Summer School At Home

 Isabel & Nathan

In May, as the school year was closing and Summer Break was on the horizon, I was racking my brain for a way to occupy Nathans time during my work day.  Summer Break is every working mother's conundrum, though I realize I have a major advantage working from home full time.

 
I could easily let Nathan watch hours of tv & play endless video games but I could not do that with a  clear conscious.  So in an effort to find a productive way to occupy Nathans time,  I started constructing a Summer School curriculum. Before school was out, Nathan had a holiday which gave us a chance at a trial run of this genius plan of mine. I have just two words for that day.  Epic Fail. I spent all my time managing Nathan instead of working and he finished his assignments within a couple of hours.  Not exactly how I envisioned it in my mind but that's what trial runs are for - to work out the kinks. 

Summer School Schedule

One Sunday, as I took care of one-year olds at church and served alongside a particular 12 year old girl, another plan formed.  I was always impressed with Isabel.  She was actually very helpful with the babies,  needed little direction and carried herself beyond her years. Other folks at church often made the same observation, we all thought she was a few years older than her age.  From my point of view, she was mature, smart and most importantly responsible.  Lightbulb moment; I needed HER to oversee the 'At Home Summer School Project'!  I asked if she would be interested in a job over the summer tutoring Nathan.  From her point of view, she could go to a babysitters with her brother or she could work and earn some money over the summer.  She took the job.  We ironed out details around schedule, weekly pay, benefits, etc. hahaha!

Typical Sunday night; curriculum planning

Modicum of the subjects covered

Isabel's schedule was Monday through Wednesday, 7:15am - 3:15pm. As a result of this week to week schedule, Isabel became like a big sister to Nathan and a natural addition to our family.  I cannot sing enough praises about Isabel and how much I enjoyed getting to know her better.  Her quick wit and sense of humor had me cracking up quite a bit but it was her kindness and patience with Nathan that really touched my heart and meant so much to me. She was such a perfect fit for this job.  However, I'll be the first to admit, Nathan gave her a run for her money on some days, quite literally.

Building a T-Rex model

Nathan grudgingly accepted that he would have school work over the summer but I promised he would have fun too.  That was the deal we made and I did my best to bring that balance.  Most days, Nathan went with the program without much weeping or gnashing of teeth.  However, there were some days Nathans attitude made the day more challenging and less enjoyable - par for the course and just being a kid, I think.

 Electronic Circuit Board Project

Music time

As soon as the list of school work was completed, the kids had free time to spend however they wished.   Games became a regular part of the routine.  Isabel learned how to play Hand & Foot.  Nathan became a better Chess player, thanks to Isabel's competitive chess skills.  We ALL learned how to play Mancala.  After lunch, the kids were able to go swimming, I think they enjoyed this part of the day the most.

 Pool Time

 

The advantage of Pinterest.  Isabel and I set up a shared Pinterest board and we were able to incorporate projects we both found interesting and pinned.  As with all Pinterest projects, some were wildly successful (pictured below) and some were Pintrocities (i.e. make your own bouncy ball).

 Pinterest Project: Puffy Paint

As summer came to a close, I wanted to know Isabel's thought about her summer job, so in answer to a few questions I asked, here are her words:

"Responsibility plays a big role in any job, big or small.  I had some responsibilities such as being a good role model and teacher.  I also had the responsibility of keeping Nathan entertained which, in my opinion, was pretty easy...some days.  My summer job tutoring was, in one word, fantastic and if I had the chance to do it again I definitely would."

Pinterest Project: Stacking cups

In closing, the 'At Home Summer School Project' was a great success for a few reasons; I had productive workdays, Nathans continued education kept him ready for back to school and most of all we adopted the sweetest big sister to our family. The truth is, it simply would not have worked without Isabel.  Period.  She saved us all, haha!

 Pinterest Project: Name painting on canvas

We are back to school this week...here we come 2nd grade!