It’s been a few years since we were shocked into the “what do we do with our school-age kids in the summer” dilemma. What will they do? I have to admit, summer as a kid is the best thing ever. Camps, swimming lessons, all day playdates, sleepovers, etc. I purposely left my kids schedule very mellow this time so that they can actually experience summer without having to be somewhere at a specific time every day. As working parents this was a tough one because we knew that they would need to be “somewhere” during the work hours. Despite our busy schedules (and because I need some sort of tortuous challenge in my life at all times) I decided to leave a few weeks schedule-free for the kids to be kids. Freedom to go into their own back yard, breathe the fresh air, get dirty, collect rocks and bugs, pitch a tent, stay up a bit late, and sleep in as long as they want. Besides being cheaper, this is a great way to inspire kids creativity and good moods. After a bit of schedule juggling we have managed to create some semblance of this.
For the “somewhere” weeks, we picked day camps carefully. Summer camp can be the life-saving device when you start to experience the “too much quality time” feeling with your kids. But we wanted them to enjoy themselves too. Be choosy when deciding on a camp because depending on where you go they can be pricey. Luckily there are camps for just about anything. Take what your kid is focused on and find some classes to compliment their interests. Is your kid a clothes-hound-fashionista with a constant need to draw like my eight year old? Try a fashion camp where they can learn to draw fashion figures in correct proportions and design the latest must-have dress. Here is a picture of what my kid did on the first day of fashion camp. (Please excuse the grainy photo taken by my phone)
inspirations: color is from a friends wedding & hairstyle is based on her own
Sometimes choosing the right camp to suit the current interests of your kids can be a challenge. I am still trying to find the “run around until your pants fall off and laugh” camp for my four year old son.