December is upon us, and with it, the impending threat of two weeks without school and without much else to do, either. So, we have been busily preparing ourselves (aka bracing for impact) to the extent possible, thinking of plans and activities that we can do to safely pass the time while school is out. I'm not sure that we have any marvelous ideas so far, although my instinct is that some sort of schedule or structure will be important. I am also thinking about themes for each week, so that we can organize our activities around some kind of unifying principle. So far, the kids have not managed to come up with anything they affirmatively want to do, although they are very willing to reject out of hand the ideas of others. So, we shall see.
Meanwhile, we have been trying to get the most out of these last few mild days of December. Opa and I went on a nice hike, and then we took the kids on a much shorter little walk closer to home. While walking in and of itself is still not a preferred activity, there was a body of water that could be poked with sticks, which is of course a highly compelling Saturday afternoon pass-time.
Despite their protestations and general grumbling, I'm continuing to see big progress in both the kids learning, especially reading. Nona got the kids a subscription to National Geographic Kids, and when the first issue arrived, Lemon pounced on it and began reading it through right away. Lime, meanwhile, is more interested in writing, and is composing his own book of facts about animals. He is also becoming a master at writing, shall we say, less educational works. At least he is keeping himself entertained.
