrafts come in. Charlotte Mason had it right when she encouraged parents to teach their children creative skills that would engage them and require attention to detail. It’s an absolute lifesaver having kids who are makers rather than consumers in these unbearable months, I’ll tell you. I’d probably lose my mind if I had to actually entertain these people all summer long! Instead, we can slip into read-aloud mode, or simply create alongside each other. This week, Jude learned to fingerknit! He was so proud of himself! He had chosen a deep hunter green yarn, and after about six inches of work, declared that he had made his own emerald tree boa. (If you’re in need of some project ideas for all those fingerknit ropes your kids are creating this summer, check out my Pinterest board!) John Mark can fingerknit a ten foot lasso in twenty minutes. It’s amazing… and a little scary.
Birdie loves sewing of any sort. Her current project is a Louise doll from Wee Wonderfuls.
The pdf patterns are on the same sale I took advantage of last fall, and they are so simple and sweet! I’ve enjoyed working with her. It’s been a quiet mother-daughter project that has given us some precious time together.
We’ve also had lots of origami, whittling, painting, woodworking, and more going on. But you know what? Even the most industrious people sometimes find themselves just done in by the heat and the length of the days. And when they do…
…there’s no shame in a well-timed family movie to finish off a day that won’t end. This week, we picked up Lady and the Tramp from the library. We watched it, ate popcorn, and otherwise sat silently in a slightly darkened living room, acting like the weather outside didn’t have a “Real Feel Index” of 103 degrees.
Anyone else ready for fall?