The summer season is here and along with it comes summer
vacation for the school-aged kids. Moms are now responsible for
coming up with the ideas and curriculum for their children and I
am the first to admit that by the summer my creative juices have
just about run out. How can you make summer another time of fun
and enjoyment rather than boredom? And just how do you do this
on a budget? There are lots of great things that you can do this
summer and ways to keep organized when doing it. Here are a few
of Mom Advice’s suggestions for summer survival:
Mini-Vacations
Rather than taking one long vacation in the summer, break your
vacations into smaller and more affordable activities. Some
suggestions are hitting area zoos, amusement parks, local
festivals, and museums. By taking smaller vacations, you have a
few things to look forward to rather than just one event. Check
out some books from your local library on activities that you
can do within your own state and then research on how to get the
best price. Talk about your vacation plans with friends and see
if they know of any places that are cheap to stay at or where
you can get coupons for money off of tickets. Ask your library
as well if they offer any season passes that you can take
advantage of. One of our local libraries had a pass to the art
museum which library patrons could check out for the day gaining
them free admittance into the local museums and galleries. We
checked these out and saved thirty dollars every time we hit one
of these places. Call in advance though because you may be
competing with another family for the same day.
If you are planning a vacation to another state or even within
your own state, visit the state’s visitor’s bureau website to
get a packet of information and coupons for the state. For
example, we were planning a trip to Cedar Point in Ohio so I
requested a packet of information to be sent to me by the
visitor’s bureau. Within this packet of information was a gold
mine of coupons for the amusement park including buy one get one
free admissions which saved us over twenty-five dollars.
Stocking Up
With the summer season comes a whole new set of things that you
will need to be stocked up on. With children home from school,
you are now the one who is to come up with the creative lunches
and snacks for the kids. Try and keep the fridge well-stocked
with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grain breads,
meats, and cheeses so that you can quickly make sandwiches and
can avoid spending money at the drive-thru. Having items on hand
that children can make themselves will also take some pressure
off of you for providing the meal.
A great way to save time on cleaning up after your meals is by
taking advantage of the pleasant weather and dining outside. Our
family does a lot of eating outside on our patio furniture which
makes for easy clean-up. When it is just my son and I though, we
eat outside on a plastic mat “picnic-style”. We love to do this
and the mat only requires a quick shake and clean-up is a
breeze.
We also
purchased a small cooler lunchbox for our day trips out which is
a great investment for the family. We take this everywhere and
fill it with the day’s lunch or snacks while we are out. Filling
this with healthy snacks and food will save you money as well as
saving you from a less than healthy trip to the drive-thru when
you are out on one of your day trips or just running errands.
This cooler can also be used when grocery shopping for keeping
your ice cream and meats at cool temperatures.
Another great
purchase for your car is a seat organizer where you can stick
books and toys in for the kids as well as diapers, wet wipes,
and maps to get to your destination. Don’t forget to pack a
towel for brushing off after those trips to the beach as well.
A kiddy pool and sandbox can be a great investment for the
summer as well for the younger kids. My son spends hours playing
in his sandbox and kiddy pool and the investment was small
compared to the hours of enjoyment he can get from these. If a
family member is looking for a gift this summer for a birthday
or just because, suggest buying one of these items so that you
don’t have to pay for these yourself. We asked for these items
for our son’s birthday and also used our anniversary money to
put towards a family zoo pass for the summer.
Don’t forget to stock up on all of those fun summer toys for the
kids to play with outside. You can stock up on a lot of your fun
summer items over at the local Dollar Store. We purchase
sidewalk chalk, sandbox tools and toys, bubbles, and water guns.
They offer a wide variety of fun summer toys that won’t break
the bank. You can also make a couple of these yourself with
these recipes.
Super Sidewalk
Paint
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
6-8 drops of food coloring
Directions: Mix cornstarch and cold water together in a small plastic bowl. Add
food coloring and stir. Repeat this process to create different colors of Super
Sidewalk Paint. Super Sidewalk Paint can easily be washed away with water.
Treasure Stones
1 cup flour
1 cup used coffee grinds
½ cup salt
¼ cup sand
¾ cup water
Directions: Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly add water
and knead until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Break off a piece
of dough and roll it into the size of a baseball. Make a hole in the center of
the ball big enough to hide treasures in. Fill the hole with treasures and seal
with some extra dough. Let your treasure stone air dry for two or three days or
until hard or bake in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees for fifteen to
twenty minutes. If you would like to tin your Treasure Stone, add one tablespoon
of powder tempera paint to tint.
Water
Balloon Yo-Yo 1 small balloon
1 large rubber band
Directions: Cut the rubber band in half. Tie a loop securely on one end of the
rubber band. It should be big enough to fit around your finger. Use a garden
hose or water faucet to fill the balloon ¼ of the way with water. Blow air into
the balloon until it is the size of a tennis ball. Tie the balloon shut.
Securely tie the rubber band around the knot on the balloon. Place the rubber
band loop around your middle finger and gently throw the balloon toward the
ground. When the balloon springs back toward your hand, try to grab it.
Rainy days during the summer can be particularly difficult for children and
parents alike. A great way to make these days go by quicker is by keeping lots
of craft supplies on hand. You can also print out free printable coloring pages
and crafts through
www.dltk-kids.com. We keep lots of construction paper, play dough, crayons,
and coloring books on hand for fun and creative activities during the day.
Keep in mind that your library can be a wonderful summer resource for your
family. Obviously, the library offers lot of great summer reading to help you
get through those rainy days, but try to look past just the literature and ask
your children’s librarian what types of summer reading and activities they
offer. I still remember as a child that the library offered a great summer
reading program that worked in conjunction with our local Pizza Hut where we
received stars for meeting reading goals that could be used towards food at the
restaurant. This motivated me so much as a child that I read many more books
then I had anticipated. Setting reading goals during the summer can be very
rewarding for children. Make sure to ask your child’s teacher for a reading list
of books that they should be reading in preparation for the next grade. If your
child is not reading yet, be sure to take advantage of this time to read to
them. It truly is amazing the power literature has on our minds and speech
development.
Don’t Over Schedule
For some reason many parents tend to go overboard on the summer classes and
activities. I remember as a child how much I enjoyed just running around through
the sprinklers, getting ice cream, or taking a trip to the park. I do not
remember as clearly the classes that I took or the activities that my parents
had paid for. It is so important to allow our kids to be kids! Kids really do
remember the little outings that you do with them and often these outings and
time spent with them have a greater impact then four weeks of camp will.
Remember that this is their summer vacation. I know that I do not enjoy having
every single minute of my vacation booked with things to do; likewise children
enjoy having some downtime. Try to keep this in mind when signing them up for
various summer programs. Maybe allowing your child to pick one or two activities
during the summer will be more manageable for both you (the driver) and your
child.
Making Memories Most importantly,
enjoy your summer to its fullest….. Whether it is long lazy days of lounging by
the kiddy pool or a fun-filled summer chock full of day trips and activities-
try to make it a summer to remember. I am filling my son’s memory book up this
summer of all the wonderful things we have gotten to do. I always think that I
will remember each and every moment with him- the smells of the hot dogs on the
grill, the sand between our toes as we play for hours in his sandbox, or his
sweet face full of fascination at the tiny bugs crawling on his swing set, but
all too quickly it is gone. Put your pen to paper this summer and lovingly write
those memories down so someday you and your child can reminisce over the beauty
of that hot summer of his youth and all that you shared together during those
wonderful months.
