Summer & Boys

These past few weeks, with my own school aged children home, I have been experiencing a period of brain freeze. I love that my daycare children have access to all sorts of materials, that they can delve into the joys of mud, sand and water, the wonders of bubbles are magical and dynamic... not so with BIG KIDS.

I have found that putting out play dough, goop, slime, etc... is fun for about 10 seconds. The sprinkler is fodder for many, many silly antics and jokes. Board games are great... until someone decides to change the rules. When asked to find something to do... It is always to hot, to cold, to much, not enough or just plain boring!! My summer is getting to be very long :)

I was looking through some photos from last summer, and the kids all were so engaged... I am realizing that these BIG KIDS need to be challenged a little more. I decided to start with putting out the slime, but they had to make it. Read the recipe, gather the material and equipment, and finish the project. They loved it. It made it there own and like the cornstarch and water goop last week, they loved working with the Little's. (And it gave me 25 minutes of no whining)

BIG KIDS need to be challenged, given risks, and opportunities just like the daycare kids, but at a different level. This is my first summer that the BIG KIDS didn't WANT to be outside playing, running, water balloon fights, relay races or group games. So, I am scouring the Internet for ideas that will bring together 6 boys ranging from 4 to 12. Opportunities for modeling behavior, problem solving, sharing, communication, and leadership. There are so many ideas out there, now just to sort them out and find a place to begin...