Summertime

Oh, what do you do in the summertime? I have a new appreciation for that primary song that I learned when I was 5 or 6. . . I have been planning our sumer and have gound severl activities to keep my boys, from hopefully fighting and quarelling all smmer. . .but you never know. I wodered if anyone has found any activities that have helped keep the summer fun past the first few weeks? Do you have a favorite day trip that you like? Are there any fun parks that are covered or splash parks that you really like? How about specials at local restaurants? I would love any of your brilliant ideas!

I will tell you our basic plans for the summer. We are going to ave a MTC type summer -- each of my boys has strengths and weaknesses that we want to key into and help strengthen before they are ready to go on missions, so the easy things for one will be the challenges for the other. One of my boys really likes to work, another really likes people and can talk to most anyone. So, I have determined things that I would like each of them to accomplish. Can we say grocery shopping, a BUDGET for an elementary school child, menu planning and implementing, working. . . In regards to school and sharpening skills, we are going to have reading programs, writin, each week all summer long, they will have to write a story (we have a comb binder) so they can pracice writing neatly and following the writing procss, if interested illustrating by hand or pictures. . .cooking, one dinner a week planned and prepared by the two older ones. Chores, well, they always are there. My struggle though is the quick and easy rewards and the fun things that they get for their hard work -- somehow the value of feeling good after working hard isn't there yet, so I need ideas on things we can do for FUN and escape the heat! Please share!