Beat the kids' midsummer madness
By Doreen Nagle
Gannett News Service
It's about that time during a summer break where parents and kids start to feel at loose ends. Isn't it just about time that the novelty has worn off and that the kids start whining, "I'm booorrred!" Here are some activities to keep your young ones from melting along with the seasonal heat.
Home alone? Are your children at home with you all day? Why not switch off with another at-home parent? She can have them visit at her home one morning and the whole crew can hang out in your yard all afternoon. It's amazing what this little "mini-vacation" from the same old routine can do to revitalize energy — yours and theirs.
Is there some old furniture stashed in the garage that could use some sprucing up? Purchase some rejected paint colors from the paint store and let the little artists decorate an old chair or desk with letters, handprints and whatever else strikes their fancy.
Mix up a bucket of bubbles and experiment with "wands" found around the house: a loop of string, plastic fruit baskets from the market, colander, grater. Even high-schoolers still love to play with bubbles.
Do you have a metal barrel such as might be used for cold drinks during a party? Fill it with suds and let the kids soak in it in the yard.
Start a journal. Give each child a notebook to record their days in. Tell them it is for their eyes only and encourage them to write private thoughts or make illustrations of some special find each day.
Make custom cakes of soap. Pour some Ivory Snow laundry soap into a bowl and add enough water until it turns the consistency of dough. Add some food coloring for fun. Shape the soapdough into favorite animals, numbers, whatever your kids imagine or use cookie cutters to shape. After the mixture sets, everyone can have their own custom soap bars.
Make a map of the neighborhood. Depending on your child's skills and age, you can make a crude map of where the park and gas station are, or make a more sophisticated one with a key and graph paper. Many books on map-making with children can be found at the library.
Speaking of the library, does yours have a summer reading program where your child can sign up for prizes after reading so many hours or so many books? Are there any other summer programs at your library or local bookstores, such as magician shows or a children's symphony?
Make video night a special occasion. Choose a theme for dinner that revolves around the video. For instance, stretch imaginations by celebrating Chewbacca from "Star Wars" by choosing foods that have to be, er, chewed a lot.
