What to do with the kids when school is out!?!

heatherlee33

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.

thrld

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.

daffodilsoup

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.

myfitnessnmhoy

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.

jr1985

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!

myfitnessnmhoy

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.

focus4fitness

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...

_hi_hat3r_

Send them outside to play and lock all the doors and windows