The Summer Schedule for Slackers

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summer schedule

I’ve started seeing preschool graduation pictures pop up in my newsfeed – summer is upon us! AH!

A couple of years ago, in an effort to keep us all sane (and thanks to a Pinterest pin for sparking the idea), I started a loose theme for each day of the week. I wasn’t sure it would last (because who really follows through on what they pin?), but it actually took us through the whole summer and we did it again last year too. It’s ideal for us because, well, it’s easy. I’m not a schedule person, but I have found that I (and therefore we) operate much better with some sort of direction and purpose for our day.

Here’s what our theme days look like:

sugar cookie
An overly ambitious “Make It Monday” project: decorating sugar cookies.

Make it Monday

Some days we try a new recipe, or we make an old favorite we haven’t had for awhile. But it doesn’t have to just be food – we do play dough, painting on the easel outside, making Father’s Day or birthday cards. See? Like I said – it’s a loose structure and you can even say that making coffee that morning counts if need be.

Take Me to a Park Tuesday

A little more straightforward. And if the weather isn’t cooperative to get outdoors, you can check out a play cafe, a mall play area or Recreations Outlet in Powell for indoor play time (charitable play for $2/family from 9-11 a.m.) or COSI.

Here’s a list of Top 10 Columbus Parks.

Wet and Wild Wednesday

Full disclosure: this was enacted so that my kids didn’t ask to do the water table every single day; they knew Wednesday was their day for that. But there are so many more possibilities – the pool, a splash pad or fountain, a sprinkler, running in the rain, baths.

Thoughtful Thursday

This is when we try to do something with some educational value – we hit the zoo, a library, a science center (COSI is great, of course, but we are huge fans of The Works in Newark too!). We usually stick to a couple libraries close by, but this year we hope to check out (heyo! pun TOTALLY intended!) more libraries around town. Or, we’ll just watch a couple of episodes of Dinosaur Train.

glass blowing at The Works
Glass blowing demonstration at The Works in Newark on a “Thoughtful Thursday”

Friends and Family Friday

We invite friends over, meet at a park or pool or do some sort of family activity like a movie night, board games (household favorites include Disney Headbanz and Sequence Jr) or dinner out.

We don’t limit ourselves to only what’s on that day – for instance, now that my kids are a bit older and easier to manage, we plan to be at a pool much more than just Wednesdays. And we meet up with friends and hit parks more than one day a week too.

And try as I might, I have not been as successful in making Saturday “Dadurday” (“Daddy does everything! Pretend I’m not here!” “But you are here, Mommy! And I need a Bandaid. And he took my toy! And that’s not what I want to eat!”). Our weekends are very much family time (and Dad does make a mean Saturday morning breakfast, so major points for that) — I just don’t have any cute alliteration for Saturday and Sunday (though lately “Sporty Saturday” seems appropriate).

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