My summer independence station

When they go several weeks, even several months, without having to do something, our kids drop their habits very quickly, and that's normal! Every time a new season settles in, we have to help them put those good habits back in place. Conclusion: Quebec parents are doomed to repeat themselves for life! The good news is that visual cues can help you save your breath and your patience!

In this blog post, I'm suggesting you set up a summer independence station to make it easier to build in those little habits we want to see our kids develop during the warm season. The big advantage of the “nice season” is that we can live outside, which lets us keep our house clean and tidy. Here, we even built an outdoor shower so the kids come in at the end of the day all clean, no more sand between their toes.

Before setting up this station, I made a list of what takes me the most time to do for the kids, but I also noted the little irritants, those little things I repeat most often throughout the nice season.

Here's what I came up with:

• Applying sunscreen to them every morning
• Applying bug spray to them as needed
• Making sure they wear a hat, especially between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Making sure they drink enough water
• Managing the 1,001 trips in and out of the house without taking off their shoes and also without closing the door, bringing in an impressive amount of sand and mosquitoes every time.
• Answering “Mom, I'm hungry, when's snack time?” or “Mom, I'm thirsty, can I have some water?”

During the school year, I always have this little bin for homework supplies, which is actually an IKEA cart (the RÅSKOG model has since been discontinued; a similar 3-tier rolling cart is the NISSAFORS utility cart). This little cart becomes useless once summer comes. So I decided to turn it into a summer independence station. Since the cart is on wheels, it moves easily from the entryway to the patio. Here's what I put in it so the kids can be as independent as possible, so I don't have to watch over them all the time or repeat “close the door,” “take off your shoes,” “no, it's not snack time yet,” “did you drink some water?” and so on a thousand times.

In my independence station, there is:

1- The biggest bottle of sunscreen in the world, with a pump (very important!), the “My Sunscreen Routine” poster and a Time Timer.

First step before going out: put on sunscreen. I laminated the “My Sunscreen Routine” poster and hung it on the cart. The older kids manage on their own and sometimes lend a hand to the little ones when I'm busy. I added a Time Timer so they respect the 15 minutes the sunscreen needs to soak in before swimming.

2- A bottle of bug spray

I put in a citronella bug spray so the little ones can use it on their own. For long walks in the woods, I'm the one who applies the bug spray, the one with DEET to protect against ticks.

3- Everyone's caps, hats and sunglasses

The caps are always in the same spot and, above all, within reach without having to go into the house. When 11 a.m. rolls around, everyone has to have a hat on their head. I often put the oldest in charge of watching the time and warning the group.

4- Everyone's water bottles

In one of my cart's baskets, there are everyone's water bottles. Often, I fill them halfway and put them in the freezer the night before. I fill the other half the same morning. That way, they always have cold water within reach. The idea is that they don't have to come inside every time they're thirsty. Every time they pass by the cart, they have to drink a little water. If, come evening, I collect the water bottles and they're still full, I know they haven't drunk enough.

5- A morning snack and an afternoon snack

I buy nibbles like soy sticks or corn and flaxseed crackers, which I portion into small containers at the start of the week. In the morning, I put two per child in the bin of my independence station with the water bottles: one for the mid-morning snack (10 a.m.) and another for the afternoon snack (3 p.m.). Once again, this saves little trips back and forth into the house.

6- A watch (or a clock):

This lets them see the time so they know whether lunch is approaching, whether snack time has passed, and so on.

The only reason they have left to come into the house is to use the bathroom. All I'd need is a portable toilet outside! (No, I won't go that far!)

I love watching them get organized on their own! It's not that I don't want to take care of things, but seeing the pride they feel at not needing me every second fills me with joy. Not only does it make daily life easier, it literally changes how they see themselves, as independent people who are capable of getting themselves organized.

To easily take stock of what needs to go in your summer independence station and make sure nothing is missing, here's a handy printable checklist to keep in your family organization binder! Would you rather have it always within reach, right on your cell phone? Get it for free in our Octave app!

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