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Field Trips? During Summer Vacation?
by Mia Cronan
Whew! The dog days of summer are here, and it's time to mosey on outdoors.
But you can still hear the kids whining, "What can we doooo?" Well, there
are several things you can do, if you feel like getting creative. Don't let
the fact that school's out deter you from doing some education things this
summer. Learning can be fun!
Pack a light back-pack with drinks, a snack, a clear jar and a lid for collecting fun things, a change of clothes for the kids (optional, if you'd rather travel light), and books on birds and trees, if you have them. Find a safe place to roam, whether it's a local park or your own backyard! Look at the trees, talk about the shapes of the leaves, how old you think the trees are, or maybe what each part of the tree does to keep it healthy.
Watch some birds, and see if you can identify them. Talk about how they fly south for the winter. Examine bugs and collect a few to watch for a few days. Sit quietly and just listen to nature with your eyes closed. Look up at the sky and identify cloud shapes, tell each other of what they remind you. Enjoy your snack, pack up the back-pack, and tell your kids about your childhood summers during the walk home.
Why not make use of your local library? Make it a weekly trip,
and let your kids each pick out 3-5 books. Visiting the library is a great
way to teach children to care for things that they borrow and return them on
time to the owner. Plus, making the transition back to school in the fall
will be so much easier if they've made a habit of reading over the summer,
especially if they're choosing their own books.
These are really growing in popularity, so chances are good that
if your city doesn't have one, a neighboring city does. What a nice day
trip for you and your crew! Museums are great learning environments because
they combine fun activities with interesting facts, all geared toward kids'
minds.
If you don't have a tent, find a big blanket and some lawn
chairs. Put the chairs in a circle, place the blanket over the chairs, give
your kids some "equipment" and let them have their own kind of fun right in
your backyard.
Fill a bucket of water and give your kids paintbrushes. Tell
them you'd like them to paint the driveway. They'll have a blast and stay
cool at the same time. This is a lot of fun, and it helps your children
"express" themselves without getting crayon on your walls! Don't forget the
things that you did as a kid to pass the summer days, too. Did you jump in
the sprinkler? Fill a tub with water and play with water toys?
Whatever you do, enjoy the time with your kids. As fast as time flies with
kids, it always seems to go faster in the summer!
Links, information and more for you
 On the Go: Travel with Kids
Kids Camp! : Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness
Impressionist Art : Museum Guide for Kids (Off the Wall Museum Guides for Kids)
Directory of family articles
Directory of all articles
About the author: Mia Cronan is the mother of three girls, ages 4, 3, and 1, living in
Pennsylvania. She runs the Main Street Mom and writes for her church newsletters while her husband manages a local business. She can be reached at cronan@a1usa.net..
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