Plans for the 'long hot summer post GCSEs'?

[inkyfingers]

Just realised that my DS has nothing planned for the rest of June until term starts again in September, apart from 2 weeks away in August. Obv he's revising hard and difficult to see beyond that. What are yours doing?

Knowing DD1, for the first week she will sleep late, come downstairs, nap on the sofa, wake up briefly for lunch, fall asleep on the sofa again, wake up briefly for dinner, fall asleep on the sofa again then go up to bed early. It's like having another cat in the house!

If it's sunny then some of the sleeping will be done outside.

Once batteries have been recharged she has a few tasks to perform:

• find out about the bus she will have to take to 6th form
• start reading up about learning to drive

There arent any jobs around here so we will pay her to be our housekeeper for a few weeks.

Dd is au pairing for a while and hoping to get a life guarding job and trying to get a volunteering post too which she's seeing someone about this week. She's spending a week doing a sport coaching course, a week with us visiting family, and hopefully a last minute family holiday as well. Should keep her out of mischief.

My older 2 are working abroad, I'm going to miss them. The other 4 have barely any plans. DH and I are self employed so they'll do odd jobs for us and we're away the first 2 weeks in August. DS2 really wants a proper job but it's looking unlikely.

Professional sleeping GnomeDD.
DS1 will stay up half the night on xbox and sleep until lunchtime. After a week he will resemble a zombie and I will make him adjust his hours a little.
He is hoping to get a lifeguarding job,he was interviewed a few weeks ago but didn't get through so he's put it on hold until he finishes the exams.
We have a week away in August but otherwise a lot of empty weeks.

GnomeDePlume for his birthday I paid for DS to have a 2 hour driving taster. A local school did it on an airfield and he had a whale of a time. It was just him and he covered all the basics plus reversing and parking and according to him drove up to 60 mph. Hope to use the same instructor when he's 17.

DS1 last year went out with his friends quite a lot (was lucky - we lived in Kent and he had a £50 go everywhere bus pass), went on holiday with us for two weeks then went to Reading festival. He reffed at various football tournaments. He did know that this would be the only time in his life he would be able to enjoy the summer holidays and more, like this. I didn't mind as he works hard the rest of the time. He's also lucky as his friends are all lovely and they went round each others' houses or lazed in the parks.

DD1 (year 11) is going on holiday for a week with her friends (gulp!), then I think there's about 3 weeks until our family holiday.

We're then away for 2 weeks with all 4 DDs, and then they have about another month until they're due back at school.

All 4 DDs are going to a dance summer school for a week, and then they will do one off day camps at cheer and gymnastics. Luckily they still have weekly dance, gym and cheer going on, so the extra curriculars stay almost identical to term time.

In the interim few weeks DD1 and DD2 will go out with friends, DD3 and DD4 will beg for sleepovers as it's not fair that DD1 and DD2 get to see their friends all the time...

Otherwise I think it will be lazy days in the house, DVD watching, shopping, having friends over, swimming, going to the gym for the older 2, maybe some baking, quieter things.

Thanks for that tip SecretSquirrels - I will have a look around for something similar here. DD's 17th birthday is in September so we need to get her thinking about it properly once the exams are out of the way.

It is a funny thing, the GCSEs are not the end but the begining:

• results
• 6th form
• driving lessons & test
• university open days
• AS exams
• university applications
• A2 exams
• A2 results

Lots of plans and decisions to make

I think I will recommend that DD gets some extra sleep in!

Ds is 17 in September as well. He knows at the moment what he wants to do for university, but doesn't know which 6th form to go to

He is planning to walk to my mothers in Norfolk with some friends and has planned a camping trip with girlfriend who is 17 already.

Dd is looking forward to a long holiday.

Actually though she starts her new job once her examms finish so she is looking forward to that.

Other than that she has a great deal planned - a hol with her friend and family in Weymouth, a camp at the Fairford air tattoo, a weekend in Devon, the Reading festival, Wireless fesitval and Notting Hill carnival. We are going to France as well beginning September (her college doesn't start until the 2nd week).

Apart from that she gets out and about - she has her own moped plus gets the megabus to London.

Gnomedeplum, if you google "under 17 driving" you will find loads of off road driving schools. My 15 year olds are doing it this summer!

DD1 (16) has a little job in Topshop, but during the summer she's arranged to increase her hours and work in the week rather than weekends, so think she will combine that with lounging about and being with friends.

DS (16) is in a similar position but is going to do a 2 week internship at DHs firm then plans to do some work with a BIL, I guess it'd be called labouring.

Both will be spending a day each week looking after DD2 (5) and then for the last 2 weeks of summer I ship them all off to Jamaica to stay with MIL and DHs other various relatives. At which point DH and I will have a week in Sicilly .

Thanks for that Soda!

I will have a look but not say anything to DD, she is head down on GCSEs and has said she doesnt want to talk about anything to do with post GCSE which does limit conversation!

I love Sicily. We went to Taormina pre dc.
Ds has a job as a lifeguard at the sports centre. He is on a casual basis but gets quite a bit of work.

bruffin that's where we're going! Went a few years ago and loved it, the views are to die for, can you remember where you stayed? We've booked somewhere different this time and I'm a bit about it all.

Also how did I manage to forget the DCs also going on their first completely unsupervised holidays . Probably as I am in denial about the whole thing. Considering my teen/twenties holidays consisted of alcohol, sex and doing every stupid thing known to man, I'm intending on remaining in denial until they can come back safe and well and reassure me it was all good clean fun .

DS is doing The Challenge. A week's Outdoor Ed, a week's residential experience doing something creative, then a week's work nearer home. There is a comitment to some weekends in September too. Looks fab.

Then a bit of a rest, then Scout camp.
Then rest
Then family week away.
Then GCSE results, so who knows.......

It was some apartments half way up the cliff. We either had to walk down to get the funicular up or walk up.
Have you been to etna, I think the restaurant we went to isn't there anymore, it is covered in lava from one of the eruptions.
We also went on a trip around some of the small islands.
I would love to go back, Sicily is such a fascinating place and as you said very beautiful.

Mine will be gutted, in Scotland the new school year begins in June! Are yours all off until Sept?!

Also I'm going to Sicily too, my parents are from there

Wow plenty to think about then. He does a lot of music and good to put in the playing he won't get so much time for once AS start. But a bit solitary. Will push him out of the house to see friends and do some trips. He can do jobs and perfect cooking skills...... But for now its English exam in 5 mins!! At least of mice and men can wrap up.

Exams finish last week of June, then leavers prom 2nd July and they are off until September, my DD is year 9 and finished July 20th.

July 20th is quite a while away! I think my DSs are due to start 6th year on the 4th June and then school ends on the 27th.

It would normally be half term next week, but due to the Jubliee celebrations it is a week later. We are going to see my mum for her birthday up in Norfolk for a few days. Then ds and his friends are attempting to walk up there in July. Its 70 miles and they are trying to plan the route at the moment.
They did walk to Cambridge one day last summer. Set off 3 oclock in the morning and we found them asleep on a bench on the outskirts of Cambridge at about 5pm.

DD3 is finishing college on 29th June ( first year of BTECH National Diploma ( think it goes into extended next year) and doesn't go back until December. She's got a university open day lined up for the 30th and is coming in holiday with us for 2 weeks at beginning of July. She'll carry on with her voluntary Saturday job and is doing a show with her Drama club at the end of July. Other than that she'll just relax and laze around although she will continue to look for a paid part time job but there is nothing round here. It's hard for her because although she is 20 she has dyspraxia and some other learning difficulties so is actually a few years behind her peers. That's why she's still at college. We are proud of get because she has worked hard to be able to think about applying for uni.