How to Create a Summer With Your Kids That You Don’t Want to Escape From

It is inevitable that, over the length of a summer vacation, kids will irritate their parents (and their caregivers, and their siblings, and so forth). Kids are busy with important work. They are pruning their brains for maximum efficiency. They are discovering the world and themselves. The work of a child involves an immense amount of sensory input. All of this means that kids require a lot,  more than one adult can reasonably give. 

Because of a child's high energy and significant requirements for growth, it is easy and understandable that we grow weary of them. It's that weariness that gives rise to the celebratory nature of the back-to-school type posts where parents seem in their glory to drop their children off into the care of others for a majority of the day. The saying, "Having children is like being pecked to death by a duck" pertains here. 

As a homeschool mama of five I'm going to let you in on the secret to not wishing the days away with your kids. Homeschooling is 24/7/365 with children. There is no "light at the end of the tunnel" so to say. I assure you that homeschool moms are not more patient than other moms nor are homeschool kids more docile than other kids.

The key to creating a life (or a summer) with children that you don't want to escape from lies in honoring the physical, biological, emotional and social needs of the child. These needs are drastically different than our needs. We learn through words. They learn through experience. We have completed the synaptic pruning that continues on through early adulthood and they are just at the beginning stages. We have had decades to try increasingly intricate movements, whereas a child has only had a few years.

Lest you become overwhelmed with that lengthy list of the needs of a child, let me give you some hope. You can hit every single one of those developmental boxes simply by stepping out the door. That's it. Nature truly provides it all: a rich array of sensory input, a place of calm reprieve, natural toys to act out different life scenarios, and challenging elements to enhance complex physical movements. You don't need to bring anything with you but some water, snacks, and maybe a change of clothes. Invite friends if you want, but you don't have to. Bring along a nature journal and crayons if you're interested, but it isn't necessary. Plan a scavenger hunt if you have the time, but know that adult intervention isn't needed in the success of nature time for kids. Through their own sensory feedback loops, children are drawn to what they need for their next stage of development. It's a true miracle!

According to educational philosophers, occupational therapists, and current research, children need hours of time in nature several days of the week in order to satisfy this period of immense growth. In generations past, this happened naturally through play with neighborhood children. Today, the parent or caregiver is much more on the hook to schedule in outside time throughout the summer. Instead of viewing this as a chore, we can view it as a thrill! It is a thrill to observe the delight and the development of a child in nature. When we head into the great outdoors with our kids, we can leave the housework and other work behind for a few hours and be present during the relatively few summers we get with our children (and it's not 18!)

As the summer weeks drag on, if you start getting that feeling like you are going to pull out all of your hair, please remember to head outside. Grab the calendar and your weather app and figure out a few days a week where you can provide your child with the nature immersion he or she needs. We're not talking 45 minutes here... we are talking three to four (or more) hours! If you work during the day, build your nature time into the evenings and weekends. Ask your child-care provider to spend as much time outside as possible.

I don't think there is an adult alive who can work hard enough to satisfy the depth of the needs of a child. This isn't about working harder, it's about sharing the load. ​It's an odd thought to consider sharing parenting responsibilities with Mother Nature, but it works. Extended time outside provides children with the perfect environment they need for their growth,  while simultaneously providing parents and caregivers with desperately-needed moments of reprieve and peace.

Revolving your summer vacation around significant amounts of time in nature will help you enjoy it until the very end, while making some lifelong memories along the way!