Tips for Taking a Summer Staycation
With the effects of the recession hitting government
agencies as well as individual families, are you wondering
how to entertain your kids this summer? Many cities
are cancelling summer school, county governments are
cutting down on various services and some state parks
are closing. So if you need to engage your children
this summer, here are some tips to help you take advantage
of free and low-cost alternatives to expensive summer
activities - the emerging trend of "staycations:"
1. Make good use of your local
library. The hours may be cut back but the
library is still a good source of fun for the kids.
With a library card, you can take out DVDs and CDs,
as well as books, rather than buying them. And many
libraries are still sponsoring programs that are informative
and interesting for the whole family. Why not create
a summer book club for your children, teens or yourself?
You can decide to read "beach books" or some
classics, settle on best-selling non-fiction, beautifully
written novels or award-winning titles. The choice is
up to you. Your weekly discussion groups will be engaging
and fun for everyone.
2. Check out the museums in
your area. Many of them will likely have
admission-free days, particularly for local residents.
Plan your schedule around these days so that you can
introduce your children to art, history, nature, music
and crafts. The bonus is that you, too, will learn something
from these visits and enjoy the time you spend there.
Visit a water park, zoo or aquarium that offers shows
for the kids. They'll find out first hand about the
habitats and lifestyles of many species.
3. Enjoy free concerts in
the park, community festivals and low cost theater productions.
Check the local papers for notices about events near
you. You and the kids can informally experience all
kinds of ethnic celebrations. Search out public tours
of civic buildings and corporate businesses. Educational
day trips to government offices and companies give you
the chance to view beautiful art work and learn about
what goes on behind usually-closed doors. Community
playhouses often have revivals of classics, musicals
or innovative avant guard shows at reasonable costs.
You can explore small theaters in your city or line
up for rush, discounted tickets at more well established
ones.
4. Go outside with the kids.
Locate maps of your community and hike in the hills,
walk in areas you haven't explored before or bike in
the flats around a lake. A trip to the community swimming
pool is fun for everyone. Plan to picnic on the grass
at home or camp out overnight in your own backyard.
Take in a baseball game, sitting in the bleachers. If
you can, take a drive to a lake or the ocean and spend
time with the family enjoying the vastness of the waterscape,
the warmth of the sand, the sound of the waves crashing,
the smell of sunscreen, the open blue sky. Or drive
to the hills or mountains for full days of hiking and
camping in the simple beauty of nature. Park Rangers
may be available to give you informative talks about
the flora and fauna you are seeing.
5. Do some cooking or baking
together. It's always fun to hang out in
the kitchen together, even in the summer. Make some
tried and true favorites like chocolate chip cookies.
Teach the kids some of your old family recipes or try
out an interesting new one. Summer can be the time to
schedule potluck evenings with family friends. Everyone
can pitch in to keep down the costs and create a diverse
menu. Bring the recipes to share and you have new dinner
ideas to use during the coming year. Cap off the evening
with charades and team games or you can set up tournaments
for board games, based on your children's ages.
6. Explore a new area or hobby
with the kids. Summer might be just the right
time to finally get going on that interest that has
been percolating on the back burner. Have you wanted
to start a family tree? Now, take the time to get on
the Internet and start researching. Organize your snapshots?
Get out those photos and arrange them in an attractive
scrapbook or e-book. Learn about the universe and star
gazing? Visit a planetarium, observatory or the library.
Buy an inexpensive fish with the kids - and then teach
them how to clean the bowl, how often to feed their
pet and even about the life cycle of fish.
7. If you can, include some
staycation plans solely for adults. Schedule
a joint massage for you and your partner at a local
spa. Take a day cruise or a short train ride - just
you two. Splurge and stay at a nearby bed and breakfast.
You'll find that the time alone for a romantic getaway
refreshes you and your relationship.
Planning and taking a real staycation gets you out
of your everyday rut and creates memories for your family
to share throughout the year. Now that you have heard
lots of good ideas for taking a staycation without draining
your funds, get out there and enjoy yourselves! And
don't forget to take lots of pictures so you won't forget
any of the delightful details.
Other Articles by Rosemary & Phyllis:
Other Articles by Rosemary & Phyllis:
Launching
your "Kidult"
Caring for
an Aging Parent with Dementia, Alzheimers, Stroke
How Boomers
can Sing "Rock & Roll" Instead of the
Blues
Michael Jackson
and the High Cost of Fame
Survive the
New Economy with Shared Housing
What We Can
Learn from Ted Kennedy
Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman,
Ph.D.
www.HerMentorCenter.com
Blog: www.NourishingRelationships.blogspot.com
Los Angeles, California
Copyright Protection and Reprint Rights: This
article and accompanying tips are fully copyrighted
by the author, but can be reprinted without permission
provided the article links back to this page: http://www.800Muses.com/muse-profiles/muses-rosemary-and-phyllis2.htm
|
