How can I justify crocheting while my children are home for the summer?

There only a few weeks until summer. A few weeks until my three children are running around the house all day long. I have been so busy this year helping in school and working on end of the year teacher gifts that I didn’t realize how soon this is coming. I am a mom of three children and I use to be a teacher, so it is very important to me that we fit in some educational activities over the summer. So I have since started to prepare. I bought workbooks at Five Below, writing paper and craft supplies off Amazon, and made a list of day trips that were both fun and educational. I also took a trip to a used bookstore to stock up on more challenging books.

As I rushed to prepare for the chaos of summer, I realized I prepared for my kiddos education and enjoyment but neglected to consider how to deal with my own sanity. Well of course that does involve crochet, so I made a second column of next to my list for the kids and placed projects I wanted to make on it. However, it seemed crazy that those two things had to be separated all summer. I am one of those people who can’t but do five things at once and also because I have more to do than hours in a day.

It occurred to me that I could work on crochet projects that could be turned into educational activities for my kids.  There are so many great projects out there that you could make almost anything and find an education purpose for it. With this inspiration, I have decided to start a 6 week series with crochet items you can make and how you can repurpose it into an educational activity with your kids.

The first project I am going to feature is by Loops and Love Crochet.  This very talented designer made a very beautiful Crochet Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar.  When I saw this, the uses for this after Valentine’s day exploded. Why not relax and crochet something fun that you can use with your children.  My very first thought was to use this for reading. One of the most important tasks children need to do over the summer is to read books. The more they read the more their language will explode and of course they need to work on comprehension as well.  Most kids aren’t overly thrilled to dissect a book when they could be outside playing or other activities unrelated to school. This project would be a great tool to motivate kids to read.

Here are some activities you could try.  After they complete the activities for 7-14 days, they would receive an incentive.  It could be things such as extra time or an extra trip to the park, extra tablet time, new craft supplies, going to the store to buy a new book, or whatever works best for your kiddos.

Reading

• Each day your child reads they place the heart in the next number.  
• This Valentine’s Countdown Calendar can be used to track how many books the student has read.  The goal would be to read 14 books in a certain period of time.
• Novel study questions
• Take 14 pieces of paper and write a new vocabulary words on each card.  Each day pull out the card. Look up the word in a dictionary. Read it in a sentence.  Discuss the meaning. Write a sentence using the word.

Math

• Place a heart in each number after they have completed a worksheet filled with addition or subtraction problems.
• Place a heat in each number as they learn to count by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, etc.
• Place a heart in each number as they learn each set of multiplication facts.
• Place a heart in each number as they learn their division facts each day.
• Create two hearts and place each one in a number.  The child will then have to add, subtract, multiply, or divide those numbers.  After they complete that problem, place the two hearts in two different numbers and do it again.  
• Place photos of shapes in each pocket.  Discuss what the shape is and what items in the real world are that shape.
• Learn how to work with decimal numbers. Each time they master a decimal place put the heart in the next number.

Younger Children

• Place a new letter or number in each pocket.  Each day they go over the letter or number.
• Print photos of animals or objects.  Each day show them the photo and teach them to identify the animal or object.

There will be more educational posts throughout the summer. If you would like to be one of the first to know when I post them subscribe to my emails. You will also receive a free graph pattern when you sign up.