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Back-to-School Transition with the Busbys!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Jul 23, 2019 | Back to School
At the end of the school year, it always seems like summer will last forever as we start to implement our full color-coded schedule of activities to keep our six girls busy for 12 full weeks of summer.
Then all of a sudden it is mid-July and it feels like there isn’t enough time to get in all of the items on the bucket list. And, it’s about more than just summer-time fun. We have seen the summer slide happen with the girls in the past, and have learned we have to stay ahead of things to help keep their mental gears turning during the summer months. Here are a few tips from our house to yours on how to avoid the last-minute scramble, and ensure our kids are set up for success in the school year ahead.
Make Your Summer Activities Learning Experiences!
We really believe the girls learn so much by being exposed to travel and the world around them. The quints attend a STEM-oriented school and we try to consciously incorporate different activities in and around the house to keep their gears turning.
Our filming schedule keeps us busy, but in between and even during we set aside time to visit the Houston Children’s Museum, the butterfly exhibit, and take little arts & crafts activities wherever we go.
Some of the best lessons and learning come from an impromptu trip to the park or an enriching visit to the Houston Zoo or Aquarium. The key for us is to use the excursions as inspiration for learning-focused conversation back at home. “Riley, how many butterflies did you see?” “Hazel, what colors were the butterflies?” Simple questions help keep the fun of the trip alive and get them thinking.
Get back on schedule.
Summer can be great for the flexibility it provides but it can also take us completely off schedule. Two weeks before the beginning of the school year, we start getting the girls back on schedule by waking them up at “school time” and making sure we get to bed on time each evening. We love Tock the Learning Clock from Learning Resources because it makes it fun for the girls to get on a schedule and learn to tell time at the same time.
Purchase those required school supplies early!
With six kids in school, we do not want to be the last ones hitting the stores and finding the shelves bare. In addition to the required supplies, we sometimes treat the girls to a new educational toy that aligns with their interests and helps cultivate their individual passions. This year, the girls got Learning Resources’ new Coding Critters, which are amazing because they springboard from their love of animals and storybooks to give them an initial understanding of basic coding skills. And, Blake loves showing off her reading and playing teacher with the quints!
Revamp the playroom and set up homework stations.
The girls grow up quickly so whenever we find that they have completely outgrown a toy or game we donate it to a local charity or school so that others can benefit from it. Now that Blayke has homework, we will make sure her desk is ready for the first day of school and that all of her summer reading is complete!
Make room for fun!
School is around the corner, so we try to give the girls the time to relax, enjoy and just be kids before another pivotal year is upon us.
It’s amazing how much the girls grow, learn, and change every day and we try to embrace every moment of the journey!
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Summer STEM Gardening!
Summer STEM
School is out for the summer - the days are long, daily schedules are relaxed, and parents everywhere are struggling to find activities to keep their kids engaged and entertained! We’ve lived all over the country, so summers have ranged from gorgeously warm to brutally hot and humid. Depending on your climate, this time of year means you are either trying to soak up the sun or escape the crazy heat. Well, today I am sharing one of our favorite STEM activities that can be enjoyed both indoors and out.
I frequently try to provide my daughters with activities that are open-ended. This means that there isn’t really a “beginning” and “end” to the play. There are no desired results and they have the freedom to be as creative as they would like. My girls have always enjoyed various forms of pretend play - usually acting out an occupation or activity that they observe from us, a book, or a show.
Gears Garden Building
I decided to create a fun Summer Garden set up in our living room on an overcast morning using our Gears, Gears, Gears! sets. My youngest can get a little frustrated with the base tiles, so the three of us arranged them together. After that, the girls were free to build the garden of their dreams!
I love these gears because the possibilities are endless. They have been one of the best ways to encourage free play involving STEM. Mainly because they make a great independent quiet time activity. It’s awesome to watch my daughters’ minds work as they try to figure out how to make the entire board of gears and their “flowers” rotate and spin.
Once they felt that their garden was complete, the sun had come out and I moved their garden to a table on our deck. I added in buckets of water, a watering can, small animals and fairies. Adding in the pretend play elements was a huge success and they especially loved getting to water their garden. The gears are great because we can easily use them both indoors and outdoors - to include water play! This activity ended up being a huge success and occupied them for over two hours. We will definitely be adding it into our summer “boredom busters” rotation for the rest of this year.
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