Kidding Around Summer Fun
A few tips for a more relaxing summer
It’s all right to slow down!
WRITTEN BY
Nathalie Prézeau
We’re running all year round, aren’t we? Then comes the summer and we just can’t stop the momentum. We keep rushing and we tackle the planning of our kids’ freedom with the same intense frenzy as if it were back-to-school time
By mid-June, those who are “on top of things” have already put the pieces of the summer logistical puzzle into place. Their kids have been registered to multiple camps and other enriching activities before and after some exciting family vacation. Meanwhile, the rest of us are panicking, scrambling to save our family from a disastrous summer (Thanks, Mom!).
Secondly, a large part of our angst comes from our belief that a lack of planned activities is synonymous to total boredom for the kids. Which is weird considering most of the adults’ best childhood memories are made of simple summer pleasures involving minimal planning and supervision on the part of their parents: stop at the ice-cream truck, parties with the cousins, hot-dogs on the BBQ, games in the local park with their friends and lots of water fun.
What do you want?
It is vital that every family member gets a clear idea of a few things they’d badly want on a wish list of summer activities. All members will have different expectations, but as long as each one gets to cross a few items off their list, the summer will be a success: a water-balloon fight, a golf game with Junior, organizing a block party, trying a new water park, sipping a cocktail on a fancy patio with girlfriends (moms are people too!), watching the sun set over the horizon. You get the gist.
Need some help? Check April Durrett’s article Planning Your Ideal Vacation and download her Vacation Needs Worksheet PDF.
A few simple ideas
Can’t take a long vacation? Take your family on a sleepover in a local hotel. With a pool! Arrive early to enjoy the pool. Return to swim after dinner. Check out after breakfast and go back to the pool for one last dip. (As a bonus, rent a movie in the evening and order pizza to eat in the room. Kids will love it!)
Put up a tent in the backyard. Supply everyone with a flashlight and organize a game of light-tag with local friends (when you’re touched by the light, you’re it). Then, bring out sparklers (at least three per child).
No budget to travel? Time to play the tourist in your own town. There are three golden rules to a successful “staycation”: 1) Make sure to choose activities you don’t normally do in your daily life. 2) Allow for a little budget to indulge more than you would normally do (to go to a restaurant, to get a treat or to buy a little water toy). 3) Hire a babysitter at least one afternoon to enjoy lunch (less expensive and as decadent as a dinner) in a good local restaurant, with your partner or a friend.
Try trading! Plan for your friends’ kids to come over to play with yours for the whole day. Let them return the favour the next day.
Choose activities with minimum parental supervision. Drop all the Lego blocks on a blanket on the front yard. It will attract neighbourhood kids like flies. Supply the popsicles.
Take out plenty of big chalk for kids to draw a city on the sidewalk. Supply the little toy cars.
Supply all the items and condiments to fix a meal or a dessert. Then let the kids assemble their own creation. It’s even more fun with friends! This works great for pizzas on pita bread, sandwiches, tacos, and ice cream or cupcake decorating.
A few good resources
If you really do want to go somewhere for a few days, here are a few good reference sites.
www.cottagecountry.com and www.ontariocottagerentals.com
Also check these great bilingual websites:
www.bonjourquebec.com (covers the 22 tourist regions of Quebec, with interactive maps and an advance search option to find the most suitable accommodations and activities)
www.campingquebec.com (covers 80% of camp grounds in Quebec)
Nathalie Prezeau has played the tourist in and around the city since she moved to Toronto from Montreal 20 years ago. She’s the author of Toronto Fun Places… for families, now in its 5th edition. Her new guide Toronto Urban Strolls… for girlfriends offers a fun way to explore Toronto with the help of 28 strolls with walking maps, distances and over 800 colour photos. Both guides are sold in major bookstores and online on www.torontofunplaces.com and www.torontourbanstrolls.com.
(c) Nathalie Prezeau 2012
Tags: fun, ideas, Nathalie Prezeau, ontario, planning, Quebec, resources, staycation, Summer, vacation
