It is hard to believe that we have been on summer vacation for two full weeks already. We are off to a great start, having done many fun things and, for the most part, everyone is getting along and things are going well. Last year, the transition from all of us being separated for most of the day at school to all of us being together for most of the day was a rough one. Keeping that in mind, and dreading the thought, I wanted to do anything I could think of to make the transition go more smoothly. Thus, I borrowed and combined the ideas of several of my friends and Everly's classroom and catered them to our home and our needs.
On the very first day of summer vacation, we sat down and created a list of house rules for us all to follow. I took the idea from a friend and let the kids come up with ideas for the rules so that they would have more ownership. Their ideas mostly had to do with not hitting, biting, poking, or otherwise maiming each other, but we came around to things like "Be respectful to each other" and "Tell the truth" and "Be a first time listener." In Ev's classroom, they had used Popsicle sticks in envelopes that were the colors of stoplight to indicate behavior: red, yellow, green, and also blue if someone was behaving exceptionally well. I didn't have the right colors, so we used a series of smiley faces to indicate the behavior levels; the kids decorated their own sticks, which start on green each morning and move up or down depending on how well they are following the rules. Being that Everly deals with things in very concrete ways, this has been extremely motivating to her. She absolutely hates the thought of being moved down a level. If they manage to end the day on green or above, they get to put a sticker on their charts.
But perhaps the most ingenious thing about this whole thing is the reward system. When the kids fill a row of his or her chart, the next day is his or her "Choice Day." This has been amazing, and I am finding myself looking so forward to them filling the chart. When it is Cortlan's Choice Day, for example, Cortlan gets to pick what color cup or plate he wants. He gets to go first. He gets to choose which shower he gets to shower in. He gets to help with any other choices there are to make on that particular day, from whether we ride bikes or play in the sand to what is for snack. And Everly cannot argue, because it is Cortlan's Choice Day and when she fills up her chart, she will have her Choice Day. I am telling you, with zero calories, zero cost, and zero arguing, there is no better reward...for them OR me! The novelty hasn't worn off yet, and I am hoping it lasts a while!
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