Are the Summer Time Blues affecting your school-age kids since the end of the school year? Has social distancing left your family feeling restless? The coronavirus has disrupted summer programs; schools finished the year early, summer camps have been canceled, and finding open daycares, especially those that offer summer programs for older kids, is challenging. As a result, kids feel cooped up, express their boredom, and drive us parents a bit crazy! So, how can you keep your kids engaged and entertained all summer long?
Summer Schedules For Kids
If you're like me, you might be trying to establish a "new normal" while managing your job and worrying about how homeschooling might affect your kids. Creating a summer schedule or planning activities is essential to keep them engaged, especially if their summer day camp isn't an option anymore.
So, where should you start? And who has the time to tackle all of this right now? Not me, that's for sure! However, after researching some options for this blog, I'm embracing a "we're all in this together" attitude by sharing some of the best ideas I’ve found for combating boredom.
Once you and your kids choose their favorite activities, take some time to craft a schedule and stick to it! Assign specific activities to different days to keep the week engaging and fun. Trust me, if you need to focus on working from home, keeping your kids occupied with minimal assistance is crucial. Here are some suggestions...
Summer Activities For Kids
If you're reading this, you're probably looking for summer activities for kids near home this year. And by near home, I mean in or around your house. So what is a parent to do when most of us are dealing with kids who have their noses glued to a screen all day? Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That's right – if you can't beat them, join them!
Play and Learn at Home
A family book business that offers free downloadable activities and coloring pages for toddlers to kids up to age 11. Check back weekly for new themed downloads.
If you don't know who Mo Willems is, your kids will! This kids' book author/illustrator will teach your kids how to draw all of his book characters in 15 short instructional videos.
Do it yourself Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math projects that are fun for the whole family!
A problem-solving game created by Youth Services Librarian Sydney Krawiec from Peters Township Public Library in McMurry, Pennsylvania. A former teacher, Sydney created her first virtual escape room for her Algebra students years prior. For this game, she utilized the same concepts to create this version with a Harry Potter theme. Play with one or more participants.
A self-described former NASA engineer, YouTuber, and friend of science posts educational STEM-themed videos. Warning, these videos are super cool and addicting. You can easily watch them for hours... or at least a very long time (working parents, you're welcome)!
Virtual Camps
STEM-themed camps for grades preschool through 9th grade. It was recommended by one of my co-workers whose child has attended one of their physical camps for a few years. This summer they are offering the same programs as virtual camps!
This STEM camp is completely FREE! Created by the website, wonderopolis.org, that poses an intriguing question each day then explores it in a multitude of ways. Camp Wonderopolis is a continuation of this idea in the form of a virtual camp. It's full of interactive STEM and literacy-building topics boosted by experiments to make learning fun!
A virtual summer camp for your teen(s) that is also free! It started in May and lasts for four consecutive Mondays. From first glance, it looks like your kids can join in on the fun any time because all four assignments are posted online. The four assignments include exploring the world with Google Earth, learning a new language with Google Translate, taking a virtual vacation with Google Arts & Culture, and creating an animation using Scratch coding.
Virtual Field Trips
Take a self-guided tour around The National Aquarium Denmark. Known to the Danes as Den Blå Planet, this aquarium is Northern Europe's largest. The Danish Architecture firm, 3XN's 2013 building design was inspired by the shape of a whirlpool.
Virtually visit one or more of our National Parks and historic sites from anywhere! From their webpage take a journey to Crater Lake National Park, The Statue of Liberty, Clara Barton National Historic Site, and so many other National Park locations!
Take a 3 minute, 360° virtual reality tour of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Use the video's arrows to rotate to a different view. If you' you'd rather discover this 324 meters tall tower from different perspectives, click the onsite visitor's guide.
A low Earth orbit research lab commonly referred to as the ISS. It was created by five space agencies from the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Russia. The next best thing to traveling to space is virtual touring the modules of the ISS. As of June 2020, 16 modules comprise the space station (9 United States, 2 Japanese, 4 Russian, and one European).
For more virtual tours of museums, zoos, and theme parks, Good Housekeeping magazine has compiled a helpful list.
Family Fun: Geocaching
In most instances, Geocaching is a free activity that can be fun for the whole family. It's the perfect way to encourage your kids to get away from their computer screens and explore the outside world.
How to Geocache
Geocaching is a relatively simple activity. Using a cell phone, or other GPS device, families from all over the world can search for "treasures" hidden in obscure locations. Once the Geocache container is located, Geocachers are encouraged to take something someone has left in the container, and leave something of equal or greater value in its place. Last, they sign the logbook and return the geocache to the exact location it was found. To keep track of their finds, Geocachers log their experience at www.geocaching.com or in their Geocache app.
Where to Geocache
There are approximately three million Geocaches in 191 different countries around the world. They can even be found in Antarctica! The only place they cannot be found is in North Korea, where it is illegal to own or use GPS devices like a cell phone.
Another Outdoor Activity
If your child prefers the outdoors over a tablet, here are four fun ways to teach your kid how to garden.
About Us
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