When Camp Won’t Do: A Summer
Survival Guide By Jolean McPherson
Well, it’s already May. You know what that means:
the kids will be out of school before you have a chance to figure out
what you’re going to do with them.
What can you do to keep your sanity and keep them busy? And how can you
make it a memorable summer if summer camp won’t work for you?
All it takes is a little bit of planning. Here’s what you’ll need to get
started:
A calendar:
Choose one big enough to hold your plans for the
whole summer.
A pencil:
Penciled-in entries can be erased and rewritten until everyone in the
family is happy with them.
Creative minds:
Hold a family meeting to brainstorm the kids’
greatest hopes and wildest dreams. Has your daughter always wanted to go
horseback riding? Does your son want to be an astronaut? Then think of
steps you can take toward fulfilling your kids’ dreams. Are there also
things they need to work on academically? Try making summer learning fun
by incorporating math problems into a beach trip, baseball game or
cooking experiment.
A computer, newspaper or library: Use your computer and local newspaper
as sources for more ideas. Some good places to start include:
www.familyfun.com,
www.visittampabay.com
and
www.parentingguide.com.
The library also has many books on craft projects, activities and trips.
Are you looking for some ideas to get your creative juices flowing? Why
not consider themed days or weeks. One possible week’s schedule could
look like this:
Mondays: Water
Pick a beach or a pool, visit a sprayground or spring, or go canoeing.
Tuesdays: Sports
Head over to one of the nearby parks to play basketball or soccer. If
skateboarding is your child’s idea of fun, head to a different
skateboard park each week. Consider a bike ride on the Upper Tampa Bay
Trail, Pinellas Trail or Fort De Soto bike paths. Or to beat the heat,
visit a nearby ice skating rink.
Wednesdays: Chill Out
Take a breather to recuperate and run some errands. Go to the library
and read some books or allow some computer or video game time. Be sure
to stop at the kids’ favorite ice cream shop to officially “chill out.”
Thursdays: Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking
and Science
If you’re looking to inject some academic or arts pursuits into your
summer, Thursday is the day. Have your kids take up an instrument; give
them lessons or have them practice at home. Try an art class at a local
craft store or do a fun science experiment (like cooking in a solar oven
or making a volcano). Head to the kitchen and cook something fun or
accompany the kids to cooking class. Why not go to a gourmet meal
preparation kitchen to make some family meals to take home or visit a
paint-your-own-pottery store together? Perhaps your older children can
help you catch up on scrapbooking while reliving the past. For some
craft and cooking ideas, visit
www.amazingmoms.com,
www.publix.com/preschool,
www.first-school.ws,
www.mommyandme.com/activities
or
www.alphabet-soup.net.
Fridays: Field Trip
Visit one of the many local attractions we have, like Dinosaur World,
Busch Gardens, Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, Adventure Island or
MOSI. Many parks in the area have nature trails, educational centers and
tours – like Fort De Soto and Saw Grass Lake Park in St. Pete. The Web
is a great resource here as well. In addition to Pinellas and
Hillsborough Counties’ parks’ Web sites, visit
www.visitflorida.com
or
www.stpete.org/50things.htm
for 50 fascinating things to do in St. Petersburg.
Here are some other ideas for worthwhile activities that could be
incorporated into your week:
Charity Day
Pick one day a week to volunteer for your favorite charity. Visit a
local nursing home and bring some homemade cards/artwork or sing a song.
Feed lunch to the homeless at Metropolitan Ministries. Cook and deliver
a meal to a hurting friend or neighbor. For ideas on one-time, short
term projects, visit Hands on Tampa Bay at
www.volunteertampabay.com.
This is a great way to teach your kids how to give back to the community
and appreciate what they have.
Child Exchange
Have your kids go to a trustworthy friend’s house one day a week and
have their kids come to your house on another day. This arrangement will
give your friend and you time to get errands and chores done, let the
kids develop their friendships, and allow everyone a change of scenery.
For thoughts on what to do with them on your shift, try Web sites like
www.gameskidsplay.net
or use the Little Hands series (The Little Hands Big Fun Craft Book:
Creative Fun for 2-6 Year Olds; Science Play: Beginning
Discoveries for 2-6 Year Olds; or Math Play: 80 Ways to Count and
Learn). Visit the library, bookstore or surf the Web for more ideas.
Scavenger Hunts
Organize one of these fun activities at different places – at the mall,
beach or park. Get your friends to help (or individually organize a
different hunt each week). You could even have the older kids organize
one for the parents on your block, culminating in a block party. Divide
into teams and compete for prizes! For a sample scavenger hunt list,
check out
www.hud.gov/kids/scavhunt.html
or simply type Scavenger Hunt List into
your Internet search engine for other examples.
Geocaching
Turn your whole family on to these high-tech outdoor treasure hunts. For
these events the kids will use a GPS to hide and seek containers with
other participants in the activity. To find out how to get started,
visit
www.geocaching.com.
Make-a-Mess Day
Organize a shaving cream or food fight outside. Make mud pies out in the
backyard and look for grubs or earthworms. Plant a vegetable garden. Get
soaked with water guns or water balloons. Do some finger painting.
Better yet, hang a huge piece of craft paper on your fence or lay it on
the lawn. Then put paint in a squirt bottle/gun and let the fun begin!
(Just have the hose ready for when the kids turn on each other.)
Free or $1 Movies
Try Regal Cinemas at Citrus Park or visit AMC Summer MovieCamp at
Veterans 24. Check with the theatres for schedules.
Don’t forget to make some rainy day plans, too. Organize a
movie-and-popcorn afternoon, pillow fights, an obstacle course in the
house, board games and card games. Try to avoid the urge to plant them
in front of the TV or computer and miss out on making some great
memories with your children this summer!
The main thing is to write it down, so they and you can look forward to
what’s coming up! Get out your calendar and pencil and hop to it. Time
is running out!
