Flexibility

I have tried to keep myself from thinking too much about schooling this summer....but now I really need to get my act together! When I look at the calendar, I see July packed with fun and interesting activities with August lurking around the corner.

First, let's talk about summer! I had hoped to keep summer free of too much activity, but that plan failed. June was packed with wedding prep for my daughter, followed by one week of peace. Since then we've had things happening almost every day. JT now has a weekly violin lesson. So far, so good there. He likes it and seems to have some natural talent. These lessons are just our 'trying it out' period. If he wants to continue, it will be added to the fall schedule. We have also been participating in our library's summer reading program. This year's theme is 'Being Creative'. The boys both feel it's more for the girls! I don't know if I agree completely, but I did allow them to skip the day with the theater make-up. Next week, we will have the first of our 'summer science' days. This is our third year getting together with other moms and their kids to do experiments and learn about science. Later this month, JT will spend a week in day camp at a local university. Our youngest, EM, decided he would like to take piano lessons this year, so we will probably have the initial lesson in August.

Today we took part in a GATE/STARR activity that PACyber offered. We drove 2 hrs west to Parker Dam state park for an environmental day. It was wonderful! The boys learned about predators and prey, camouflage and aquatic life. We also got to link up with friends who also use PACyber, but live 2 hours further west. However, the day did present a few challenges...

I do not always adapt smoothly to new ideas...people who know me well are laughing at this understatement. My boys do not swim yet. They are just beginning to learn to be comfortable in water. My parents have a pool and I grew up swimming. We've just been slow to get them over this hurdle. One of the activities today was kayak safety. This included putting my kids in a kayak on a lake. Granted, they were going in the tandem with an adult (the adult ended up being my husband) but I still had a mini anxiety attack and claimed they weren't going in. Fortunately my husband is used to this bizarre behavior and stood back until I felt comfortable enough to allow it. My friend that was there kept assuring me they wouldn't drown, they had pfds on..etc...

When it was all over, the boys had a great time, my husband was convinced he should buy a couple kayaks and I calmed down. I also learned that I need to work hard to become more flexible! I watched my friend's children happily jump in the kayaks on their own. They had never been in them before but she was calm and positive and there they went.

The flexibility issue made me think about the book I'm currently reading "Homeschooling: Everything You Need to Know to Educate Your Child at Home" by Sherri Linsenbach. It's your typical, 'this is how to homeschool book'. But reading this book, it is becoming clear to me, I am not being flexible enough with our schooling. Next year it's going to be so much more important to be able to go with the flow when I have both the boys in the classroom all week.

I'm hoping my little kayaking lesson will be able to remind me to focus on the big picture in our boys education. I want them to be prepared for life. Not just in an academic sense, but ready to tackle new situations. Ready for all the adventures on their distance horizons.