What to do with the kids when school is out!?!
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Pool, sprinklers, garden, paint, crafts, bikes, play ball, picnics, build a treehouse or fix something around the house and bubbles, playdoh.... Read. Lots to do just getting everyone excited is the trick.
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I went to summer camp most of the time when I was a kid. Although, my mom was a teacher so she had summers off too, so I could stay home if I wanted. I was kinda lucky, when I was in middle school my dad started running his business from home so during the summer we could go on vacations, go to the movies, kinda do whatever...but I INSISTED on going to various summer camps: dance camp, horseback riding camp, cooking camp, Girl Scout camp, you name it.
My son is in a pre-k program right now so he'll be there all summer, but he starts regular school in the fall. Next summer I plan on having him enrolled in various summer camps: baseball camp, soccer camp, Vacation Bible School, etc. It can get expensive, but considering what I've been paying for preschool/pre-k, it's nothing new---plus I'll have the whole school year of not paying tuition to save up!
ETA: I did horseback riding camp and dance camp until I was like 15. I'd gone so many years to the horseback riding camp, they started giving me free riding lessons if I would come and help with the little kids, it was awesome!0 -
My eldest who's 7 is not on his summer holidays until 29th of June. I have a 2 year old at home all the time. The plan is to sign the 7 year old up for two seperate week long summer camps to break up the 8 weeks off school.
Other than that....I don't know.
I have the opposite problem though, my 2 year old loves to have his big brother at home, they get on so well it's easier to have them both here.0 -
I would definitely register them each for a week or more of day camp. Your 13 y.o. is probably old enough to work as a junior counselor. As much as you want to, don't send them the same week - this way they get 2 total weeks away from each other.
The 13 y.o. should try to do some work and start earning spending money this summer. He'll want to start saving up for when he has a car in just a few years. Maybe babysit for some younger kids, mow lawns, weed gardens, whatever. He can make a little flyer on the computer to pass out around the neighborhood. Also, this is a great time to instill the values of volunteering in a child. Your local hospital, library, YMCA, etc. probably have a need for young volunteers.0 -
I totally understand. I have 2 at home all day ages 4 and 20 months. I have a 11 and 6 yr olds in school and the fighting starts the minute they are all together. I am close to town but don't have money to spend on things so my kids play with neighbors or just have to deal with each other. for me i have to throw in 3 appointments each week to deal with too plus normal errands which makes them want to eat out all the time and gets them made when i say no. i think there will be lots of outside time for them this summer is the weather allows. in the past 2 weeks we have had 2 days without rain.0
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The age gap creates a few problems (like finding a movie they'd both watch, etc.)
One thing we're planning on doing this summer is geo-caching... it's just cool enough that a young teenager would see the fun in it and a 3yo would enjoy being outside and "hunting" for them!
If you have a local swimming pool, that's always a great option. We take our kids to the pool like three times a week during the summer, taking advantage of all the free swims they offer! Kids of all ages love to swim, and it will wear them out.
We do a lot of random craft activities, even when they sound sort of silly. The other day, we found a huge stick on the side of the road, brought it home, washed it off and painted it white. Then the kids and I painted it with colorful designs. It kept them busy for an hour and now we have a colorful stick on the porch that has my kids' handprints on it. It's fun.
If it weren't so hot here, we would go on lots of nature walks. We would gather rocks and sticks and do fun things with them.
You also can't go wrong with putting a sprinkler outside and letting them run around in it. I also like to have them help me work on the yard... they do a great job clearing rocks and sticks from the lawn and help me put pieces of mulch back in the beds.
If it's an ugly day out, one of our favorite things to do is build elaborate forts in the house. We use bedsheets and blankets, dining room chairs, etc. My oldest (4yo) loves fort building and my youngest (almost 2yo) just loves going in and out. I fill the forts with sleeping bags and pillows, they just absolutely love it.
Your local theater might have matinees... if my kids had a large age gap, we would each take a kid to a movie they wanted around the same time.
When I was 13, I really loved the mall. If I had kids your age, I'd go walk the mall with them and allow the 13yo a little freedom while I pushed the little one around (our mall has car-shaped carts you can rent, my kids love them).
Also, you could look into day camps for the oldest. In 8th grade (I was 12) I did a different day camp once a week every week for an entire summer. I loved it... art class, water skiing, etc.0 -
I can't wait to hear some ideas, mine are 9 and 11, I've been known to make them go outside and then lock the doors so they can't get back in and pester me....oh wait, that's probably not the best idea!! lol
:laugh: That's what my mom did with us when we were kids! Pssstt...I don't think we're allowed to do that now! LMAO!! Didn't hurt us any though!0 -
Library not an option....
Like ten years ago I got a book there and spaced it. I went two years ago after the eight year lapse and asked for a new card. The (not nice) lady at the counter informed me that I had a $56 fee because of the book I has inadvertently been holding hostage. Whoops! I told her I still had the book and would gladly go get it. She refused. Was unwilling to work with me on the fee. So when she went to the back room to see if my old card had been turned in I turned to my son and said "RUN". He was like, "What?"
"Run!"
Me, my 11 year old (ages they were at the time) and 1 year old fled the library. I have not been back since!
F- the library, they are nazi's!0 -
Does your town or county offer a Summer Rec program ? Also, many dance studios, gymnastic studios, taekwando studios offer 'camps' during the summer .
But some cool things you can do for free with kids:
1. Build a kite with them. Newspaper , balsa wood, or thin plastic strips, glue --you can build a kite out a lot of different things (we built one out of wrapping paper and straws taken from Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins). You can find basic instructions with your googler.
2. Gather all your water based items and get them to build a "water park" or "water obstacle course" in your yard.
3. Public Library. The best resource ever. It's air-conditioned, has a children's section with puppets/toys/board books, has plenty of current magazines, DVDs, CDs, books, Internet, and plus they often have programs/entertainment/classes as well.
4. Make a movie. Have them write, direct, film and then let them edit it on your computer.
5. Go to all the parks in your county. A different park each Thursday.
6. Read your local newspaper -- a lot of organizations have summer fairs and post the dates in the "Community calendar" .0 -
- Day camp. A whole week of activities for them. Chances are your local YMCA has several, your school or local colleges (college students studying education often run day camps for experience credit) might be aware of some, or if there's a local farm they might have (or be interested in starting) a program or your local 4-H might already have one going.
- Take the last weeks of school to get to know the parents of a few of the other kids. Play dates = good for everyone. You get to hang out with the parents, the kids all go running around in the yard tiring each other out. Plus your kids are developing better relationships with their schoolmates and you're developing a relationship with the parents of the kids your kids hang out with.
- Skip the running if you think you'll get hurt again and concentrate on walking for enjoyment. Do some day hikes in the woods if you have a park with trails. Hills are great, tiring fun, and you get a rewarding view from the top. The more they appreciate the outdoors, the more they'll want to be out there, and an active kid in the outdoors is generally a healthier kid than one who sits in front of a screen a lot.
- For the rainy days, get some puzzles or all take up a hobby together (knitting, reading together). Or get some good raingear and enjoy the outdoors and revel in being wet. There should be some outside time EVERY DAY unless the weather is dangerously bad (which is limited to either beyond the temperature zone of their outdoor gear, hurricane-force winds, hail, thunderstorms, or the Apocalypse).
When I was growing up, my mother taught us how to cross busy streets safely and to be on the lookout for people acting oddly. Then she would feed us a solid breakfast in the summer and throw us out of the house. Lunch was available if we wanted it, and she had a big bell you could hear for several blocks that she'd ring about a half hour before supper, and an neighbor had an airhorn that could be heard for miles. Most of the families on the block had supper at about the same time, so our dinner bell pretty much applied to all my friends, too. My mom would ring the bell, the neighbor would give two long blasts on the airhorn, and everyone started heading home to wash up for supper.
If you showed up at the house during the day, you were either hurt, hungry, or just plain exhausted. All your friends were at the playground, home was where you went to fuel up or get fixed up.
We don't live in a neighborhood, but we got rid of our television and it was amazing how fast my daughter found other things to do. She's a voracious reader, and has learned to knit, crochet, play the flute and cello, and just sit and think of silly stories. Of course, we spend as much money on yarn, musical instruments, and other supplies as we used to on the cable bill, but I'm never short of hats, mittens, musical accompaniment, or artwork.0 -
Also....Money is totally an issue. Yard work not a great idea. We are moving, sadly and won't be in our home much longer.0
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Library not an option....
Like ten years ago I got a book there and spaced it. I went two years ago after the eight year lapse and asked for a new card. The (not nice) lady at the counter informed me that I had a $56 fee because of the book I has inadvertently been holding hostage. Whoops! I told her I still had the book and would gladly go get it. She refused. Was unwilling to work with me on the fee. So when she went to the back room to see if my old card had been turned in I turned to my son and said "RUN". He was like, "What?"
"Run!"
Me, my 11 year old (ages they were at the time) and 1 year old fled the library. I have not been back since!
F- the library, they are nazi's!
You know, if that book had been a video, you would have owed Blockbuster $900.0 -
Library not an option....
Like ten years ago I got a book there and spaced it. I went two years ago after the eight year lapse and asked for a new card. The (not nice) lady at the counter informed me that I had a $56 fee because of the book I has inadvertently been holding hostage. Whoops! I told her I still had the book and would gladly go get it. She refused. Was unwilling to work with me on the fee. So when she went to the back room to see if my old card had been turned in I turned to my son and said "RUN". He was like, "What?"
"Run!"
Me, my 11 year old (ages they were at the time) and 1 year old fled the library. I have not been back since!
F- the library, they are nazi's!
With all due respect, you owed a late fee that you acknowledged when you signed the book out - that's how the library works. It's kind of unfair to call them "nazis" when you were the one in the wrong...for almost a decade.
Also, by not going back, you are depriving your kids (and yourself) of a great educational, FREE activity for the summertime.0 -
Library not an option....
Like ten years ago I got a book there and spaced it. I went two years ago after the eight year lapse and asked for a new card. The (not nice) lady at the counter informed me that I had a $56 fee because of the book I has inadvertently been holding hostage. Whoops! I told her I still had the book and would gladly go get it. She refused. Was unwilling to work with me on the fee. So when she went to the back room to see if my old card had been turned in I turned to my son and said "RUN". He was like, "What?"
"Run!"
Me, my 11 year old (ages they were at the time) and 1 year old fled the library. I have not been back since!
F- the library, they are nazi's!
Really? That's sad that you'd reject such a valuable free resource over something as minor as a run-in with a single employee over your own mistake.
What a terrible object lesson for your kids, too.
I hope you at least returned the book through the drop slot, otherwise you've just taught them that stealing is OK.
EDIT: Also, if you had the book for ten years, the library had probably already written it off as lost/stolen and had to pay to replace it. They don't need the copy you've held onto because they were forced to buy a new one. Giving them back the book doesn't undo the fact that they had to dip into their budget to replace the book,and often libraries have to pay more than the general public for books. Bringing the book back now and asking for some amnesty on the fee you owe them is a far better option than "RUN!".
Libraries are such a ridiculously useful resource. Most have kid's programs and all of them generally have tons of books - even if you had paid the $60 you would have gotten so much more out of the deal in free resources the last two years.
My wife and I freely donate $100 a year to our local library, my wife is involved with their "Friends" group and volunteers to keep lots of kids programs active and running, and we've received so many free passes to local museums and parks and activities (not to mention tons of interesting and informative programs and massive armloads of free reading material every year). I could give them $500 a year and still come out ahead!
Go back and fix things up with the library. It's one of the best resources you'll ever have.0 -
There are TONS of ideas on pinterest.
1. Go Geo-caching
2. Go on Photography scavenger hunts to find 'letter art'... plus you can make really unique gifts for people after you edit the photos you get.... go to my website if you want to see some examples www.whatsyourstoryphotography.weebly.com on the 'letter art' tab... I actually make these for every wedding I go to.
3. Do monthly or even weekly adventures around town... Maybe make them some more scavenger hunts too... Like find a headstone over 100 years old. Do something nice for a stranger, Find 6 different types of flowers... I'm a big scavenger hunt person
4. Go to the Library, not only for books, but you can rent music and movies too... Our library even has a summer reading program where you can get free prizes if you read enough books.
5. Volunteer at your local humane society... The kids will probably love it and the pets certainly will!
Have fun this summer! Good luck!0 -
One thing we're planning on doing this summer is geo-caching... it's just cool enough that a young teenager would see the fun in it and a 3yo would enjoy being outside and "hunting" for them!
Geocaching is a great option. Be sure the 3-year-old has "trade trinkets", most geocaches allow them to trade items out which is a great draw for the younger ones. The young teen can geek out on the electronics, the youngster can trade items.
Bring a plastic grocery bag along just in case you see any garbage. "Cache in - trash out" is a great object lesson in leaving public spaces in better condition than you found them.0 -
I live in a little town that is 20 minutes from a major metro area. So we often have to think of close by things to do. We bought a trampoline for this summer, library, talk with other moms and have a playdate, we have one of those outdoor game sets that have lawn darts and croquet etc. We have a 30 mile or so bike riding trail near by, walk up and get an ice cream, watch movies, computer games...many are free online, if your child doesn't have a solid base for their last years spelling words work on those so they are ready for the next year, go to the pool, run through the sprinkler, if you have a hot tub turn the heat down and let them play in that, we also do geo-caching...0
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Send them outside to play and lock all the doors and windows0
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