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organicdclady 08:44 AM 05-17-2016
Do you create lesson plans and follow a curriculum or do you take the summer off? Do you continue activities like morning circle/crafts or just do free play type activities?
What do your summers look like with daycare children?
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Blackcat31 08:48 AM 05-17-2016
Originally Posted by organicdclady:
Do you create lesson plans and follow a curriculum or do you take the summer off? Do you continue activities like morning circle/crafts or just do free play type activities?
What do your summers look like with daycare children?
Summer is play, play and more play.

If a "fun" outside or summer activity or craft looks exciting, I might toss it into the day but I certainly don't plan for anything specific.

Our curriculum and daily routine are pretty set during the school year that I think like bigger kids, having the summer "off" is much more enjoyable and more fun for the kids!
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Cat Herder 09:04 AM 05-17-2016
I thought we could take the summer "off" and have been so looking forward to it. I just received a clarification "expectations" list and no dice...

Luckily, they have expanded what they view as curriculum. Finally!! EVERYTHING in their environments and routine to include the time they wash hands, put away their mats or even line up for going outside now counts as curriculum under their own specific domains.

You just have to write it in. Squee.. . Repetition of "lessons" from simple daily routine does not count against you. I can pre-plan almost half their day months in advance then add the emergent on Fridays for the following week.

Oh happy day. Such a load off.
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Thriftylady 09:24 AM 05-17-2016
I do more "lessons" during the summer, because I have mostly school age right now. And they need to be kept busy. We do still have lots of free play, but often it leads to fighting if it goes to long. When that happens it is time for "quiet" time. In that case they get quiet activities such as reading, writing in journals, a quiet one person game, and I am working on file folder games also. This summer I am going to do one hour of quiet time per day, because my kiddos need to learn how to quietly entertain themselves.
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Unregistered 09:36 AM 05-17-2016
I follow a loose theme parts of the summer-with lots of fun outdoor activities
We do maybe two to four planned activities if it's a theme week!

Strawberry week..we paint construction paper strawberries with dry unsweetened strawberry kool-aid. Just sprinkle it on and paint with water, kool-aid scented strawberry playdoh, we eat strawberries and strawberry shortcake, etc. see nothing hard or stressful!

Sun week

Root Beer week

Watermelon week

Obey gooey messy fun week-outside

And/or Science week-outside

Bubble week

Ice cream week and /or Ice and frozen things week

Other fun things we do outside throughout the summer-
Paint rocks
Use our portable water wall
Frozen animals in ice blocks in the water table
Sand and water in the water table
Eat lunch and snack at the picnic table
Wash bikes
Lots of fun with bubbles-dollar tree has awesome super large bubble wands.
Paint the deck and driveway with water and real paint brushes (cheap ones)

Play shoppe coffee shop-low, rectangular camping table, kids' tea pots, cups, plates, spoons, empty vanilla bottles and creamer containers, spice containers, bowls of water for filling tea pots, etc. play food like cookies, strawberries, etc. sand for sugar to stir into tea or coffe. Some kids will play this for an hour!

Inside we make ice cream in ziplock bags-it's just milk!

Make Mummies and read a book about Egypt - if you have a little older kids. Take heavy duty tin foil, have child lay flat on the floor, start at head, and fold tin foil back and forth, pinch edges as you go. Carefully pull off the child. Pinch together some more if needed. Wish I could post a picture. I hang them on a rope with clothes pins.....they are up all summer and look so cool!
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Tags:curriculum, summer activities
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