It has been a crazy and I mean crazier than usual end of the school year! The past few weeks have flown by with teacher appreciation, IEP meetings, testing, class parties, graduation parties and finally…another school year in the books! Yes! We can sleep in (well my 14 year old can sleep in) and we don’t have to be out of the house at 7:50 each morning, yay!
But wait…what are we going to do all summer?
Actually, let me clarify. What is Luke going to do all summer? Everett has Jr. Lifeguards that will keep him busy for 8 weeks and a social calendar that puts mine to shame but Luke has an almost wide open calendar. Now Luke LOVES and I mean LOVES his Ipad but even he gets sick and tired of it after awhile.
I thought I’d share a few ideas that have worked to keep us focused and sane all summer long.
A Daily Schedule-keep it simple! It doesn’t have to be velcroed or laminated or at all pretty. A piece of paper is fine or I prefer a google doc. Here’s an example. Please don’t judge the amount of screen time each day, I try my best:)
Monday
6:30am-up/toileting/bath
7:30am-Ipad in room “me (Luke) time”
8:00-breakfast
8:30-noon ESY (extended school year) this could be grocery store, park, library or another outing if no ESY
12:30-lunch/clean-up
1:15-Ipad in room
2:00-bike ride
3:00-computer or paper/pencil learning-life skills or phonics (knee splits on)
4:00-sweep, vacuum, sort laundry or help in garden
4:30-prep dinner
5:00-watch tv
5:30-dinner/clean up
6:15-Ipad in room
7:00-read books
7:30-bed
While this may seem simple, having it planned out each day is a game changer and I feel more present during the day and much more productive at the end of the day!
Set a Goal or Try Something New-This can be as big or small as you'd like but give this one a little thought. A couple years ago Luke and I set a goal for him to ride his bike 100 miles in June. That was big, no huge! We did a @3 miles each day and those rides were some of the best summer memories we have. It doesn’t have to be that big or you can try a new activity. Check out local organizations such as Ainsley’s Angels, Team Hoyt or local nonprofits that provide community events for families with special needs. Here in San Diego we have the Special Needs Resource Foundation that publishes a list of museums that open early once/month and are sensory friendly, nonprofits that offer adaptive surf, information on free passes to National Parks, organizations that offer “All Abilities” nights, dance for all abilities and so much more.
What I love about some of these activities are that they are truly inclusive and allow our children with special needs to participate in the same activities with their peers. We’ve enjoyed going to matinee movies, some theaters show older movies at a reasonable price. The list goes on but I challenge you to branch out from your usual!
Well, I have to blow up 100 balloons now to get ready for Luke’s graduation party tomorrow. Can’t wait to celebrate my boy! Here's a pic of Luke and his amazing teacher, Sarah.
Until tomorrow,
Vicki