Dinner and a Movie

I've been plotting our summer school experience around here.  It's difficult for homeschooling mothers - or probably any sort of educator-parent - to just enjoy the summer break.  However, I do believe in a break.  Slow growth.  Relaxed progress.  Joyful.  Calm.  Fun.  Easy.  Flexible. 

But, we have to do something.  It's not just my educator compulsion -  it's also because I know full brain disengagement for 3 months is actually damaging.  And because my children - like their mother - do poorly with an empty to do list. 

So, we have a few goals for the summer. 

1)  Swimming.  We are all four (Paul just won't) going to practice our swimming nearly daily.  The older two kids have joined the swim team, and Collins and I will join them at the pool most days. 

2)  Reading.  We'll all read a lot.  Collins will just listen. But Eason and Ada Brooks have ambitious reading goals, as do I - mainly reading aloud to the kids, but also doing some personal reading. 

3)  Memory Work.  We are all working on a list of things we'd like to memorize this summer.  We're aiming at very short lists, so we'll actually succeed.  ;)

4) Morning Meeting.  We did these last summer, and the kids still ask after them.  It is a brief 15-25 minute meeting most mornings when we sing, pray, recite, catechize, laugh and start our day from a centered place.  Yes, a combination or orthodox western Christianity and some eastern mysticism? 

5)  Miscellany.  Eason wants to improve his violin.  Ada Brooks has determined to learn to type 20 words a minute.  (Start small...).  Eason and Collins want to throw and catch a ball without dropping it 15 times in a row.  (Again, small).  Ada Brooks is going to plan and cook supper once a week.  Ada Brooks and Eason both need to work on their math facts speed.  They get the right answers; it takes them FOREVER. 


So, those are the categories.   As part of the Reading category, I had this idea that once a week we'd watch a movie that had been based on a book that one of us had read.  Ada Brooks will carry the plurality, and Eason will have a few and a few will be read aloud by Paul or me to the kids. 


Here is the dinner and a movie schedule.  The person who read the book will give the rest of the family a brief summary, we'll eat (on tv trays!) and watch the movie version.  Ada Brooks, for her 5 books, will write a compare and contrast paragraph about the book and movie.  Maybe.  If she enjoys it.  It's summer time after all. 

• Basil of Baker Street - Mama reads aloud - Movie on May 23rd
• The Secret Garden -  Ada Brooks -  Movie on May 28th
• The Wizard of Oz - Mama reads Aloud - Movie on June 4th
• Shrek -  Eason - Movie on June 18th
• Swiss Family Robinson - Ada Brooks -  Movie on June 25th
• Nim's Island - Daddy read Aloud - Movie on July 2nd
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ada Brooks - Movie on July 9th
• The Princess Bride - Mama read aloud - Movie on July 16th
• The Littles - Eason - Movie on July 23rd
• A Wrinkle in Time - Ada Brooks - Movie on July 30th
• Stuart Little - Eason - Movie on August 6th
• Around the World in 80 Days - Ada Brooks - Movie on August 13th

If anyone wants to join us for any of the Dinners with Movies, let us know!