Thank God my kids haven't entered this phase... They're still too little to be bored. Claire is fascinated by the phone, and MG will sit for days and listen to my iPod. Yay!My favorite cheap summer activity is the library. Our local library has tons of things to do, and it's air conditioned, which is no small thing in the heat of the day. If your kids are bored, check with your library's children's department and see if they have scheduled activities. Or just let the kids loose to play with the computers, puzzles, books, and stuff that are available for free. I've been renting videos, too, since I'm sick to death of the few that we have.
We've also been collecting Pepsi Points and downloading songs from Amazon.com. For 5 points (one 20 ounce bottle plus 1 24 pack of cans worth of points) you can download a song. We've gotten all of Choo Choo Soul, and lots of They Might Be Giants Here Come the 123s (I broke down and bought the ABCs). We have dance parties. And they're learning, too. Win, win, win.
When they're bored and hungry, I bust out the Magic Bullet and make yogurt smoothies - some yogurt, some fruit, some juice, and some ice. More yogurt if you like it creamier, more ice if you like it chunkier. Smoothies are also a great, quick summer breakfast. If you want to be all sneaky, you can put veggies in them, but I don't feel that veggies are necessary. My kids are good eaters.
The sitter, today, was rolling out a piece of paper on her sidewalk (butcher paper) and letting the kids walk in paint and then paint with their feet. That looked like fun, but is not exactly something you can just tell them to go do on their own. Some supervision required, void where prohibited.
The local parks department also has lots of cool summer activities, even day camps for older kids. While you're at the library, ask the librarian if there's a list of local activities.
We hit the farmer's markets all summer and fall. They usually have balloons for the kids, and Mom can get some shopping done.
Of course, Grandpa's new place has a pool, so we'll probably be there when he's not working this summer.
What are your kids doing to keep busy this summer? Leave a comment, or go over to Rocks in my Dryer and participate in WFMW on your blog!
5 comments:
I could use mud for painting here!
The libraries here really are GREAT!
BekahBoo and I spent the morning at the library today. We do story time on Wednesdays. This week they started their summer reading club which is free with prizes.
That butcher paper idea is great.
My kids are old enough that if I don't direct their boredom, they take it upon themselves to use their time waaaaaay too creatively. Sometimes dangerously.
I load them up with books or send them to the skating rink.
I did a post with a long list of things to do- but my boys are 4 and 7. Feel free to check it out. http://pookandbug.blogspot.com/
I took your advice! I bought two 2nd grade workbooks and found math timed tests online. I also found a list of 2nd grade spelling words. So, B receives an lesson plan/assignment at the beginning of the week. Write sentences using his spelling words, write them 5 times each, pages from the work books, and chapters to read in his books. I've detailed the expectations of the assignments and assigned a point value for things like neatness, creativity, correct spelling, etc. Sort of like the Rubric that the teachers will use in his classroom next year. So, he knows if his papers are not neat, he may only receive 3 out of the 5 points possible. These "points" are then used for fun things during the summer. He can save up his points and we can go to The Beach, or Chuck E. Cheese, or have a picnic - stuff like that. He is very much into this and excited to complete his assignments. He is very much a kid that likes structure and routine. He is happier that way. So...other than baseball, swimming, trips to the farmer's market, we are "playing school"!
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