Summer Fun with Kids

Though it snowed here in Utah this morning, summer really is just around the corner, and I'm still not ready. But thanks to all of you who commented on my plea for summer fun ideas, things are looking a little better. You had some terrific tips and wonderful suggestions. I thought I'd post them all here, along with some things I've thought of, too.

Letterboxing and geocaching: I'm not sure what these are, exactly. But I'm curious. From what I gather it's a scavenger hunt type of thing. And maybe there's cash involved? Here's a link: letterboxing.org.

Water parks: As long as I can just watch, not actually wear a bathing suit in public and fling myself down a Plexiglas tube, I'm okay with this one. 

Backyard: Oh, yeah. I forgot about that one. We have a large back yard, with a swing set and a sand box (which my youngest claims to be infested with spiders. Okay, so we had some brown recluse spider problems last year, but we called Spider Man and he killed them all. At least, that's what he told me when I handed him the check.) The point is, sometimes good old fashioned fun in the back yard is better than the big trip to the art museum that your kids will moan and groan about it anyway (I know from experience). And it's close and free, and you can lock the doors to the house if you don't want the kids to come back in too soon. While they're out, you can catch a nap or hide the video games. You know, summer fun for mom.

Frisbee Golf: Our family loves to play frisbee golf. (Real golf takes too long and we'd rather spend our money on other things, like milk shakes and pizza.) There are a few parks around Salt Lake that have a frisbee golf course, and I believe there's one on the campus of Utah Valley University, but my husband has come up with one that encompasses our front and back yard. It involves a lot of trees, a swing set obstacle, a mailbox, and a cat. Don't worry, the cat is not a goal, she just likes to follow us while we play.

7-11: Hear me out on this one. I'm not a big proponent of that convenience store, 7-11, but there is one day a year that I'm a fan. On July 11 every summer you can get a free slurpee at any location. One year we set out on a All-City Slurpee Tour. We topped out at five, as I recall. Even the kids were clutching their guts and moaning, "I can't take it anymore." Great fun, that. Start early, though. Lots of people are hip to this one. And when they run out, you're out of luck. 

For the little tots: Summer's not too different from all the other days of the year for little ones, but with the warmer weather, they get to go outside a lot more. Think playdoh, shaving cream art and homemade popsicles, all of which are better outside. Give your little ones an old paint brush and a bucket of water and let them "paint" the sidewalk. Sidewalk chalk is always a hit, too.   

Family Fun: Hang out with cousins you don't get to see all the time. Go to the park or get together for a barbecue, or just run through the sprinklers in your back yard. 

Camp out in your back yard: My older kids and husband camp with the scouts every month, but the younger kiddo and I are always left at home. I'm thinking we'll borrow a tent and camp in our back yard one of these summer nights. 

S'mores: My sister's kids like to make roasted marshmallows over candle flames, but I'm thinking a little bigger this year. I'm working on convincing my dude that we need one of those nifty bonfire in your backyard things. One of the kids suggested digging a hole in the back yard for summer fires, but sadly the Dude vetoed that one. Here's a tip: To make s'mores easier, buy fudge striped cookies instead of graham crackers and chocolate squares. They're a lot less messy and taste just as good when you stick a roasted marshmallow between two of them. 

Beach/Mountain Wienie Roast: If you live near the ocean, head out for an evening bonfire. If you live near the mountains, head up the canyon for an evening under the stars. Bring along a package of hot dogs, some buns, a bag of chips, and some marshmallows. Oh, and binoculars might come in handy too. 

Brainstorm: Shannon suggested buying a poster board and brainstorming with the kids what they'd like to do for fun. Then try to cross off as many activities as you can. That way you'll have an on-going list of ideas, and the kids will have a visual reminder that they got to do a ton of fun stuff, despite what they may think.  On this note, take a look at this funny blog post suggested by Shelby: http://heymaughans.blogspot.com/2009/09/just-sittin-around.html

Use Coupons: Gocitykids.com has calendars of activities around town, and Utah Kids Club offers good deals for families for only $6 a month. (Think B1G1Free on kids' meals). Add to that an Entertainment Book, and you could do a lot of fun stuff on the cheap.

Antelope Island: Located on the Great Salt Lake, this island is home to antelope and buffalo roaming free (well, behind the fences anyway). You can camp here, ride bikes, or hike. Bring your bug spray, though. And don't go in the middle or end of summer, as the mosquitoes and freakishly large flies will send you home screaming. Also, it kind of smells bad. Kind of like the tuna cannery I once went to with my church youth group. Only tuna fish don't live in the Great Salt Lake--but brine shrimp do. 

Sports: Recreation centers offer team sports as well as Just-for-Fun sports programs. Just be careful what time of day you sign your kid up for. If you think your kids will enjoy running around the park when the temperature hovers around 105, you're in for a big surprise. Better to do the outdoor sports thing in the early summer, or if later in the summer, in the early part of the day. 

Swimming: In past summers, we've joined the recreation center pool. This year some of my kids don't want to swim, so we'll probably go a few times a week instead.  

For all you moms slathering down your kids with sun screen, don't forget to put some on yourself, too. As I've recently discovered, when you reach a certain age those cute little brown spots on your face can no longer be called freckles. They're age spots, and the sun just makes them darker. Swimming does involve wearing a bathing suit in public, which as you know I'm morally opposed to, but it's not so bad if you can find one with attached shorts (still on the look out for a replacement for mine). 

Camping and Hiking: In addition to church or scout camps, you can go camping and hiking as a family. If you're getting antsy to sleep out in nature, Christy suggested Moab is good place to go in the early summer, before it gets too hot down south. She also wrote that her family tye-dyes shirts to match so they can easily spot each other when they're out hiking. This would also be great for a day at Disneyland, or any crowded place where you can lose a kid. Brilliant! 

Two book suggestions for those of you hikers with kiddoes: Sixty Hikes within Sixty Miles of Salt Lake City and Hiking in Utah with Children. 

Festivals: Look in the paper or online for art festivals, ethnic festivals, or music festivals. In June Park City holds a huge art festival, and local communities have some too.  

Movies: Our dollar theater offers a summer movie club for kids that works out to be pretty cheap. As I recall, you pay ten bucks per kid and get to see a different movie each week all summer long. They're not new releases, or course, but they're all kid friendly. I really like going to the movies. And I really hate paying full price.  

Library: With free books, music and movies for the borrowing, story times, activities for teenagers, book groups, and family entertainment, who doesn't love the library? Our county library system has a summer reading program that involves prizes. I don't know about yours, but my kids love prizes. And I love that they're reading. 

Projects: Build a tree house (if you've got a good tree with strong branches), a bird house, or a bird feeder. Family Fun Magazine has tons of woodworking projects for both parents and kids on their website. If you and your kids are the more crafty sort, try your hand at collages, murals, or jewelry making. Or have your kids write a blog, start a book group, or organize a writing group. Sewing makes me break out in a rash, but I wouldn't mind learning how to do it better. And my kids should at least learn how to sew on a button, because I won't always be around to glue it back on for them, you know? 

When I was a kid, my mom created a notebook full of summer projects and skills. She assigned points to each project and paid us accordingly. She included typing, quilting, cooking, and sewing, among other things. One of the bigger projects involved cooking dinner for a week. She helped us make a menu, gave us money for groceries and helped us with the shopping. We were then in charge of all of the cooking and post-dinner clean-up. It was a useful experience, though according to my mom, none of us ever asked to do it again! I plan on carrying on this tradition with my kids, with a no frozen burrito, frozen pizza, or corn dog stipulation. And I want dessert every night. 

Also, remind your kids they can do SERVICE projects around the neighborhood for new moms, or tired moms, or the elderly. You know, without pay. Just to be nice. (Thanks, Michelle for that one.)

Grandma Camp: I heard about this a long time ago and have fantasized about it ever since. If you live close to your mother or in-laws, ask them to teach your kids how to make cookies or embroider or whatever, kind of like a summer day camp. It could be one day, a whole week, or if you're lucky, one day a week all summer. My sister suggested that if you don't live close to a grandma, perhaps you could divvy up camp days with a friend. Or maybe you know someone the grandmotherly age who would be willing to teach your kids something in exchange for some weeding or lawn mowing. 

Unplug Your Kids: When I was complaining about my kids being glued to the Wii for hours on end, my mother sent me an advertisement for a website devoted to getting kids outside for at least an hour a day. This reminded me of a news report I watched about tweenagers addicted to video games in Korea. They showed Korean kids about my boys' ages, zoning out in front of their computers, playing some online game that involved interacting with other players' characters. They'd play for hours--sometimes literally all day and all night. Their parents were so worried about their emotional and intellectual detachment from the family that they sent them to rehab clinics for video game addicts. And what do you think they did at these clinics? They jumped rope. They climbed trees. They played. Like little kids. Or at least like little kids used to play.

Anyway, the website is greenhour.org. If you're looking for suggestions of things to do outside, this is the place.  

Learn: Start a nature journal and go on a nature hike or walk, learn about birds and go bird watching, learn about animals and go to the zoo or a farm. Go on field trips that involve getting to know people in your community. On my street, there's a helicopter pilot, an air traffic controller, a nurse, a musician, and an older couple with an inordinate amount of bikes in their garage, which leads me to believe they know a bit about cycling. All of these people would probably be at least willing to talk to my kids about what they do, and if we're lucky we might be able to see where they work as well. 

Read: Keep your kids reading this summer and they'll do better in school next year. Bribe them if you have to. My kids love to have me read aloud to them every night (even the older ones!), and I must admit it's my favorite part of the day too. We like authors Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, and Mary Pope Osbourne. James Herriot and Jean Craighead Jones is good for middle schoolers. If you're going on a car-trip, check out some books on CD from the library. We like the Harry Potter books (can't beat Jim Dale's narration) most of all, but we've also enjoyed Kate DiCamillo stories. For those interested in wilderness survival, Hatchet is not only an excellent read, but a gripping tale listened to on CD as well.   

If you have a reluctant reader, try setting up a reading tent or nook either inside or outside your house. Stock it with a blanket, a litte battery-operated lamp, and a pillow. Or, if your child likes to play teacher, suggest she read to some stuffed animals or younger siblings. Offer points for books and a prizes to redeem. Reading may be too solitary for some kids, or a power struggle with the parent in charge of making sure the reading gets done. If that's the case, maybe it's time for your spouse to be the reading buddy. Sometimes if my kids get to read to their dad, they're more willing to do so. And if he'll read to them, they'll come running without any fuss. 

Schedules: My mother-in-law told me that when she was a child, she always had to do some chores before she could go out to play. I'd like to do that in my house, but my kids pitch a fit when I mention it, probably because they've seen me ignore the dirty dishes in the sink to slip on over to the library for a couple of hours instead. But this summer I'm determined to do things differently. I have already started talking to myself about this, repeating daily, I will not be the kitchen slave scrubbing thirty five dirty cups every day. I will not be the sock meister, picking up socks all over the house. I hereby declare that I will not get stuck in the kitchen making snacks and meals all day and all night. (My mother always said, "I'm not running a restaurant!" which was annoying when I was a kid and wanted pizza when she had made cabbage burgers. But now I get it. I really get it.) 

This brings up the idea of having a schedule for all those lazy summer days, not a rigid one mind you, because we are talking about summer vacation, after all. But it's a good idea to have a general theme for each day of the week. My sister-in-law Julie's schedule looks so very practical and so very fun, that I thought it would be a good idea to repost her comment here:

This is what I do, and my kids are 12 and 15.

1 day a week for groceries and chore stuff. One or both children is required to come with me.

1 day a week for basic shopping or appointments like hair cuts, dentist, getting shoes, etc.

1 day a week we go to the park or outside- preferably with friends.

1 day we have a field trip to a museum or fun zone of some kind. I use coupons, and find ideas in the Utah Mama's Handbook www.utahmama.com

1 day for library day.

That takes up either the morning or the afternoon. I also have each child choose a recipe to make for the week, and they aren't allowed to just make desserts. They have to make a main dish, a breakfast and a snack before they can make dessert.

We also have a craft project a week. This has changed some with my children getting older, and it has turned into bigger projects like sewing something. I'm toying with the idea of starting a dollhouse this summer.

That should be enough for now. My head is stuffed full of ideas and I don't think anything more will fit in there. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Same goes to you. If something occurs to you, shoot me an email ([email protected]) or comment on this post. Because we're all in this together. And if our kids don't want to do any of these fun things, maybe we could start a Mother's Summer Fun Support Group. No kids allowed. And no frozen burritos.  

Comments

[shelby]

WOW! If we can't get a fun summer out of that list, then there is something wrong at our house! Lauren and I are excited for our reading adventures this summer. We bought the entire Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle collection. (And we were SO excited, we've actually already started reading it!) Too bad the kids learned NOTHING from the "Never-Want-To-Go-To-Bedder's-Cure" from last nights chapter. Thanks for compiling this-I am sure I will be visiting it often over the next couple months...or years. ;)