Why Your Kids CAN Have a Great Summer Even if There's No Camp
This year as camps shutter to prevent the spread of COVID-19, families worry that their children will miss out on the fun of summer.
Here are our favorite ways to encourage creative fun this summer without succumbing to mind-blowing amounts of screentime:
Visit local activities you normally overlook. They don't have to be fancy, either; even places like antique malls can be fun if you go for THE SOLE PURPOSE of enjoying it from a child's point of view. Let the kids lead the way, and let them decide when it's time to leave. Show them the fun of window shopping, and teach them the importance of not touching. And resist the urge to turn this into a grown-up shopping trip...BORRRING!
Get a sprinkler, fill up some water balloons and let them have water wars outside.
Catch butterflies and make a bug collection.
Play kickball or soccer. Even if you're not the athletic type, your kids need YOU.
Make bubbles and use a giant ring to blow monster bubbles.
Grab some neighbor kids, gather the crew and tell stories in the shade. Let everyone participate, even the littles.
Go out in the evening and look up at the stars. Learn the names of the constellations. Try to count them!
We know it can be hard to turn every day into a memory-laden event, but as long as your kids know you enjoy being with them, they'll enjoy it too.
For those times when your mind must be elsewhere once you've gone back to work or other necessities of life, Family Care Connection is ready with trusted, dependable child care professionals who love making every day fun for your kids. Let us know how we can help you by calling 615-522-5265 or emailing Mary@pps-cura.com.
Your article brought me right back to the summer when my son was ten and our town’s community center closed its doors for renovations. We didn’t have a formal camp, but we turned the local park into our own adventure zone. Every morning we packed a simple snack, a water bottle, and a “mission” list—things like building a fort from fallen branches, spotting three different birds, or creating a nature‑inspired art piece with leaves and stones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razz_poker My daughter, who usually craved structured activities, ended up leading the “explorers” and even taught her brother how to read a simple map we drew together. By the end of the week, they were exhausted but thrilled, and we all felt a surprising…
Your suggestions took me straight back to the summer when my daughter was ten and our budget simply couldn’t cover a week‑long camp. We turned our backyard into a “mini‑explorer zone”: a tent, a small garden‑lab for planting beans, and a daily “mission” card that sent her on scavenger hunts for pine cones, interesting bugs, or a perfect rock. I remember the pride in her eyes when she presented a hand‑picked wildflower she’d identified with a cheap field guide we found at the library https://www.auspayplus.com.au/ We also took advantage of the local community pool’s free open swim evenings, and a nearby nature center offered free weekend hikes that became our weekly adventure. By the end of July, my kids were…