Summer Survival Kit

By. Teresa Marchant

Oh to be a kid again!  My days were filled with bike rides, walks to the library, camping, night games and staying up late. The older I became I would become “bored” so my parents enrolled me in summer camps. This included sports clinics offered through the parks and rec program since both my parents worked full time. When I had children of my own I was excited to enjoy my summer break with them and couldn’t wait to plan activities.

Rules for our survival

1. One outing everyday. This would ensure that we followed a daily schedule and my children knew what activities we had planned for the summer.
   
2. Equal time. As a school librarian, I made sure they read over the summer break and I enrolled them in the summer reading program. They needed to read first to get equal time on their devices.
   
3. Keep a schedule-Yes, I had a schedule and we had breakfast at home.  Lunch was usually at the park on our way to our daily outing and dinner was also at home.  It could be very expensive, so I had to plan very carefully to ensure that I did not spend all my summer checks in the first month. My kids also did simple chores to help me around the house. Once chores were done, we were ready to have fun!
   
4. Never say, “I’m bored”. 

Top Activities my children enjoyed

Weekly trips to the public library were always planned for Monday.  Since it was the new week to earn their chance at prizes.  We also signed up for activities, like arts and crafts, the magician or stem projects when they got older. Sometimes we would be at the library a couple of times a week.

Summer Parks Programs typically offered classes and even had free lunch and reading programs. We often went to the parks that had a wading pool or spray park. We really enjoyed Shakespeare or concerts in the park on summer nights.

Local bookstores often had author visits or fun activities like making slime.

Thankfully we live near the mountains and lakes in Montana.  Being outdoors and close to hiking and bike trails were something we also looked forward to.

Museum and zoos passes were fairly inexpensive and offered informational sessions and science classes as well.

Now that my children are grown, I hope they look back fondly on their childhood and see how I tried to encourage their growth and development over the summer.  Not only did it help us to survive, but molded them into the successful people that they are today.