Summer Time with Kids

NJChick · June 26, 2006

Do you have a pool or lake you could join? you could take them there every day and they could play and swim. Bring them to the park, go to free wild life centers, zoo's... stuff like that.

Time to love me · June 26, 2006

Wow, I'm glad this isn't just me. I sent my 12 yo to the town recreation center. It's 75.00 for 6 weeks and it's from 9-3:30, she comes home for lunch at 12 and returns at 1. (she rides her bike down the road to camp).

My 2 yr old keeps me on my feet. But now I don't have to try to find something that entertains a 2 and 12 yr old. I can take my 2 yr old on the swing or for a walk, color.. You name it.

For fun, we go to the movies, library, the drive in at night, bowling or glow bowling, swimming and our new thing is scrapbooking. I have a huge house with a rec. room for my 12 yr old to have a few friends over.

You know it's amazing how you all say when we were younger we were never bored, I agree. We didn't have video games or computers, cell phones... we played kick the can, hide and go seek, capture the flag, freeze, mother may I .... you name it.. My parents had to drag us in kicking and screaming because we wanted to stay out longer. My daughter laughs at me when i say these things to her. That is why a lot of teens in the USA are FAT!!!! They sit in the house and do nothing but play video games, watch tv and so on... Just my opinion.

Time2live · June 26, 2006

My kids rarely whine that there's nothing to do but that's probably because there are always kids over. My DH was never allowed to have sleep overs so he is making up for lost time. We have a 13 yr old boy, 10 yr old boy and 7 yr old girl. Saturday night there were 12 kids sleeping here. The older ones slept on the trampoline(best money I've ever spent) and all the other kids slept in different places around the house.

We always to tradzies..lol as we call it with a friend...you take mine I take yours.

The kids put the sprinkler under the trampoline to cool off...I'd love a big enough yard for one of those huge pools. We take them to our little man made lake. We have computers so they go on that. They make huge forts in our basement. YMCA or the wave pool is another great option. Our zoo here only charges 10.00 for a seasons pass...stuff like that is fun though not on the really hot days.

I dunno....I really don't get sick of summer break until mid August but by then they are just as sick of being around me and all my barking...lol...

I let them have friends over so much I guess because I see how fast the time goes...before I know they will be gone and I will be praying for noise in my house.

Meow=^..^= · June 26, 2006

HeHehe... I dont have kids but when I was a kid I went to day camp, sleepover camp and I seem to recall the summer I was 8 I spent the whole summer at our community pool from the time it opened till it closed. I was mostly by myself too...LOL love the pool!!!! But the most fun i had was when the nieghborhood kids got together to form a club and we made crafts and food and sold them to have a big party once a month. We had a stand that sold lemonaid and Cookies, made pot holders and crochet dolls, we made chinese jacks sets ( I havent found those in a real long time they are little loops and you make jax pieces in whatever colors you wanted, no ball needed) did yard work, walked dogs, crushed cans..... then for the party we would buy food , balloons, omg Marshmellows for the grill (LOL) we would make paper chain streamers and set up outside with music and food and dance, play games, slip and slide... Each month was a different theme....LOL we were so crazy the last party befor school started was a hawiaan theme and we made jacked up lais out of some red huge flowers my mom had in the back yard, and we had Celebrate by cool and the gang playing and doing the limbo... Then running threw the house screaming!!!! LOL my Mom was not amused....Anywhooooooo I distintly remeber my mom telling me, "I am not your personal entertainment center, You figure out what you want to do" Lmao we really had fun

Meow=^..^= · June 26, 2006

OOOOOO I forgot another thing we did... we made pinatas, ya know like paper mache...LOL hint, hearts are really easy to make cuz its almost the balloons shape... But my friend made a unicorn, but it looked like dog ROTF....OOOO and noone mentioned the roller rink, always fun and has a/c... But I have noticed they have jacked up there prices here to like 10 dollars for 4 hours....WTH????

MoOrLess · June 26, 2006

Sadly, no roller rinks left around here (Illinois).....bowling is great - my boys love it! We get coupons for 99 cents a game every month -- so it isn't so costly....check your local bowling alley - ask if they have a website (this is where our coupons come from) and go for it! It is fun - keeps the kids entertained (we eat before we go) then Snacks are minimal - otherwise more money gets spent on food than bowling! lol

Also - a nearby movie theatre has kids' matinee (at 10AM) - it has A/C and entertains the kids for a couple of hours (if you can stand the other 100 kids in the audience) ....

I SO agree (Time to love me) -- the kids do/are getting FAT sitting around playing video games and watching tv......it's hard - society is NOT what it used to be -- those WERE the days when we were growing up!

FunnyDuddies · June 29, 2006

After reading this, and all the work I have been doing lately, I took our kids for a walk to the park today. they loved it. And when they came home the promtly passed out on their backs on the huge floor pillow positioned right under the ceiling fan. My daughter still hasn't woken up. LOL

paula · June 30, 2006

Things have been better.

Someone suggested a craft project - so Monday we went to Walmart and bought the million of little beads that create anything kit - you Iron the beads together and the creation stays forever.

We had a great time with it.

Then yesterday (while I was busy fixing our nightly feast) Anne brought the bucket of beads outside and SPILLED them in the grass.

Dont know why she brought them outside.

I didnt ask.

But now the *new* art project has grass, sticks, dog hair, rocks and dirt mixed with the millions of beads.

*sigh*

Then today she had a friend over that taught her one of the many ways to use a Monoploy game.

The paper money is neaty placed in the right sections of the oiginal carton - next to the play cash register.

BUT - there is a HUGE pile of toy cars, playing cards, a chess set (probably her brothers), -the bucket of beads-, all the others pieces of the monolopy set, baby doll clothes & stroller, toy guitar, some barbie odds and ends, and a Clue game - all scattered on the floor.

Can you guess what they were doing??

the best me · June 30, 2006

Then today she had a friend over that taught her one of the many ways to use a Monoploy game.

The paper money is neaty placed in the right sections of the oiginal carton - next to the play cash register.

BUT - there is a HUGE pile of toy cars, playing cards, a chess set (probably her brothers), -the bucket of beads-, all the others pieces of the monolopy set, baby doll clothes & stroller, toy guitar, some barbie odds and ends, and a Clue game - all scattered on the floor.

Can you guess what they were doing??

They were playing Wal Mart. Right?!!!!! Let's go shopping!!!!!

This morning my little ones took all the cushions off the furniture and stacked them on the floor, covered in a comforter. Then my daughter (age 6) took a stack of paper from the fax machine and made signs and hung them at different stations all around the room..."ice skating here" and "jump off the cusions here" and "one two three four five and six are here" (don't know what that's about?) etc etc. It's apparently different recreation areas all over the living room? Whatever! They had fun and weren't plopped in front of the TV doing NOTHING.

Vacation Bible School ended tonight. That was a fun week for them!

FunnyDuddies · June 30, 2006

Oh playing Walmart was my answer!! LOL

Actually it was! LOL My kids LOVE the Iron beads. We have about 6 of those buckets. And they have been spilled so many times. I think there is now a bunch of coins and buttons in there with them too.

One craft project the kids really love lately are the little metal frames that you fill with colored pieces of plastic, then bake. the plastic melts and it creates a suncatcher. We also do the paint ones. Emily loves the painting ones. andy tries to eat the little plastic pieces that are supposed to melt. So that is his favorite. He thinks it looks like colored cookie sugar.

We also do felt projects. And some other stuff. Let me see if i can come up with some ideas for you.

They like to draw pictures on contruction paper, then they get the colored pipe cleaners and little colored fuzzy balls and glue them to the paper to fill in their drawings. We have fluffy flowers all over our windows.

They also make animals with construction paper, cut them out (we have safe scissors that only cut paper), put googly eyes on them, and glue popcicle sticks to the back to make puppets for a show. then the kids rehearse a show and play it out for daddy when he gets home.

Again with the construction paper. Or you can take pages from a coloring book. Cut squares out of colored tissue paper. Pour some glue on a plate. Get a pencil and wrap the tissue paper around the eraser end. Dip in the glue and then place on the page. Pull the pencil away and you have a tissue paper "flower" coming up from the page. Do this a lot close together to fill in any area. Again...we have lots of fluffy and tissuey flowers in our windows. LOL

um...we spent a week where they had to find a bunch of stuff that was 2 inches or smaller. then we made shadow boxes and put them all in there. It is amazing to see what their eyes are drawn to, depending on their personality. this is a great way to find out what their main intrests are, and what their favorite color truly is. Emily's is full of money. LOL Even a $5 bill she found when we were doing laundry. that is part of the rules. And she gets to keep whatever she finds. She actually found a $100 bill in daddies pants,and refuses to give it back. It went right into her allowance jar. LOL

We bought some cheap vases (little ones) at walmart, and got some glass glue. I let the kids paint them, and we put little votive candles in them and gave them away for christmas gifts last year. the year before we made the actual candles. Emily loves that. Andy was too young to care.

Keep in mind that this is a 3 and 4 year old doing these (almost 4 and 5) so don't be turned off by the crafts thinking they are for older kids. They may not turn out pretty, but they are fun, and the kids have so much pride in them.

Mert · July 17, 2006

1-800-grandma

paula · July 18, 2006

Mert - how I wish it were that simple!

MY parents are exhausted with my sisters kids, ages 1 & 2. And hubbys parents are too selfish.

Its ok though - summer is ONLY 4 more weeks. Swimming lessons finish this week and they have an Art Camp planned for next. Where did the time go?? hehe

Thanks for the suggestions!

Angels · July 18, 2006

I have two boys 18 and 10 years old. Thank GOD the 18 year old has worked as a summer intern for the Federal Gov for the past 3 years and the 10 year old is in AAU Basketball and football practice 3 times per week and that is hubby's job to take him. I do attend the games and they are lots of fun. However, there is a small amount of time when we are all home and the two of them like to annoy each other and for that short period of time it drives me crazy. The 18 year is leaving for college the 1st week in August so the house should be really quiet until he comes home for holidays. My deepest sympath for all of you because I know the feeling.

CLOE · July 18, 2006

I may be coming completely out of left field, and your all gonna probably hate me after my comment. I also have 3 kids, now they are 17, 15, 13. I also live in the country and I realize that makes a difference, but I really think that we over entertain our children. Our parents never spent the amount of time we feel obligated too. I don't ignore my kids, but I always told them thats why I gave them siblings...someone to play with. Anyway, sounds like you've done alot of great things so far :clap2: I applaude you, maybe you should sit back and enjoy your summer with a magazine and a beer. As I'm typing this I do remember that when they were smaller they are more needy of our time, but cut yourself some slack, you sound like a great mother!!!!! Okay, I'm covering my head if you want to throw bricks at me:faint2:

Vera · July 18, 2006

I just love all the ideas on this thread. The fact that this thread started weeks ago and I’m just seeing it tells you how busy I’ve been.

Its birthday season around here, I just had a dozie of a party for Hunter, now 5. About 2 months ago we were at a kids party where the parents bought a jump house, they claimed it paid for it’s self with years of entertaining. So e-bay shopping I went and picked up a house slide combo. Well of course as soon as it arrived mom had to try it out. What fun! It takes about 10 minutes to set up and I only bring it out on weekends.

We live on a lake and own a boat. This has been a challenge to Hunter because he’s not fond of the Water but will get on the tube, meanwhile Roxanne (8) is now knee-boarding and tomorrow friends with kids are flying in from Chicago and they want to ski and wake-board, so I think Roxanne will try skiing.

I do work 4 days a week and they are in summer camp most of the time, but when the weekends come by, we just don’t have an enough time. I’ve also got my kids cooking, little things like cheese and cracker stacks, fruit plates, pizza and finger sandwiches. When they make it, they tend to eat it.

Now if I could just keep the house clean and the toys off the floor…

Happy Summer!