Out for Summer, what to do? | ADHD Information

Do you have a recreation department for your town? Quite often they offer inexpensive day camps, summer fun and even day trips. I'm not sure where you are from, but the beach is always good, lots of running and swimming. My younger daughter goes to the "YMCA" day camp, it is very reasonably priced and you can even just do a couple of days a week if the whole week is too much. In your own yard, you can set up a sprinkler. Have him invite soem one voer, even playing with the hose can be fun.The local library usually has reading related activities and contests. Also there are internet sites like webkins that has games, some of which educational like "quizzie's". If you have a home depot, they have building projects for kids on some weekends (making birdhouses, wooden race cars, etc). Joanne's (crafts and fabric) has kids classes. The simple crafts are around on a saturday, and they have free preview days about every 2-3 months.

I have a friend who has her own website and her new blog lists things to do outdoors with your kids. Dont think I can post her site so here'e the list!

Re-discovering the outdoors with your children

I think part of the reason children love nature is because they are so close to the ground. They are able to see things from a different point of view. They are unafraid of holding, and perhaps squishing, a caterpillar or frog. As many of you know there are websites out there that list '99 things' people wish to do before they die and books that tell you the 1,000 places you should visit during your lifetime, but is there a place or book that tells you what you should do with your child while she is still a child?

Baby boomers will tell you, when they were growing up they were always outside. A number of children today spend the majority of their time inside. Richard Louv has coined a term called "nature deficit disorder" and has written a book on the subject. Children in the 21st Century are not exposed to as much outside time as previous generations because, for some, there just isn't as much outdoor space as there used to be.

This summer, I think everyone should try to get outside with their children as much as possible. Help them to appreciate the outdoors. Below is a list that provides suggestions on outdoor activities you can try to do this summer with your children. Perhaps you will re-discover a favorite pasttime from your own childhood and pass it, as well as fond memories, on to the next generation.

30 Things Kids Should Do This Summer

Roll down a grassy bank on your side Make a mud pie Make your own modeling dough mixture
Collect frogspawn Make perfume from flower petals Grow herbs on a windowsill Make a paper mache mask Build a sandcastle Climb a tree Make a den in the garden Make a painting using your hands and feet Organize a teddy bear picnic Have your face painted Play with a friend in the sand Make bread Create a clay sculpture Take part in a scavenger hunt Camp out in the garden Bake a cake Feed a farm animal Visit a pick-your-own farm Recognize five different bird species Find worms Ride a bike through a muddy puddle Make and fly a kite Plant a tree Build a nest out of grass and twigs Make an obstacle course in your yard Stare at clouds Go fishing (even if it is just using a tree branch & puddle in your yard)

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Outdoors Parenting Diane V39275.4963194444

The library will have several books with titles like "101 activities for kids!"- let him sift through a couple of those and pick out things that seem interesting.

My son's a cubscout, so we're getting a jump on some of the activities he has to do to earn his webelos badge.

Think ahead too- homemade holiday gifts are always big hits with the grandparents, but who has time in the fall?

Several great ideas already have been suggested. I also recommend volunteer work. What are his interests? He could volunteer at a nursing home to socialize with the residents, volunteer for a veterinarian or the animal shelter if he loves animals, look into being a C.I.T. at a camp if he likes kids (around here, you don't get paid, but you get community service credit which is needed for graduation). I didn't catch how old he is, but if he has a certain career interest, volunteering is a great way to test out the field (and get good things to put on that college application!).Are you comfortable posting in what area you live? People might be able to offer more specific suggestions then. Also, how old is he?

[QUOTE=vickie]The local library usually has reading related activities and contests. Also there are internet sites like webkins that has games, some of which educational like "quizzie's". If you have a home depot, they have building projects for kids on some weekends (making birdhouses, wooden race cars, etc). Joanne's (crafts and fabric) has kids classes. The simple crafts are around on a saturday, and they have free preview days about every 2-3 months.[/QUOTE]

That's a good idea...these are all great ideas. We don't have a backyard (we live in a condo) and the pool is currently under construction. He decided he wants to sign up for swimming lessons in a couple of weeks. The building projects is something we'll look into. We visit the library every couple of weeks. The reading programs won't start until late July.

Thanks.

You could go to a museum or a park and have a pick nick. A lot of movie
theaters have summer discounts. There is one in my city that has free kid
movies once a week. Riding on a bike trail or around your house if there is a
place to ride. Some schools have summer enrichment programs. You could
go hiking or canoeing. Day trips to cities within a few hours drive could be
fun. If you google your state or the states around you, you can find good
places for a day trip. Check out some of the churches for vacation bible school....this is kinda like camp but usually free. I had a friend who signed her kids up for a different bible school every week...even though she was Catholic , her kids attended the Baptist , Methodist, and Catholic VBS. [QUOTE=sirrap1]

Thanks.

[/QUOTE]

Also all kids adore real art supplies and baking. There's lots of art projects online for kids that he can do including glass painting [on old bottles], painting frames for pictures etc. I'd suggest getting student supplies from a local art store because they will have a lot more mileage for your money than walmart or crap from the dollar store.

A good one is some cheap watercolour paper, and student watercolour pencils with a few cheap watercolour brushes. This is the easiest clean up to do. Check online for salt painting, using saran wrap and all kinds of neato experiments.

Then there are a thousand ways to use old magazines!

He can do a LOT with student acrylic paint. For your info--get lots of no name windex because that's what it washes off with He can even paint t-shirts with it!

Most kids like swirling and smudging pastels with paper towels, too.

If you have any dollar stores around he can decorate boxes, picture frames, plates etc. and make his christmas presents early with his acrylic paint

You can also get air dry clay for about per pound and he can make candy dishes, bowls and such with it. Phimo's more money but with some magnets he can make 'way cool fridge magnets and coloured clay statues. Art supplies are as big as his imagination! Plus they sometimes have "by the numbers" sorta stuff to keep him occupied.

On the computer for free you can get him DaZ 3d studio and let him go wonkers if he likes animation

Baking is always one I've found kids like. If you make simple sugar cookies and get some raisins/walnuts/topping candy he can decorate

Any suggestions (inexpensive or free) on how to keep my son occuppied during the summer break? I feel bad that I can't afford to send him to like an overnight week camp but he is attending a day camp for one week (thanks to a scholorship) and maybe a visit to Six Flags but most of the time there's not much to do. There are no little children around where we live and most of our relatives live pretty far away. I try to limit his TV watching time and video games but lately I've been letting him stretch that time because well, after reading some stories, doing chores, practice some writing activities, there's just simply nothing else to do to keep busy.

Any advice will be appreciated, thanks in advance!

Swimming in the local public pool, or your own backyard pool? Crafts? Hiking in a nearby area, going to the park? There are lost of things, just use your imagination.