Summer's Kid Conundrum

Still a kid at heart, I very much look forward to the summer all year long. I like the heat, and the absence of coldness, of which I am not very fond. But when the summer months actually roll around, my wife and I oftentimes find ourselves a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of time that the kids have at their disposal. Two full months. Wow.

So the question becomes-- what are we possibly going to do with them for all that time?? Of course there is the requisite and fun vacation of 2-3 weeks. But that leaves over a month still...and who wants to break the bank by sending kids to sleep-away camp. Even joining the local pool doesn't solve all the problems because we don't want the kids to have THAT much fun ;>)

This summer we have decided the day camp will happen at home. So we dutifully outlined the days we needed to fill and then brainstormed for quite a while (over some wine!) about all sorts of ideas that the city and surroundings could offer. We then created a basic schedule for each day and then carefully began to plug in the events and ideas.

The result (we hope) will be a fun filled summer where our youngest boys, 10 and 11, will both enjoy themselves and form lifetime memories of spending quality time with mom and dad.

Here's a short list of some of the activities that we have planned:

• Short hikes
• Visiting local swimming holes (not pools!)
• Making crates and signs for the kids rooms from old wooden pallets
• Art projects, using real canvases purchased from the art supply store
• Water fights
• Short sport tournaments - ping-pong, basketball, running and bike races, etc
• Speed gaming - intensivive episodes of playing games (cards, board games), but not for more than 20 minutes!
• Go to the museums
• Teach them how to bake and cook

I am sure I am missing some items, and I am sure this list pales in comparison to some more "planful" parents, but it's the best we could do over a glass of chilled white wine!

Enjoy the summer!