Summer Vacation...
When I was a kid I looked forward to Summer vacation all year long.
The first day of school was always torture for me.
I would get so nervous about a week before school actually started that I could hardly eat a thing.
When Doodle was 4 years old and some of her 5 year old friends were starting Kindergarten that feeling was already forming in the pit of my stomach.
Whenever I thought of that big yellow school bus driving away with her in it I just felt sick.
I could not do it.
It has been the best decision have ever made.
It has been, and will continue to be, one of the hardest things I've ever done.
We've had days of frustration and tears and nothing but squabbles with siblings.
Yet, we've had the happiest, most joy filled days as well.
We have laughed our heads off and made yummy desserts in the middle of the day just because we felt like it.
I would not trade this time I've had with my kids for anything in the world, frustrations and all.
All of the local schools are ending for the summer.
The cousins will be home to play with.
Church friends can have play days at 10am.
People ask me all the time if we take the summer "off" from home school.
Honestly, no we don't.
We will continue to follow our routine that brings our lives normalcy.
I'll continue to get up at 6am to work out in the stillness of the morning hour.
Mr Bird will continue to leave for work at 6:45 and we'll continue to wake the children for prayers with daddy at 6:30.
And since everyone will be up anyway, we may as well get the rest of it done.
We have an exciting Summer planned.
We will continue to read and learn and grow.
We will also play hard along the way.
Here are a few of the books on our Summer reading list.
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Constitution of the United States of America
- The Bill of Rights
- The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Henry Doughtry
- Childhood of Famous Americans (such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, etc. I plan to read as many as I can get my hands on out loud to the kids)
- Landmark Books (another chapter book series on great Americans)
- The Bullet Proof George Washington by David Barton
- Stories of the Pilgrims by Margaret B. Pumphrey
- The Making of America by Cleon Skousen
I would also like to read The Real Thomas Jefferson and The Real George Washington by Andrew M. Allison , not to mention The Federalist Papers, but those books are huge.
Baby steps.
Maybe by the time my kids are old enough to read them, I'll be ready, too.
I am also reading Shakespeare to get ready for the Shakespeare festival in Southern Utah this summer.
I have just finished Much Ado About Nothing and will start Macbeth tomorrow.
After that comes The Merchant of Venice.
As our family novel I just finished A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Just started Little Britches by Ralph Moody. We read the first 2 chapters tonight.
Doodle is in love with the horses already. She took the book to bed with her, I'm sure she's read a few more chapters by now, too.
So much reading, so little time. Good thing the days are getting longer and longer!
I love reading in the dusk.
Happy Summer everyone! What's on your summer book list?
No comments:
Post a Comment