Making Magical Summer Memories
by Kimberly S. Vanderbrook
Remember summer vacation when you were a kid? That exhilarating feeling you had on the last day of school, with the days of summer stretching before you? Childhood summer memories seem to be a little bit stronger than others.
Maybe it was the novelty of being out of school and creating a world of our own. Maybe it was swimming pools and snowballs.
But, more likely, it’s because we lingered a little longer with our family and slowed down our pace enough to just “be.”
All too soon, our kids will enter the world of adulthood, where summer vacation shrinks to a pitiful few days. This summer, let’s slow down and not only survive—but also, more importantly, create those magical moments and memories.
Enjoy!
Busy, not Bored!
Go blueberry picking—and make pie.
Play hopscotch. Great exercise and a learning tool. For older kids, increase the number of squares and add dice.
Plant a vegetable garden. A garden help kids appreciate how much care goes into producing our food.
Go fishing.
Schedule a family game night. Turn off the TV, order a pizza and celebrate family.
Bike ride to Fontainebleau State Park beach. Enjoy the nature trail, fishing pond and playground!
Visit the Sculpture Garden at City Park.
Write and perform a play. Invite friends and family to opening night.
Build a fairy house. Construct your very own from twigs, leaves and flowers.
Visit the library. Great summer reads and entertainment for all ages!
Play softball.
Explore Grand Isle, Louisiana. Just a two-hour drive to a beach that offers fantastic fishing, beachfront camping and a state park.
Visit a nursing home. Hand out children’s artwork for extra good cheer!
Check out live performances of music, theatre and dance.
Share your old photo albums. Talk about when you were a child, when you got married, or about the kids as babies. See if they can identify the people and places in the photos.
Shop at the Farmer’s Market.
Visit the State Capitol. See where bills become law, marvel at the architecture and check out the museum.
Start a journal. Older kids can write and younger kids can draw.
Go on a “Best Quest.” Who has the best snowball? What about the best pizza? Best shrimp po-boy? Sample them all and announce your family’s “best.”
Send a newsletter to faraway family and friends. Do it now instead of during the hectic holidays.
Take a virtual vacation. Dedicate a month to study one country. End with a dinner featuring the country’s specialties and share what’s been learned.
Make some money. Start a dog-walking business, a babysitting service or a lemonade stand. Have kids make signs and fliers, make a business plan and calculate the net profits.
Take a train trip. It’s easy and affordable to take a trip to nearby destinations.
Look for spider webs. Admire their beauty and try to figure out what kinds of spiders made them.
Avoid a Summer of Discontent
Summer often brings an increase in stress and household disharmony. Keep the peace with these tips from licensed clinical family psychologist Dr. Doug Walker:
Keep it loose. Because of the increase in down time and unstructured imaginative play, huge developmental leaps occur in children in the summer. While a few lessons are fine, leave space for kids to do nothing and make their own fun. It’s better for their brains and less stress for you.
Divide and conquer. When sibling battles erupt, don’t be judge and jury. Instead, consistently and calmly implement a consequence—all parties go to their rooms for a ten-minute peace break and then start over with a clean slate.
Turn travel time into learning time. Don’t let kids zone out on videos. Dole out activities along the way. Trace your route on a map to teach geography and distance or look for the lowest average gas price to brush up on math.
Turn off the TV! Allow the kids a limited amount of TV per day, and tie the viewing privilege to completed chores.
Take time for yourself. Being “on” 24/7 can take its toll on moms and dads. Make sure you get both “me” and “couple” time. Join a gym with childcare or start a child swap with friends.
Summer Safety
Use properly fitted helmets for biking and skating.
Wear properly fitted life jackets at all times in a boat.
Enroll your child in swim lessons. Water safety lessons for babies as young as 6 months are available. Children learn to roll over to breathe and how to get safely to the poolside if they accidentally fall into water.
Always supervise children of all ages in the water. This means having an adult IN the pool.
Use sun block everyday. Look for an SPF of 15 or higher that blocks UV and UVA rays. Avoid chemical sunscreens. Try those sunscreens with zinc oxide, such as Blue Lizard or California Baby.
Protect your child from mosquitoes. Avoid insect repellents that contain DEET. Try brands made with citronella or soybean oil, like OFF Botanical and Burt’s Bees.
Know what to do if you lose your child in a store. Don’t freak out. Notify the manager and ask for an Amber Alert, which locks the store down until the child is found. Before you go out, take a picture on your cell phone of your child so you have instant documentation of what your child is wearing and what he looks like. Teach your children to look for a “mommy” if they are lost. Statistics show that women with children are the most likely to return a lost child safely.
