That is what I want my kids to do! This summer break, I am going to do my best to make that possible for them. After a LOOONG school year (especially for my 1st grader) we are going to make this a summer to remember. A summer that is filled with drawing, painting, sculpting, walking, climbing, building, fixing, sharing, helping, and just plain exploring.
So...where is this coming from? Well, I guess it starts with my 1st grader. She is a dreamer. She often gets labelled as the girl that does not pay attention. She has been slow to read. When asked a question in class, she often responds with a blank stare. She loses papers and completes her work incompletely. Her first (and only) year of soccer consisted of her chasing her shadow rather than the ball. There have been hints from others of an ADD problem (I myself asked her pediatrician about it at the age of 4!). HOWEVER, she concentrates immensely on the activities she is interested in! She will draw for hours on end. She sat at her little piano by herself at age 5 and learned MGMT's "Kids". She has made countless paper dresses out of computer paper and scotch tape for her dogs, dolls, ponies, and even me! If she likes it, she will learn about it. If not, you must entice her with something that she thinks is worth it. And given the right incentive, she will concentrate with precision. It is almost as if you have to SHOW her that it is worth her time. Anyway, I think she is one of the smartest kids I know (along with my 4 year old!) and I want to encourage exploration of the things that they WANT to learn about. Subjects that often get lost in the shuffle of a normal school day. Or things that teachers may want to teach, but can't because of testing...and more testing.
So, my second inspiration for this project this summer is a little place I found on Kickstarter called Parts and Crafts. They are certainly "making things and making things happen!" I have been so impressed with what they are doing, I just wish they were here in our city! One of their projects is starting a CSE, a Community Supported Education. Here is a little video that they posted. I am just about ready to sign up for their 3 month subscription. Using the projects that they send us, along with some others I will research with the girls, I will hold weekly meetups with whoever wants to join us. Location, dates, and time TBA. Who knows! It may just be the girls and I at our house though! Which is just fine! They will be given some direction, but for the most part they will try to figure it out on their own. Of course, I will be there to answer questions and make sure everyone is safe. I will report back here with whether or not our project worked or failed. And of course with pics!
And lastly, I have been asking other moms in the area, "So, what are you doing with your kids this summer?" And most have no clue! And camp is sooo expensive. We can't afford to do that every week. This will give parents (and kids!) a welcome respite of having to entertain and be entertained this summer. For now, I am ordering only one CSE, for our girls. If there proves to be an interest in others joining us, I can hopefully do more! Seeing that this is coming out of my own pocket, please consider donating through the paypal button on this page. Especially if you will be joining us! :) Or you can just donate if you think it is a cool idea. More later!
