Planning for Summer Break with the Kids - Keep the "I'm Bored" Cries to a Minimum

Summer break is full of nice, clear, and hot days and the usual "I am bored!" calls from the kids. You know that it is coming and can expect even the grown ups to have a complaint or two about what to do. The secret weapon of busy parents is planning and being prepared. This is the easiest part of summer and just calls for a little bit of research.

Have a calendar out or get blank ones for the summer months. Mark when school ends and when it will begin. Fill in all of the information that is already planned for the family. Include vacations, camps, cook outs, birthdays and holidays. Fill in events that you know about and that you would like to attend.

Brainstorm for just a bit and write down some ideas that you would like to do with your family. Think about all of the things that each family member likes to do and make a note of where your family can all participate. State and county parks are great places to take the whole family for picnics or weekend camping. Write down as many ideas that you can think of and go from there to plan a fun summer. You can also just keep this list handy when you are trying to figure out something at the last minute.

Now is the time for a little research. Some ideas for summer fun can be found on the internet and others require a little leg work. Look up the contact information for your local parks and see if they have a calendar of events for the summer. Find the dates for any local fairs and carnivals. The summer months are full of church and county fairs and most post information on the internet. Put that information on your calendar so that it is ready at a glance.

Your local library will also have fun things planned for the summer. The best thing about the library is that most of their events are free! Many libraries put their events on the internet and some have a mailing list. Make sure to check out all of the braches in your county because they all may have a little something different.

Now is the time for a little legwork. Your local crafts and specialty stores host classes for all different age groups. Some specialty stores also allow you to make your own jewelry or paint a piece of pottery and welcome walk ins. Those that give classes with various themes will have a list or brochure and might be an idea for those aspiring creators of yours. You may even enjoy these for yourself as a chance to get away for a little bit.

Go to your local hotels. Just go into the lobby and find that little kiosk that holds all the brochures for local attractions. They are not just for visitors and they will also have a few ideas that you may have not thought of in your brainstorming session. These attractions are for day or weekend ideas and come in handy when trying to plan for the summer.

Your local newspaper will also have a list of upcoming events for your city. Look in both your community paper and the larger paper for the whole area. Their websites will also have additional information and will generally leave it all posted through out the entire summer season.

Make sure to mark all of your ideas on the calendar and keep the information about the events handy. Even if you just need a quick glance on those rainy days, or scheduling the entire summer, you are ready to face the troops. So let us have fun! Don't forget the camera!!