Summer Learning Curves

My kids have absolutely bloomed in the last two months. For some reason, they are much better learners in the summer than they are in the winter months. Perhaps it has to do with their birthdays (both July babies), or a bit of SADD (we get depression disorder here a lot in the cold/wet. I mean really, today it is 45* and raining), or what... but especially Cyan has FLOURISHED this last two months like she didn't at all in the months before.

In the last two months she has learned to: Tie her shoes, read fluently, stop sucking her fingers, ride a two-wheeler bike, rollerskate and make her own breakfast using the stove... all of these things have been tried before, esp this year... some a couple times, but never achieved... and this last two months they have all taken leaps and bounds and all of a sudden she is a full-on 'big kid'. You know? A real big kid who can do the whole length of the monkey bars and not drop. Who can ride her bike to the neighbors down the street and I know she will look both ways and not crash. That kind of big kid.

And Alex... His change is just starting, but I can see it too. Today, he set his alarm, woke up on his own, took a shower, got dressed with all clean clothes, and had made his lunch before I was out of bed. AMAZING! Amazing I tell you, considering just last week I had to have a talk with him about how I found one pair of his unders in over a weeks worth of laundry. (Yes... that is gross.) And today, he gets up and showers without even being told. I am amazed.

Perhaps what I have to do is change the year around for them. At least to see how it works. Afterall, Don can much more easily get time off in the winter than in the summer anyway. Why not make the school year around that and take a month off when dad can be there too?

Come to think of it... Logan has been growing leaps and bounds too. It is expected of his age, but he has been in a rut with the communication stuff. Lots of yelling, LOTS of screeching. Lots of deep breathing moments for me. However, this morning, he wanted Cyan to play with him. He was sitting on my lap, and looked at her playing and said "Hey!" and then signed 'girl' 'please', and pointed at her and grunted. It was pretty much the cutest thing ever! Cyan, of course, melted when she realised what he wanted and took him and they have been playing in her room ever since.

I have warmer weather learners. Long day learners, at least. lol... 'warm' is subjective here.

Perhaps it is just thoughts. But I would sure like to try. This isn't the first year I have noticed this summer time learning curve. If I can bank on that, who knows... we may be able to take trips for Christmas and do school outside all summer? Food for thought at least.