Loosli Learning Adventures Camp

Last year we had a really great June.  We always go up to Bear Lake for all of July (it's heavenly to hang out on the beach day after day with my sisters and all our kids) but before last year, June had typically ended up being either boring or stressful.  One year we tried just lounging at the pool and doing whatever came up. After a week or so, we were all pretty bored.  The next year,  I ran the kids around to a bunch of classes to keep them busy.  Then the following year, I actually conducted classes for the kids and all their friends because I found all the classes from the previous summer to be mediocre at best.  Doing our own tuition-based summer school with classes of 10-12 kids was so fun but SO much work!

So last year, I decided NOT to take the kids to classes all over town and NOT to invite the whole neighborhood over for classes.  Instead, the kids and I came up with our own plan.  We brainstormed all the things everyone really wanted to do for the summer and developed some great activities we'd do together each day (art, "wondering," working on Spanish, reading time, journal writing on fun themes, etc.).  They earned points for doing little activities (group and individual) as well as jobs around the house each day and were able to translate those points into money and save up for something they really wanted at the end of June.  You can read about last summer's plan here.  I loved really following the kids' interests and learning together in a semi-structured way.  Plus we threw in lots of activities just for fun.

Yesterday one our Power of Moms readers sent in a great idea and I think we just might have to steal it to help us with this year's plan.  We'll still do the points and stuff from last year, but I think our "Loosli Learning Adventures Camp" schedule will be based on this idea:

• Movie Monday (or for us it'll probably be Masterpiece Monday since we love doing art together)
• Take a trip Tuesday (the park, a museum, a bike ride, a picnic, a friend's house...)
• Wet Wednesday (a swim/spash pad day/sprinklers)
• anyThing goes Thursday (a chance to choose from a list of fun activities we'll all brainstorm together at the beginning of the summer)
• Friend Friday (everyone can have a friend over - nice to do it all at once and protect our family time the rest of the week.  Plus we always have Family Movie Night on Fridays). 

I love being my kids' teacher.  I mean all moms are their kids' teachers in many ways - but it's great to do it in a little more formal way sometimes.  I so admire moms who home school.  While I don't know if I could do it longterm,  I feel like summer's the perfect time set up a "home school" where I can teach my kids about things I really value and love while we really enjoy each other's company.

What are your ideas for making summer fun, fulfilling, interesting and non-stressful?