So, I have roughly 2 days left and then the children will be mine for the summer. I don't have the theme days that we had last year, but I have a decent collection of stuff for them to do. I relied heavily on Netflix to help me through this summer. I have 2 good books lined up so far and am hoping for at least one more. The summer vacations won't start for us until September and then flow over into October.
I like it when the school turns the kids back over to me, but I feel a lot of pressure to keep them as interested as their teachers do. I feel pressure to push them through to more mature, adult conversations this year...and more thought provoking material. There are so many things I want to show them, but as in the past I will probably repeat some of what they have seen at school. I got a great video on Darwin a few years ago, one I had watched in college, and we sat down to watch only to have Lilli say, "We watched this at school." It made me sad, but thankful that the school was on the same wave-length as me. I realize I have to think out of the box, and throw in some things that are new as well as the tried and true love of my life: the periodic table.
This year I hope to introduce the kids to music. Music has started revolutions, religions, and rights of passages. I hope the kids can grasp what the Beatles did for history, what American DJ's did for history, and how music changes with each generation and in each country. I hope not to be American-centric.
I also want to get their hands a little dirty and explore art. I want them to see artists for who they are and dig a little to understand why art is created, not just look at it. I hope they will be willing to jump in and cut, draw, glue, and tape. Graffiti is still not off my list, so be prepared if you wake up to a colorful driveway one morning. Art for art's sake is not what I want, I want them to understand the emotion that goes into pieces. I once asked a friend if it was wrong that I priced my favorite piece so high that nobody could afford. He replied that he did it all the time. Art is a piece of you that you sell. It's not always "fun".
Michael's favorite movies are war movies, but this summer I am going to try to get the kids to watch some westerns...not my favorite genre, but looking at America through someone else's lens might be okay for awhile. I cannot promise that I won't sneak off while the movies are on. I think what I am really looking for in these movies is the historiography: what did the filmmakers get right? Did that really happen? Was that really the attitude? American history is re-written every day, I might as well join in.
I am also hoping to do some religious studies. A few of them are getting old enough that they ready to see some other cultures, other choices, other lifestyles. I had thought of having some friends come over and speak to the kids about their religious choices, but then I wondered if they would present truth in their talks as opposed to the "I am soooo happy" version you get fed at the airports.
The hardest part of the next 3 months will be the menu. I usually have a menu laid out far enough in advance that I am secure, but feeding them and keeping it interesting may be the toughest hurdle for me this summer. There won't be many meals out, or fast food breaks. There will be a lot of Kool-Aid and some grilled cheese, but I hope to teach them to enjoy food, cook food, and appreciate it....no matter how bad you don't like it.
This past year we experienced many of our friends move away. My kids are now the only kids left on this block. In all honesty, summer should be a time for playing, but there is a really selfish part of me that is glad that there won't be any distractions. I want my kids for the next 3 months. Summer is my time to teach them what I love, what I find funny, what I see when they aren't here. It's my turn to give them a little part of me.
It's like Christmas when they are home and I lock the doors and have real family time....all the while hoping they don't notice they outnumber me. A mutiny at my age would be terrible.
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