Summer holidays

K's kindergarten finished for summer on Friday. He has just over 5 weeks off, and the first few days back will only be half days. We don't have any big plans; no overseas trips this year! On the other hand, we have surprisingly few completely free days. K will still have swimming class most Mondays, and I'll have a class each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon. The Wednesday morning mother-and-toddler group will meet twice in August and I've still got 2 more weeks of classes at university too, so that's the next two Fridays taken up. T will go to nursery then as usual, and K will go back to kindergarten! They offer 9-6 childcare in the holidays, at the princely sum of 800 yen a day.

Despite all that, I'm determined to do some special holiday things. K will spend 2 separate days at day camps run by the English pre-school he went to last year. We're planning a little overnight trip to Tottori city in August, and tomorrow we're going to go to the small amusement park in Hiruzen. I'm hoping we'll get some beach days too, and time to do some projects at home. Lately, since the summer heated up, T has been having a nap each afternoon. With a bit of luck this will continue, giving K some time to play without infant interference...

I've got a couple of little challenges set up for K too. He eats well, in quantity and variety, but he is such a slow eater, especially at dinner time. I've made a little arrow to Blu-tak to the clock to show when dinner time ends (40 minutes after we start). If he finishs his meal within that time, he can add a sticker to a special summer holiday calendar I prepared and if he gets enough stickers he can get a present. I know, it's pure bribery, but it's working well so far :-)

I'm also keen for him to get some writing practice in. Now that he's at kindergarten every day, and not going to the English pre-school at all, K rarely writes anything. I'm hoping to fit in a few minutes of writing every day throughout the holidays, whether it's a workbook (he loves those), a postcard to Gran and Grandad, my shopping list or a little holiday diary I made for him (inspired by this one).

I love the things that small children write in their diaries. Yesterday's journal read 'I did go to the airport. The pilots waved to me.' Today's said 'I did go to by singing grasshoppers.' Then he dictated 'I went with Daddy to clean the shrine. I went to a show for schoolchildren. I liked the oni. Hide and Keiko came here.'

And of course we phoned, and later Skyped, my Dad to say Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!