Summer starts today

Today is Isaac's last day of school.  In the UK children start Reception (like kindergarten? but 9-3:30) in the year they turn 5, so most children start at age 4 and are now 5 or turning 5 before August.  Anyways, this is my first experience with summer since previously all my kids have been in private nursery, which runs year round.

Apparently, for the last day of school, Isaac's teacher is bringing her bouncy castle from her home.  That's what Isaac says. 

This "first summer" is definitely making me think of my own childhood summer holidays.  There's an energy of excitement and of building to something new.  At the same time... perhaps the new thing is just distinctly reduced childcare?

Isaac is very excited for summer at least.  I'm trying not to hope for the "chill summer" vibes because I have far too many small children for chill anything.  But I've done a bit of summer planning to try and take the inevitable edge off.  

We do have a summer fun list, including

• Go to a castle
• Go to a soft play
• Go to the bank
• Eat an ice cream
• Go to our local splash pad
• Go swimming
• Go to the library / do a summer reading challenge.
• Move kids furniture around / change kids rooms

Mostly on my summer fun list is NOT RAINING PLEASE which it looks like we might get soon:

Also on my summer fun list is "eat ice cream in a cone in my garden" but it's rained so much that we've already consumed all our ice cream indoors in the evening.  Except for the one time we let the kids get ice creams from the ice cream truck.  Please note, they are wearing rain jackets because it was raining.

I am sure the next 6 weeks of summer will fly by.  It's also sort of my last summer, since I go back to work in September too.  

Happy last day of school (UK!)

Happy random middle of summer day (US!)