Spring Break Has Sprung!

I know I am incredibly fortunate to stay home with my children on all days off, summer break, and at the moment SPRING BREAK!  This is a big perk of being a teacher!  Non-teachers might not realize this is a chance for teachers to do things they normally can't do.  Typically, teachers do not take days off of school without being on our deathbeds or jury duty.  I have nearly two months of leave accumulated due to rarely taking time off.  So this is a welcome chance to go to the playground, beach, zoo, picnic, ect. with my children!  It is also time for major cleaning and organizing that get so far behind during the school year. I even have stolen a few hours for lesson planning, organizing, ect. in my classroom (that appalls non-teachers, too---but trust me, working without 18 kindergarten students in the classroom is a terrific treat!)

Here is how I maximized my time and money on this spring break:

1. Make a list of the days and a tentative schedule of what you would like to do each day.

2. Look for online deals for the events/activities that cost money. For example, before mini-golfing we found a $5 per person coupon to print out---saving $2/person for a total of  $8 saved.  It also caused a schedule switch for the science museum on a Friday instead of Thursday to save over $10 in admission fees.

3. Be flexible with the weather when you can for outdoor activities (resulted in switching our zoo day from the coldest day of spring break to a day about 10 degrees warmer--still chilly, but better)

4. Pack a lunch/cook at home when you can. Going out to eat with children everyday is one of those things that sounds cheap in theory, but even with deals can empty the bank account quickly.

5. Be willing to splurge a little on lasting memories.  Soon we will be back to the daily school grind, and the question, "What did you do on spring break?" should never be answered with "nothing."

Time to get off the computer now, so I can enjoy four more days off of school and work with these precious little children!