Summertime is Fun-time

Summer vacation is only a few days away and we are faced with the question of what to do with all that time. Or more like, what do we do to entertain those kids that are so bored and they don’t know what to do. Here are some helpful ideas to fill in those long summer days.

  1. Camps – There are many camps through out the summer to experience. Some kids don’t like to leave for a long period of time, so they can go to day camps. If they have a special interest like, basketball, volleyball, theater, horseback riding or whatever, there may be a camp they can try. They even have camps for the whole family to enjoy. Check to see what is in your area.
  2. Re-decorate a Room – Either the kids’ own bedroom, an office, the basement, playroom or whatever room needs changing. Have them layout a plan of what to do and change. You can even use grafting paper to plot out the size of the room, with measurements of the furniture with pieces of paper to scale and move them around to figure out the best layout. Teach them how to paint and clean up afterwards. You can take them to a fabric store for supplies to make pillows, curtains and decorative blankets.
  3. Building Site – Our city Grand Rapids, MI has many large buildings going up all around downtown. Visit those sites from afar and record the progress. Ask you kids what all they think goes into building a new building. Have them track out on paper the steps that it takes to do such a job. To build large buildings it takes permits, surveys, then contractors and sub-contractors to complete the job. They’ll be amazed at the process and how many jobs it creates.
  4. Garage Sale – Time to take a walk through the house, basement, closets, attic, toy chest & garage to see what you are really not using anymore. I’m sure it will be hard to part with many items but think of all the new things you can get to replace them. Price out the items so that they will go away because you really don’t want to put them all back. You can have stickers that will tell you whose items were sold so that the proper money will be allotted. Kids can set up a cookies, brownies, lemonade and pop stand. And for those items that didn’t find a new home, you can have Goodwill or The Salvation Army pick them up. List out all the items and their values, then have them leave proof that they picked the items up so that you can take a tax deduction if you itemize.
  5. Grow a garden – There’s nothing like growing your own vegetables, flowers and fruit. Find a suitable location that has the proper light and soil conditions. Figure out with the kids what will grow best in your area, the length of time it takes and what needs to be done to maintain the garden. The best thing to do is buy a book on gardening if you’ve never done gardening. Have the kids plan out their own areas if that helps keep the peace between siblings. Take turns weeding, feeding and watering. The kids will be excited when they see their seedlings poking through the ground and the best reward is the harvest. Maybe you’ll have a bumper crop that you can share with your neighbors or friends and possibly sell by a roadside. Learn the value of each item you plant. You can do so many other types of gardens like a flower garden, herb garden, planter garden, and water garden.
  6. Explore History – Well how about asking them what they think their town used to be like 20, 30 or 100 years ago. Or have them research some of the amazing changes that happened way back then or the who’s and what’s that changed history. Use the Internet or visit museums and libraries for more research material on that subject.

Information compiled and created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc

Remember – The object is for everyone to have fun. The moderator is the all-powerful dictator. You may at any time change the rules or boundaries or handicap players to help balance out the wide spectrum of abilities. We want the tentative athlete and the superjock to play together at the best of their abilities.

Have Fun! ?

Now here are some colorful ideas to liven up play time.
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