What do you do to keep your kids busy during Summer Vacation

[Grendalynn]

Summer Vacation is here! Warm Sunny days, trips to the pool or beach, ice cream sundaes and most of all - keeping the kids busy!!! While I very much enjoy the laid back schedule I have during th summer months, I notice my kids getting bored and at each others throats by about August. I am fortunat enough to have summers off and am always interested to know what others do to break up their days/weeks, where they go... day trips or week long trips... Kid friendly recipes, arts and crafts and things like that!

My kids will be doing a few differnt things - but for as crazy as our Spring was, its kind of nice not to have any schedules, or have to be anywhere we dont want to be... DS9 will do some days at the Rec Department, Golf Lessons and a few sleep overs here and there. DS5 will be taking swimming lessons, a few days at The Rec ... DS1.5 will go to sitters one day a week and so far thats about it! DH and I are hoping to get a way for a weekend by ourselves (we will see if that actually happens)!!??

Maybe we could all share some ideas, give insight or tips, meal ideas, activities or just a chance to share what you are up to this summer.... Looking forward to read what others have to post!!

 

[dddisrunner]

I have 2 boys ages 8 & 6 1/2. I purposely signed them up for camps that were different. DS8 will go next week from 9-2 and DS 6 1/2 will go 7/14-7/18 so that I can spend some 1 on 1 time with each of them. We visit the public library once every other week. We go to the beach 2 times a week. I start collecting shells for them and by August, we have enough to paint and decorate. I save this for a rainy day project. We sometimes will make a trip to the dollar store when nothing is planned and I will let them each pick 2 or 3 things to buy and then we always have a day here and there that i take them out to lunch too! It can be hard. My boys argue alot too!

 

[twob4him]

Hi! This is a great question. I too am home this summer with three girls ages 10, 4 and 3.

Here is what I am trying to do:

I am breaking each day into 4 parts. Morning, Activity, Lunch / Rest, Evening.

1. Morning - 7-9 am consists of waking up, cleaning up, preparing for the day.

2. Activity - consists of some physical activity...we have horses, 4H, beach, swimming, friends, lifeguard camp, zoo, playground, waterpark, shopping, etc

3. Lunch and rest - sometimes a picnic or at home...rest includes a nap or quiet activity like reading or movie. I try to sew or work on schoolwork, housework, phonecalls etc at this point.

4. Evening - preparing for dinner and eating, riding bikes or doing a night activity like the boardwalk, walk around neighborhood, crafts, boardgames etc. and then getting ready for bed routine like baths, showers, reading, tv and bed by 8:30 or 9 pm. I Dis (like I am now) and go to bed around 9:30 or 10 pm.

So far I am in my 2nd week of this and its really working out well. I just plan the week out with things we need to do and then make up other activities depending on the weather. I feel my girls really need a basic routine and some alone time, down-time and one-on-one time. And there we go~my life

 

[Grendalynn]

Hi! This is a great question. I too am home this summer with three girls ages 10, 4 and 3.

Here is what I am trying to do:

I am breaking each day into 4 parts. Morning, Activity, Lunch / Rest, Evening.

This is a great plan!! I might just use this kind of schedule... I have already decided that we will be having our own version of the Disney Dining Plan!! DS5 and DS9 would eat all day long if they could only because they were bored!! And with groceries being what they are these days - it just aint gona happen! So I came up with the idea of having a meal/snack schedule. Seems like a good idea.... And I was curious to know what other folks out there have planned for their summer time break. Add in the activities and stuff I get from my Fellow Dis-ers and I am on the right track.

 

[sndfan]

My DS 9 and I love summer. We also do a mix of things. Since I also work from home, there are periods of time when he needs to entertain himself. Luckily, he's a HUGE reader so that helps.

Consider the Barnes and Noble summer reading program for a free book.

Trip to the Library at least once a week.

Beach.

Mini golf once or twice a week.

CRAFTS!!!! We've been doing Perler Beads (see www.perlerbeads.com for ideas). I get mine at the craft store. On the Perler Bead web site you can also send in samples of your designs and get free beads or idea book or tweezers in the mail! We were working on our designs tonight.

Window Art - We have the Klutz book and got extra Gallery Glass colors at the craft store.

Make your own board game - my son created his own board game and we play it!

Schoolwork - we have a math packet from school (DS is in advanced math) as well as two book reports.

Letters to friends - I have my son send letters or postcards to friends. We spend a lot of the summer away from home and it helps him keep in touch, as well as practice writing. He's also obsessed with getting things in the mail.

Journal - I created journals for both of us out of composition books and we try to write in them daily...also will stick movie tickets or mini golf scorecards in them, so they are scrap-journals.

We also love card games and board games.

We have a three day Boogie Board Camp and I'm considering a weeklong half day Robotics build your own robot camp...

Enjoy!

 

[kacaju]

I have gone through my cookbooks with my girls and have them help plan and cook a meal

 

[hopesmommy]

Familyfun.com has some great craft projects for all ages.

We have swim class with DD best friend (who lives in another town) so we always have a play date.

I am stripping an old outside table and DD is going to paint it with left over house paint.

We are going to make stepping stones.

DD birthday is in Nov, so we will go thru her room at the end of the summer and purge.

We go to the library once a week.

We have a pool that we are in about 2 hours a day.

 

[aladams2]

Send them to Grandma and Grandpa's for a week!! dd6 & dd4 are both there right now. Within 3 days of school being out I heard "I'm bored!" AAHH! Not already. I guess I'll need to pull out ddh's shaving cream and spray some on the table for them to draw in. I also like the $ section in Michaels and I stock up on that for the I'm bored days!!

 

[lemondog]

I am not the world's best at organizing my kids, but we're doing okay so far. DD has been out since May 23rd so we're going on 1 month now. We go to the pool A LOT! I also got a zoo membership so we've done that a few times. They did VBS at our church, and this week they're doing VBS at the church where I teach preschool. Also, I am teaching Wednesdays during June and July so the girls are going with me that one day (older DD is in the 6/7 yo class they have for older siblings).

Older DD is also spending a lot of time outside playing with the neighborhood kids, and all 3 girls are spending time on the computer each day playing games...which is nice because it gives mommy a little break to read and relax!

 

[squirrel]

I have a daycare and we do fun days. Not every day but at least once a week. Should be easy for you to do with a smaller group.

Pirate Day-make hats, eye patch, go on treasure hunt (spray paint rocks or get plastic money from $1 store).

Unbirthday Day-pick a day that it isn't anybody you know's birthday and have a unbirthday. I usually do this near the end of summer.

PJ Day-for some reason children love wearing PJ's all day! Have popcorn for snack, watch a video.

Teddy Bear Picnic-grab your teddy and have a picnic (can do this indoors if it's raining).

Clown Day-face painting, practice juggling, make hats.

Prince and Princess Day- make crowns, necklaces.


Go to the library (summer reading program?), Water spray park, beach or lake, find a new playground and go berry picking.

 

[Rylee]

It's the other way around at our house... they keep me busy!

Nice weather -

Swim in our pool.
Golf driving range, kids hit buckets of balls and/or play mini golf.
Practice at batting cages.
Play in, and run under lawn sprinkler.
Go to the Drive-In Movies... several times.
Set up obstacle course and ride bikes through.
Go to different playgrounds.
Do all the local "FEST"... Hot Air Balloonfest, Applefest. Tomatofest, etc.


Rainy days -

Write scripts and make our own movie.
Indoor Camping - Blankets over tables, flashlights, sleeping bags, play camping games.
Give kids their own camera and then make a scrap book of summer memories.
Arts & Crafts.
Play "school."
Go to the movies.
Go to the library.


Organized activites -

Perform in community theater children's production. (Last year they did Seussical, the year before it was OZ.) 4 - 6 weeks of rehearsal, 2 - 3 times a week.
DS9 is playing on the All-Star baseball team. (Starts as soon as regular season ends.)
Attend Baseball Camp.
Pop Warner Football - starts around 8/1.
High School Cheerleading - starts 3rd week of Aug.


Day trips -

Visit State Parks, picnic, swim, hike trails.
Go to the beach - about every other week.
Visit Water Parks - 2 - 3 times.
Visit the Zoo.
Visit children's museum.


2008 Summer Vacations/Trips -

Yankees game - went 6/4
Camping in 1000 Islands - July
Hershey Park - 3 days - July
DISNEY - 8/22 - 9/3

 

[twob4him]

It's the other way around at our house... they keep me busy!

Nice weather -

Swim in our pool.
Golf driving range, kids hit buckets of balls and/or play mini golf.
Practice at batting cages.
Play in, and run under lawn sprinkler.
Go to the Drive-In Movies... several times.
Set up obstacle course and ride bikes through.
Go to different playgrounds.
Do all the local "FEST"... Hot Air Balloonfest, Applefest. Tomatofest, etc.


Rainy days -

Write scripts and make our own movie.
Indoor Camping - Blankets over tables, flashlights, sleeping bags, play camping games.
Give kids their own camera and then make a scrap book of summer memories.
Arts & Crafts.
Play "school."
Go to the movies.
Go to the library.


Organized activites -

Perform in community theater children's production. (Last year they did Seussical, the year before it was OZ.) 4 - 6 weeks of rehearsal, 2 - 3 times a week.
DS9 is playing on the All-Star baseball team. (Starts as soon as regular season ends.)
Attend Baseball Camp.
Pop Warner Football - starts around 8/1.
High School Cheerleading - starts 3rd week of Aug.


Day trips -

Visit State Parks, picnic, swim, hike trails.
Go to the beach - about every other week.
Visit Water Parks - 2 - 3 times.
Visit the Zoo.
Visit children's museum.


2008 Summer Vacations/Trips -

Yankees game - went 6/4
Camping in 1000 Islands - July
Hershey Park - 3 days - July
DISNEY - 8/22 - 9/3

OK this is great....I am moving in with you!

 

[Rylee]

OK this is great....I am moving in with you!

C'mon over!


Love your pics... (Our daughters are older, so I don't get to buy princess gowns anymore. )

 

[LovinPooh]

We are being completely lazy this summer .
We got a pop up pool for the hot sunny days. and we joined Netflix for the rainy days. ahhh.... lazy days of summer

 

[cjackearl]

I've actually recently heard that letting your kids be bored some of the time is the best way to develop the imaginative/creative part of their brain. They need time to come up with their own fun. We do lots of out of the ordinary things in the summer, like the drive-in, beach, pool, day trips to the zoo and childrens museum, camp fires out back, etc. but I try to leave some unstructured time to let them "figure it out". Sometimes I'll give them suggestions relating to what I used to do. My friends and I used to make up obstacle courses to walk through with books on our heads, have summer long Monopoly games, make forts in the woods, play kick the can, etc. Sometimes they roll their eyes, but it at least gets them thinking! They know that if they tell me they're bored, I have lots of cleaning tasks to keep them busy!

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

Well our kids only get 6 weeks being in England and during that time we're spending 2 weeks in disney and moving to a house twice the size of the one we have right now (we leave for dis on 1st august and we have to be moved before then- ARRRGGHHH - the kids break up the week before we go to WDW) so before we go they'll be flapping around helping mommy move house (DH can't get any days at all off work as it's all being used for WDW/my sisters wedding- this year has sucked for that, I've had to do all DS5's therapy appts and physio & o/t appts on my own with 3 other kids in tow because he's had no days left to use!) and then in dis for 2 weeks, then when we get back home they'll spend the remaining 3 weeks helping mommy decorate the new house, fix up the new garden & yard, learn to navigate the new neighbourhood and shop for school supplies, we've got an active summer coming our way.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Well so far DD11 has made a list of "jobs" for the house that she is willing to do and has set a price for each job. She even typed it out on Excel and posted it on the fridge. Today she has already pulled the weeds out of the flower bed and is right now bathing the dogs . She's trying to earn extra money for our vacation at the end of July. She has skating lessons four days a week so that's a big chunk of her time. She usually spends 3- 4 hours in the pool with a friend. Yesterday we went to All Fired Up and she painted a deviled egg plate for her cousins bridal shower and went to Baskin Robins for a snack. I usually keep an eye out for Michaels craft store coupons on Sunday and let her pick out a new craft to try for the week. On Tuesdays we usually try to see a movie if there is one suitable for her to see. We get a free small popcorn with the movie club on that day. We usually hit the library once a week, and try to visit the local museums, dolphin habitat,etc. Most of her friends are still in school (DD does a virtual classroom from home) so I'm sure the sleep overs will start soon.

 

[D&DDisney]

I've scheduled one big activity each week - swim lessons, bible camp, Lego day camp, $2.50 Kids day at movies, zoo, etc.

We do some school work review.

I make them clean parts of the house.

Then I leave a lot of "unstructured" time for them. It is crazy hard on me because most times lead to arguements or "I'm bored", but then they find something to occupy their time and it makes them become more creative. For instance, my DS decided to look for bugs one day and found a bunch. We took a trip to the libray to look for books and made a "habitat" for it out of an old butter container. This activity was strictly driven by my son and it turned out to be fun.

However, as you can see by my ticker below, I am still counting down the days until school starts.