Many parents are looking for a way for their kids to continue to learn while enjoying their summer.
After the Spring we had with COVID, ensuring that learning continues has never been more important as many parents also feel that their children may have started to fall behind or did not get the last few crucial months of the school year to properly prepare them for September.
When warm weather rolls around, routine flies out the window. Between cottage visits, summer business hours and school break (+ COVID break), it can be tough to keep on top of everything.
Lack of routine can bring about added stress, which is the absolute last thing you need while trying to enjoy your summer. To avoid it, do a bit of prep. With some strategic planning, you’ll be amazed how easy it is to get into the swing of things this year.
Start early
If you have kids, chances are you have this step down. With eight weeks of free time to fill, getting kids enrolled early in summer programs is a must.
With our current pandemic, that may seem a little impossible but now is the time to make plans if you can. We are currently entering Stage 2 in Ontario which means parks, daycares and some camps will start to open. If you are comfortable booking, a physical camp, book now as spaces this year are particularly limited.
If you are not quite ready to venture out or are looking for something in addition to a typical camp experience, try a Virtual Camp! Our Virtual Camps run daily or weekly and are private so that students can get the most out of their experience (and the best ROI for you) but they will also meet virtually and share ideas with their peers!
Set boundaries
Maybe you’re hoping to get up to the cottage two weekends a month, but you’re in the habit of working weekend overtime. Or you promised the kids you’ll be getting off early on Fridays to catch their soccer games or go to a park. Whatever it is, you’ll need to communicate the change with your colleagues, boss or employees and then stick to it.
Boundaries are one of the best ways to establish work-life balance. By determining what you are and aren’t willing to sacrifice, you set yourself up for less worry about what you’re missing. And hey, everyone respects the man or woman who can confidently lay down boundaries and stick to them. Chances are if you have been working from home during the pandemic this shouldn't be a problem. However, if you have been working through this pandemic as an essential worker, remember to take time off/time out to breathe.
Be realistic
This is the number one rule for avoiding summertime let-down. Sometimes, we’d all rather spend warm summer days sitting on a picnic blanket with our friends. But reality is, you will have to miss out on some social events because of your work schedule, especially with the economy opening up again and businesses are trying to keep up with increasing demands, less employees and social distancing.
Get the family involved in learning
It’s easy to incorporate warm weather fun into learning. It can be simple; plan an after-lunch walk or picnic lunches once a week. Explore nature, come up with real world solutions to problems you may find in nature such as pollution, waste management, plant preservation etc. It can also be elaborate; schedule a mid-July water fight and stock up on water balloons, water guns and food colouring at your local party shop. Pose questions to the "loser" of the water fight such as, what can we do to preserve the world's supply of fresh water? What will happen if the icebergs all melt? What can we do to prevent this?
Whatever you decide, don’t let summer slip away. You can easily balance learning, work and life with a bit of planning and a LOT of dedication to summer fun. Now, get out there!
