Summer has begun and boy has it caught me by my pigtails! The kiddos are busy with activities and I am busy hopping in and out of the car with the little one; while trying to chug down my latte in between pick up's and drop offs! At any rate, I would like to remind you to keep your cool (pun intended) and remember to have some good old fashioned fun with your children. My kids are a month into summer vacation (Hence the posting hiatus.) and I have set out to do things the old fashioned way this year, all in an effort to enjoy them more. So, what is "Old fashioned fun" you ask? It is all the things we appreciated growing up. Trips to the lake, zoo visits, museums, frequent ice cream parlor visits etc.
Why is it that we have steered away from those things? It seems we are all obsessing over grand vacations and camps to keep the kids intrigued. Now, before you try to bash me and send hate mail...I am totally for summer camps and grand vacations. Actually, I am the mom that doesn't like leaving my children in the dust while my husband and I travel the seven seas. I like to include them on vacations because I believe they deserve the gift of knowing what it is like to travel and not watch from the sidelines. Now that that is out of the way, I think we should all go back to the basics. In a society that is not only moving quickly and encouraging us to do things quicker, we are skipping out on all of the fun. Below are some activities you can incorporate in your summer fun!
1. Visit Carnival's
2. Check out the zoo's in your area
3. Museum Visits (There are so many!)
4. Visit the lake
5. Check out random ice cream parlors
6. Dine out at "mom and pop" places
7. Bike ride
8. Take a road trip and stop at sites along the way
9. Visit parks (Not just your local park, but neighboring towns)
10. Movie nights at the Drive in.
I hope that this short list has given you some ideas of places to check out this summer with your children. While I know It is not possible to do this daily (money doesn't grow on trees unfortunately), some of these activities I pack up food in the cooler and we keep it picnic style. Don't be ashamed to keep things economical so that you can have more fun! If you are looking for additional ways to incorporate play into your summer check out the book "Well Played" By author and "Play Expert" Meredith Sinclair. I guarantee you will enjoy the quality time and fun pictures to reflect on.