Welcome to Mom School.

Today is the first day of summer break and at 8:19AM, my daughter has already (on her own) done a few pages of math, was introduced to her summer learning notebook and is currently busy journaling while listening to a Junie B. Jones audiobook. On Monday, we'll start with spelling tests of high frequency words. (Journaling and HFW testing at the request of her teacher to keep her on track and to slow down her end-of-the-year laziness with spelling.) We have summer bridge math work that the school always sends home to prepare the kids for the next year. I made two copies of it and I have timed math sheets.

"BUT SHE'S ON SUMMER BREAK!" I can hear people cry. Yes, I agree. I'm trying to avoid my child's summer brain. If I don't keep her on track, there is a lot of loss over the summer. She is a child who thrives on a schedule and things that are a bit more regimented. She is happily, without argument, working hard on her journal entry.

It should be noted that I promised that my part of Mom School will take no more than one hour.

In regard to T.V. viewing, our summer plan is "You watch what you read." Since they have a summer reading log for school (by 15 minute incriments for a total goal of 25 hours) this is bridge work anyhow. So, if K reads for 15 minutes, she has earned 15 minutes of viewing time. She can bank time for movies. K, a child who takes at least a book everywhere she goes, will not have a problem with this. My challenge to her is to reign her in a hair and to have her read 2 chapter books in full each week. She'll read 6 or more books at a time and occasionally finish one, but I'd like to reign in her ADD style of reading. We are going to participate in library group, too and that requires the children to write book reports (small and just a sentence or two) to win prizes. She won two prizes last year, so she knows how nice that was!

We've just reviewed her "My Last Day" journal entry. She did well, trying hard on spelling and had most excellent handwriting. We reviewed any misspellings (computer, watch, tornado and practice) so that she can reference back, if needed.

Here's to hoping that the rest of Mom School goes as swimmingly.

I couldn't leave this post without giving K an atagirl. She stayed on honor roll all year. I sat last night with report cards, certificates, ribbons, some papers and whatnot and made her second grade memory book. She loves to look at her past year and we do, too!