Recovery is about more than just rest, so in this episode we’re making the case for adding a little whimsy to your summer. We share how playfulness can help teachers reconnect with themselves, the science behind why positive emotions matter, and simple ways to create a summer that feels more memorable, meaningful, and fun. Give yourself permission to enjoy things simply because they bring you joy!

Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/teacher-summer-ideas/

Resources:

• Diaper Caddy
• Q-Less game
• Sticker By Number book
• Word Search Mystery
• Plant magnets
• Paint markers
• Preorder our book Structure and Spark
• Join The Teacher Approved Club
• Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
• Shop our teacher-approved resources
• Join our Teacher Approved Facebook group
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
• Leave a comment or rating on Spotify

Related Episodes to Enjoy:

• Episode 262. Crashing Isn't Resting: The Summer Teacher Mistake to Skip This Year
• Episode 263. Can't Miss Classic: Stop Letting Guilt and Panic Steal Your Teacher Summer
• Episode 196. The 3 Step Plan to Park Those School Thoughts and Enjoy Your Summer Break
• Episode 197. A Teacher Summer Self Care and Recovery Plan That Doesn’t Feel Like Work
• Episode 14. Best Summer Ever

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the Teacher Approved Club, where members get seasonal morning work pages for grades K–5 this month to add fall and holiday fun without throwing off their routines: https://secondstorywindow.net/club

This is episode 268 of Teacher Approved.

You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping

educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm

Heidi.

And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story

Window, where we give research-based and

teacher-approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and

more effective. You can check out the show notes and resources

from each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to

the show.

Hey there, thanks for joining us today. In today's

episode, we're making the case for adding a little whimsy to

your summer, plus we've got a teacher-approved tip for putting

together an analog basket.

But let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share

a quick one that you can try right away. Emily, what is our

suggestion for this week?

This week, pick one tiny treat to indulge in. So maybe

it's buying yourself a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store,

or picking up the fancy iced coffee from the place that you

only let yourself go to sometimes, because it's, you

know, too expensive. Or you know, just getting a new candle,

anything like that. It doesn't have to be big, just claim one

small fancy thing, just for you.

I love this. So much of life seems to run on autopilot.

We get through the day, there's the children to wrangle, we put

dinner on the table, we collapse. There's just not a lot

of space for enjoying things or noticing things.

Yeah, and a tiny indulgence is a reminder that,

you know, those small moments are where life happens, so it's

not just the big trips or the milestone events, but, you know,

the random Tuesday afternoon when you light a candle and sip

your coffee for 10 minutes. Those moments make up a lot more

of your life than the big things.

Well, if you like ideas like this one, would you take a

second and give us a five star rating and review in your

podcast player? It is a small thing that makes a big

difference for us, and it helps new listeners find us. So we

really, really do appreciate everyone.

Yeah, we do. Okay, let's start with a trip down memory

lane. If someone asked, what did you do last summer, could you

remember? Not in like a, we went to the beach, but like

specifically, what did you do last summer.

And I think for a lot of teachers the answers may be kind

of a shrug. You know you had time off, you know you were

definitely grateful for that, but most of the summer blurred

into, we did some stuff, and then it was August.

Yeah, and that's what we are talking about today, not how

to rest more, although we are big fans of rest, but how to

make a summer that you'll remember, and we're doing that

by making the case for a little summer whimsy.

And it does feel a bit whimsical to dedicate a whole

episode to whimsy.

It does, we're so whimsy. But that might be like verging

into whimsy inception territory. Yeah, and none of us have the

brain power to unravel inception at the moment.

No, we're not doing that. So, instead, let's start with

something that we have been circling around all summer.

We've talked a lot about recovery, especially in those

first weeks of break. And back in episode 262 we made the case

that recovery is more than just crashing on the couch.

And to be clear, we are fully encouraging you to crash

out on the couch, like do that as much as you need to. But

often when we talk about teacher recovery, we're talking about

taking things away, everyone wants less stress, less

pressure, and fewer responsibilities.

If you remember our 4R recovery framework, all of those

taking away things lives under that first R, relax, and that,

of course, is important. But if your whole summer is only

focused on relaxing, you're missing three fourths of your

recovery plan. The other R's - refresh, refocus, and recharge -

are all about thoughtfully adding things that enrich your

life.

So, think of summer recovery like a garden bed. You

can pull all the weeds, you can clear it out, you can get the

soil all ready, even though that doesn't sound relaxing, that's

essentially the work of relaxing. You're getting

everything out of the way, so you can be still.

And I am told that that's an important step in gardening.

Yeah, we established last week on an outing that we do not

have green thumbs. We were trying to get into some

gardening, and, it didn't, it didn't go well, listeners.

I did manage to kill the one little sprout that I got to

show up, but it's fine. It's fine.

My basil plant is already looking pretty droopy. I need to

re-pot it, but I haven't, ugh, see, we don't know anything

about gardening. We're making this analogy up.

So if it's wrong, don't tell us. But tying that back

into recovery, you have to clear the path a little bit, clear the

bed, but nothing's going to grow if you never plant the seeds.

That that I do know is true, that's definitely true.

Yeah, that's kindergarten level on that one. But after

relaxing, we got those three other R's, and we're not going

to go into all of them today. You can go back to episode 262

if you want the breakdown, but what all of those R's have in

common is that they're about reconnecting with who you are

when you're not being a teacher.

For some teachers, this comes pretty naturally, but for

a lot of us, even the thought of having to answer, what do you do

for fun, just makes you panic.

Oh, 100%. Emily and I used to spend our summers

bouncing back and forth between our classrooms, working on big

projects.

I mean, we would take on like massive curriculum

overhauls, like writing something from scratch, like

that was, and we loved every minute of it. That's the crazy

part, but I don't know that we got any of this recovery done.

No, it was fun, but I also kind of have to admit that

there was like a darker layer to it for me. Staying busy gave me

this feeling of accomplishment, without ever having to stop and

consider what I actually want for my life, and am I moving

toward that. So, even after Emily moved away, my summers

were still just full of that same level of work. Busyness was

so much easier than having to sit with those questions, and

maybe having to overhaul my life as a result.

Right. I think a lot of teachers will see themselves in

that description. When you've drifted from your sense of self,

the idea of finding your way back kind of feels overwhelming.

Yeah, it's a bit like jumping from a plane with no

parachute. So, here is why we are dedicating today to whimsy.

It's because it's such a low pressure place to start. There's

no soul searching. You don't have to figure out what's

missing from your life. You just have to open the door to a

little bit of playfulness.

And our teacher-approved definition of whimsy, who cares

what Merriam Webster says.

Well, we care a little bit, because we do like their

account.

It's true, they have a very good account on social

media, they're very funny, but our definition of whimsy is

deliberately making room for delight, curiosity, surprise,

and playfulness. So, on the surface, it probably sounds very

frivolous, but it's an important part of recovery. Whimsy

reconnects you with yourself, and it helps you get the most

out of your summer in a way that fills your tank back up instead

of draining it.

But don't worry, we're not getting into the heavy

stuff. We're not going to suggest that you throw a

Bridgerton style tea party for 30 of your friends.

Although if you are, way to go. I bet your group texts

are lively. If you have 30 friends, that's amazing. But you

don't need 30 friends or tea parties to feel whimsical. All

it takes is something as simple as wearing llama earrings or

talking to your cat in an accent. Whimsy meets you where

you are with whatever energy you have to give.

So, to give a little example from my own life, Emily

and I are both big fans of Gretchen Rubin and her podcast,

Happier. And every year she talks about how to design your

summer so that it feels special and not just three months of

sweating. So, a couple of years ago, I took Gretchen's idea, and

I did The Summer of Parks and Rec, because I had never seen

that show all the way through. I'd only watched the first

season. So my to-do list was watching every episode and

listening to the Parks and Rec podcast. It's pretty low, it's

pretty low key, and I cannot say that that project made me a

better person, but it definitely made me a happier one.

And then another summer I did the summer of Audrey Hepburn, so

I listened to her biography, and I watched all of her movies in

order, not all of them, I couldn't find all of them on

streaming, but all the ones I could. And I have these clear

memories of that summer, like one afternoon where I treated

myself to a fancy soda, because we get all the fancy sodas here,

and I was listening to this story unfold of young Audrey

working with the Dutch resistance to take down Nazis.

And like this moment was not anything special, but because

summer's our busy season for work, and everything just has to

be wedged in around my other responsibilities, having

something lighthearted to focus on reminded me that life is

about more than my to-do list.

Yeah, and I feel like for us, because now we serve

teachers and summer is like go time for us, it's really easy to

just like let the summer pass by, and so I do think adding in

these rituals or moments of whimsy can really help you feel

connected to your summer. A couple years ago, I think I

talked about it here on the podcast when I came up with the

idea, which is that I wanted to have the summer of movies. So I

just had this realization that I love going to the movies, it's

just this nice escape where you're fully locked into

something and not being distracted and just enjoying a

movie, and then you can get your little movie snacks and watch

previews. I just, I just love it.

It's even better now that all of the theaters around us have very

nice recliner seats and things like that. But it was such a

nice summer having this thing that I wanted to do feel more

like something I should do, because I had set the intention

to do it, so then it did give me that thrill of, like, check, I'm

checking things off of my list. But it is just easier to

prioritize something when you name it.

And I love how expansive this idea is. You can have the

summer of anything, really, the summer of trying every ice cream

parlor in town, or reading on the porch, or learning the names

of the birds in your yard. We recently downloaded the Merlin

app, so we are becoming experts.

I sent my youngest out with that to check on some birds

that she was watching, and they flew away, so she didn't, she

didn't catch anything, but she tried doing some fake noises,

thinking that she could trick it, and I have to tell you, the

Merlin app is too smart, she could not trick it.

It's a wild Eloise. Now before you chalk all this up to

just, you know, fluffy feel-good nonsense. There is some real

psychology backing this up. Heavy emotions like stress

narrow our attention. So, think about how we all feel in the

middle of testing season. We are just zeroed in on the problems

and tracking all the deadlines and all the things that need

fixing.

And that's useful when you're trying to survive a hard

stretch, but it can wreak havoc on your mind and your body if

you spend every day wound up like that.

Yeah, that's how we end up with brain fog and insomnia

and digestive issues.

And if it goes too long, we end up with problems like

heart disease and autoimmune disorders. So it's really

important to learn to manage your stress.

And one way to do that is to lean into lighter feelings.

Where stress and anxiety narrow our focus to whatever problem is

right in front of us, delight and playfulness do the opposite;

they help us see the possibilities again.

And now we're going to use real research here.

Researcher Barbara Fredrickson calls this broaden and build

theory. So, the idea is that we counter the narrowness that

stress brings by opening up to emotions and behaviors that

broaden attention. So, over time, those broadened moments

help us build lasting relationships, skills, and

coping strategies.

Or in other words, whimsy is not just a TikTok trend, it's

part of how we heal and come out even stronger on the other side.

And I just think this is especially important for

teachers all day long, you're scanning for who needs help,

what's missing, what did I forget, what problem is about to

become my problem. I mean, that is really the job, to be waiting

for an issue all day long.

Yeah, that is the job, which is why teaching has a way

of swallowing up huge parts of who you are. You become the

planner, the organizer, the caretaker, the problem solver,

and your world gets a little smaller without you even

noticing.

So, summer isn't only a break from the stress, it's also

your chance to widen the lens again. So, you spent 10 months

narrowing. Summer is when you get to broaden back out.

You know, we love reflection questions around

here. So, let's take a minute to think about a couple things.

First, what did you love before teaching took up so much of your

attention? And second, what are you curious about right now?

And this is the thing about those summer themes. The

summer of Audrey Hepburn wasn't really about Audrey Hepburn,

right, Heidi?

No, it really wasn't. It was about having a no stress

reason to walk away from my computer sometimes. I just used

Audrey and also Leslie Knope as my doorways.

Right. And my movie summer wasn't really about

movies, it was about me realizing, like, oh, there's

this thing that I actually really enjoy, and I'm never

doing it, because I haven't made any space for it in my life. So

now I need to make the space for it.

It's a chronic problem. When we were at the nursery the

other day, I came home, and I can't tell you, like, I had so

much guilt that we had gone to the nursery in the afternoon.

I know, in the middle of a work day.

And I just was like, what? What is going on in my

brain that I can't let this go?

Uh huh.

We are just so conditioned to justify

everything. We don't move unless it counts as exercise. We track

the minutes that we're spending on our phones. We feel guilty if

the books we read aren't serious enough. Everything has to earn

its keep.

But I have a secret for you, the. Rules are made up. You

are a grown-up. You can do something just because it

interests you. It doesn't have to be productive, and it doesn't

have to make you better. It can just be fun and silly and

completely pointless if we want it to be.

And that is what whimsy gives you. It creates room for

experiences that don't have to justify themselves. And the

funny thing is those things tend to end up being some of the most

meaningful parts of life anyway.

But the catch is that those moments almost never just

happen on their own. So, if you want some place to start, use

Gretchen Rubin's idea of giving your summer a theme. This year

maybe you want the summer of state parks, or the summer of

musicals, or the summer of library visits.

The nice thing about a theme is that it creates

anticipation and a little bit of structure, but there's not too

much extra work involved.

And that brings us right back to the question that we

started with. Years from now, the summer of 2026 might not

mean anything if you hear that, but you might remember, oh, that

was my summer of wildflowers.

So, if you need a whimsical on-ramp, try naming

your summer. But if you want to go a different route, why not

try something we are calling a whimsy menu. So, here's the

problem it solves: when we are tired, we default, and the

default is almost always scrolling.

Yes, so guilty every time. So, to combat that, let's

make some decisions ahead of time. Find a moment when you

have a little energy and make a plan that you'll benefit from

later when you're feeling sluggish. It's, you know, the

gift for your future self. We love to do it. So, start with a

list of categories, and if you need some ideas, you could try

creative, outdoor, social, silly, or curious.

And then think about some things you might want to do in

each category. You will be more likely to follow through if you

make the item specific. So, instead of writing "have fun,"

write, "try three new homemade popscroll recipes," or instead

of, "spend more time outside," put, "walk the trail behind the

library every Tuesday." That way you know if you have achieved

your goal or not.

And remember, this is not about chasing productivity, so

please mix in some easy ones.

Or honestly, do all easy if that's more realistic for

your season. No one's grading you.

Yeah, this is a menu, not a contract. You are not failing

your summer if you don't get to all of it. You're just giving

yourself good options for the moment you'd otherwise reach for

your phone.

And even though we are moving into July, there is still

a lot of summer left. So, what do you want to get out of it?

What would help you broaden your view?

So try naming your summer. Follow a curiosity. My

friend just told me that she's super into sandhill cranes right

now. I was like, okay, I love it. And you know, watch the

movies, give yourself something to remember, and give yourself a

chance to just be a person again before it's time to be a

teacher.

And this is exactly the spirit behind something we've

got coming up that we are so excited about, it's almost time

for our annual teacher summer talk summit.

And I'm so excited about this. This is something we do

every summer, it's been a few years of doing this now, and

what is really important to us, if we're going to ask teachers

to come spend some of their personal time working on

professional development, then we're going to make sure you

have a really good time. So last year our theme was 90s theme, a

90s summer theme, and oh, we went hard. Anyone who was at it

knows we leaned all the way into the 90s. We had a snack food,

90s snack food bracket that we voted on to figure out what was

the best 90 snack, and we just had such a fun time.

And so I knew we needed a different theme this year. I

wasn't sure we could top it until I came up with summer camp

theme, and not just any summer camp, like parent trap summer

camp, like, very nostalgic, all the fun. We are going to have a

total blast, and you'll get to get ready for back to school

from the comfort of your own couch. And then, along the way,

you can earn merit badges. This is the part I'm so excited

about. And then also the chance to win prizes while you're

learning, so it's win, win, win.

It's basically permission to make getting ready for fall

feel a little more whimsy and a lot less like a chore.

The summit is free, and the tickets open up on July 1.

So, mark your calendar, and believe me, we will have all the

details for you as we get closer.

Now, for our teacher-approved tip of the week, where we share

an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and

simplify the rest. This week's teacher-approved tip is make an

analog bag. So, tell us about an analog bag, Heidi.

Well, if you are online a lot, like I am, this is

something you're probably familiar with, because it's kind

of everywhere right now.

It's the it thing, this summer.

That and whimsy, but I think everyone is latching onto

it, because it makes so much sense. The idea is to just round

up a bunch of stuff that you can do while you're relaxing,

instead of scrolling your phone. So, in my analog bag, I have a

couple of books, a needle punching project that I'm just

learning how to do, some puzzle books that I got for my

birthday, a sticker by number book, and then I also have this

little word game tin called Cue List that our mom got us for

Easter.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

It's perfect because it's just a one-player game, and then

you just need something to store it all in, so that it's as handy

to reach for as your phone. Obviously, I have the perk of

not having kids around, so I don't have to worry about kids

getting into it. I'm using a felt diaper tote, but I've seen

people use baskets or canvas bags, or even fun gardening

totes.

Yeah, and you just want to look for something that has a

lot of little pockets, I think, because sometimes there's just

little bits and pieces for some of the things you might want to

add.

So, I'll put a link in the show notes to the diaper

tote I'm using. It's really nice, it's got little pockets on

the side and big spaces in the middle, and then your challenge

this week is to start rounding up stuff at your house, because

I bet you've got more bits and pieces scattered all over that

would work well for an analog bag. You probably don't even

need to buy anything, but this is a good reason to use the

stuff that you've always been meaning to get to.

To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving extra

credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Well, I wanted to think of something whimsy for the

extra credit this week, so I am giving extra credit to myself

for this idea. No, I'm giving extra credit to rock exchanges.

So I had the thought that out by my little free library in my

yard, it would be perfect to have a little rock exchange

there, so the kids in the neighborhood can decorate rocks,

and they can come drop them off, and they can grab one of the

other ones and take it home, and then they can drop them off

places where they want to, you know, you can just leave a cute

rock in the park, or whatever. So I just thought it was such a

fun little summery thing to do, and so my extra credit actually

is going to the paint markers that I found that are supposed

to be good for rocks.

That's such a fun idea. I don't have painted rocks, but

I've got some random rocks that kids might like.

Oh, I do love your ladybug rocks.

Oh, that's a fun idea. Maybe I'll bring those over.

They're just sad in my yard right now. I inherited someone's

rock collection that got passed from, like, I think someone's

parents had collected, and it made its way to me. So, I got

these like pretty rocks. I don't do it, but maybe the kids would

want to decorate them.

Yes, maybe that's a good idea. What are you giving extra

credit to, Heidi?

Well, also in the theme of whimsy, I'm giving extra

credit to plant magnets. Have you seen these, Emily?

Yes.

They're so fun. They're just like little magnetic eyes

or shapes that you can put on the leaves of your plants. So,

I've got this big tall snake plant in the corner, the one

plant I've managed to keep alive. So, I put all these

little eyes on it, and it just makes me laugh. I love it. It's

not very expensive, it doesn't take up any extra space, so I'll

put a link in the show notes, but there's tons of brands out

there. If you want something to make you smile, plant magnets

are it.

I love it.

That is it for today's episode. Pick a theme for your

summer, make yourself a whimsy menu, and give yourself a summer

worth remembering.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.

And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow

or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an

episode.

You can connect with us and other teachers in the

Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.

Bye for now.

Bye.