Today is my son’s last day of kindergarten.
Tomorrow is my wife’s first day of hell.
Oh, what do you do in the sumertime, when all the world is green?
Do you fish in the stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by?
Is that what you do? So do I!
Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?
Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool, or swing in a tree up high?
Is that what you do? So do I!
Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?
Do you march in parades, or drink lemonades, or count all the stars in the sky?
Is that what you do? So do I!
If Give Said the Little Stream is “…sweet and motivating but not theologically drenched,” [Neal A. Maxwell, “Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been,” Ensign, May 2004, 44] then it could be said that the summertime song is cute and melodius, but lacking in helpful ideas for LDS moms with a house full of children.
So what do you do in the summertime with the kids?
Here are a list of some ideas:
- Some movie theaters offer summer movies for kids and reduced prices for concessions. Check with your local theater to see if they offer something simillar.
- Google “summertime activities for kids” and you will find a treasure trove of links to sites with great activities for the kids.
- For the younger children, the Friend has online games, slide shows, stories and coloring pages.
- Take your kids to the library and check out some good books! Most libraries also rent movies for young and old.
Please share your thoughts and ideas for making the summer fun for moms and kids!
I put my older kids to work several hours a day (helps them earn money). The younger kids are locked outside so they run around in our safe, fenced yard and don’t zone out in front of the TV. A nearby theater has free kids movies. You can take them to the pool ($2 entry). We try to go hiking, even if it’s just on the bike path, several times a week. Most local newspapers have “what to do” sections — there are childrens’ museums and lots of other places to take your kids.
One idea: if your ward doesn’t have a play group, try to organize one for the younger kids. Our ward has a play group that meets at least once a week.
My wife has done the play groups and enjoys it, except when it is her turn to host the all the kids. Play groups come with a personal price!
Unfortunately, in Arizona, you really can’t lock your kids outside to just run around–they might end up in the hospital. Of course, pools and sprinklers make the heat a tad bit more bearable.
I took my son to a meeting I had at the police station with my volunteer group. He loves everything law enforcement! Perhaps the local play groups could set-up a tour with a local fire and/or police station. I know that is something I would have loved when I was my sons age. Heck, I still get a kick out of hanging out with police officers and fire fighters. 🙂
Here’s a book written on the subject: So What Can Kids Do in the Summertime, by Lorraine J. Alldredge
http://www.sowhatcankidsdo.com/
Brian, your dilemma is one of the reasons I left Florida — I found that six months of the year it was too hot to be outside. Now, the other six months are very nice, so there is a tradeoff. Here in Colorado, there have probably been a total of 30 days or so when it’s been too cold/snowy/windy for the kids to be outside. It’s a big improvement.
Libraries, playing in the backyard, discount movie tickets, going for a hike in the nearby woods, riding bikes, play dates/groups, camping, roadtrips, etc.
This summer we’ll have both girls in childcare since I’m in school full-time and my wife works 30 hours/week. Not ideal, but it’s right for right now.
We’ll be driving to Arizona and back in August. It’ll be great!
When I first glanced at your post, and I thought, what??? You are right Arizona is a harsh place in the summer. The stuff i do with my kids during the summer would not work in Arizona. SO this what we do if it is raining really really hard and they are home because of flooding or tornado damage the night before. Besides the usual reading,movies,games and cooking; boys at your son’s age are collectors. Get him addicted to a book series such as Magic Tree House. He can listen you reading to him. and Also MTH books are easy reader books he will be reading on his own soon. Then he can read and collect. He is the perfect age for dinosaurs. Get dino books, poster and he will memorize dino facts and draw pictures. If a book series or dinosaurs does not do it for him try cards (i,e, pokimon), rocks, stamps, etc.. It is amazing how much time they will spend cataloging,sorting,playing etc… Then he can sit around and obsess with his friends and not make a mess.
Good luck.
Geoff: The heat really does limit some of the activities you can do with kids. A swimming pool is a nice distraction when available, though. My in-laws have a swimming pool which we use as often as possible during the hotter months.
Ben: I feel for you. My wife and I had our son in daycare while we both worked full-time. There are still weekends and evenings to spend with the kids.
Let me know when you are in AZ. It would be fun to get together.
JA: My son loves Thomas the Train books/movies and is a HUGE fan of any show on Noggin. He loves to play dress-up and has more than enough toys to keep him busy. When I get home in the evenings, I will usually play a Wii game with him or play “cops and robbers” with him.
Hi Brian,
I thought of something else. Years ago when my oldest two were little; I would take them to do multiple errands on one day every few weeks or so. They would complain and carry on. So instead of errands, it turned into “Fun on the Road Day”. They loved FOTRD. THey would take a backpack with a few toys. We would stop by a fast food place and picnic in the car. Funny thing, basically it was the same plan as before, I just changed up the name.
15 or so years later we had the first FOTRD day for this summer, and it is still a big hit with the younger Bensons, except even better with a car with a dvd player.
Your opening lines made me laugh. Thanks for that. My oldest is leaving for college this summer so it’s nice to reflect back to when the kids were 5 and the beginning of summer was the start of weeks of personal torture.
Chuck E. Cheese and free summer bowling and free movie days were highlights for my kids (excedrin days for me) and rewards for good behavior. I remember one day on the way home from one of those trips, I was kinda at the end of my endurance, and they wouldn’t be quiet in the car during a big thunderstorm, so I just rolled down all the windows and deliberately drove through all the puddles, found the oldest radio station song possible, cranked it as loud as I could while driving through the neighborhood and soaking the kids. The screams were a thing of beauty then. Revenge was never so sweet. The song was “Whip It” by the way and boy was I laughing. Tell your wife to start writing down ideas for getting even….it really does help.
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