Homeschool Summer Bucket List

We have a unique situation this summer for the first time. My husband is a public school 3^rd grade teacher and he is actually taking the summer off. He usually works side jobs in the summer doing construction etc. I still work part time through the summer watching babies in my home but I am off at 4:00pm each day and I only work 4 days a week. This leaves a lot of unscheduled time for FUN in the SUN! So we created a summer bucket list with the kids (ages 4 & 6). I thought you might like to see it so here goes…they are in no certain order…

1. Visiting my mom out of state (aka nana) at her 11 acre farm filled with llamas, goats, chickens, and dogs (mostly free except gas $)
2. Go fishing with daddy (free except fishing license)
3. Do bee’s with Ole Pa (my FIL is a beekeeper) (free)
4. Ice skating ($30)
5. Six flags (we got season passes!) ($pricey$)
6. Make a lemonade stand to sell lemonade (not too costly)
7. Overnight camping and hiking with daddy (only my oldest) ($7)
8. Watch fireworks on July 4^th (free)
9. Go to the local carnival (too much $–food prices are crazy)
10. Go swimming @ a friend’s house (free)

Most things on our list are free and the costly things on our list are very important to us so we invest in them…sometimes annually….sometimes not.

Some things such as the carnival, camping, and fireworks are childhood memories that we had growing up so we want our kids to experience them as well.

Some of them are newer traditions that we’ve started since having our own kids such as Six Flags. Our kids love Six Flags and ask to return again and again so we have been doing it for two or three years. The splash pool and kiddie rides make it so much fun…we can spend day after day there. We try to go once a week when we can throughout the summer—whether it’s all day on a Saturday or even for a few hours on a weekday night. It is so worth it for them and we know someday they will grow out of the kiddie rides and will want to move onto the “real” rides. We learned this by taking them to Disney World—where we have discovered that even our 4 YO is addicted to thrill rides—scary or not—tall or short—the faster the better. Tower of terror—haunted mansion…they are no match for her.

We try to be outdoorsy people so some of these things are outside such as camping, fishing, swimming, bees. My husband is very outdoorsy and I am not but I am developing a love for all things outdoors as well. I enjoy being outside in nature with my family…no matter what it is…even if I am just watching.

So we are a blessed family and whether or not you have the summer off—make time to do the things your kids love to do. Take time to yourself (which is a whole new article) and take time together as a family. We are blessed to have this summer mostly open. We are blessed to be homeschoolers. We are blessed to be together. We are blessed!

Grace Greenwell is a homeschool mom of 2 silly girls ages 3 & 6. She also runs a small home based licensed daycare taking care of infants and preschoolers. Her husband of 12 years, Ben, is a public school teacher by day and youth pastor by night. They all live happily together in the Annapolis area of Maryland.