Monoply Madness

Last summer I sent Noah and Jonathon to summer school. Jon attended for extra help with reading and spelling, while Noah attended because Jonathon was going to school. So the first Friday of the first week, Jonathon arrived home in tears because he wasn't able to go on the field trip like all his other friends. The field trip was to the local grocery store. I was flabbergasted that the academic summer school program was so rigid that they couldn't even figure out how to incorporate reading and spelling on a field trip to the grocery store. I told Jonathon I felt said that he missed out on the trip and made a point of taking only him on my next trip to the grocery store. Noah became disgruntled with summer school after his new friend Tia changed her mind about marrying him.

The reason I am telling you this is so you understand why I absolutely refused to put Jonathon in academic summer school this year. I could not, would not, allow him to get on the bus every morning and feel like only "smart" kids get to go on field trips. He has made amazing progress in school this year, thanks to hard work from his parents, teachers, and vision therapists, and I decided the kid could use a break. As we all know, a break for the kids does not mean a break for the parents. I figured I would reinforce Math, Reading, and Spelling at home this summer, just spending an hour or less reviewing what Jon and Noah already know, nothing stressful for anyone involved.

Well, as I was getting ready to bring out a math game, Jon and Noah set up Monopoly. Those two future tycoons amaze me. They counted out their own money (fairly), made proper change, bought, sold, and traded properties, and in general played with minimum refereeing. It was stunning. Talk about flabbergasted. My math game sucked in comparison. Now, I have to go back to the "mommy bag-o-tricks" and find something more challenging for the two of them. How do you compete with Monopoly?

Today, they had to write about their favorite Pokemon. Jonathon retrieved his Pokemon binder so he could his facts correct about evolution and type. It took them less than twenty five minutes to write their four sentences. Again, while I enjoy the fact my children are smart, I am terrified I only have two more years before I am not longer able to keep up with their homework.

So, summer is off to a great start. No major injuries, no summer school, and as usual, the kids one step ahead of me.