Summer Educational Activities for Kids

During the kids' summer break from school, there is no need to have them running and screaming around the house or parked in front of the television all day, every day. There are a lot of fun, educational things to do to keep them busy and avoid the dreaded, "Mooooooom! We're booooooaaaard!" These activities vary in cost and time involved, but they are all a great way to spend the summer.

Summer Camps

Summer camps are fun for kids, providing a chance to meet new friends and spend time with old ones. They get to play games and sports, do art or any other manner of educational activities. These can either be day camps or sleep-away camps, depending on how independent the family wants to be and how much money they want to spend. The downside is that camps can be expensive and they do not provide an opportunity for the family to spend time together unless they have a special family day.

Family Field Trips

Here are what some parents suggest:

Lucinda Gunnin suggests, "Travel and/or education-related field trips, such as Bison Bluffs Farms [in Cobden, Illinois], any historic sites, etc. These are usually more fun if they don't realize learning is involved, like a visit to a prairie village to learn some history, or spelunking to learn geology, etc."

"We like to go to the Howell Living History Farm here in NJ," says Melanie Marten. "They have a different event every weekend (well, all year round really!) and they're free, except for material fees if the kids do a project."

Ann Marie T. Dwyer adds, "One of my faves is historical site self-guided tours. We do our own version of Q&A, and it works really well. We get off on scientific tangents and the occasional physics lesson."

Family Fun with Nature

More parents weigh in:

Amy Browne says, "I take mine camping-lots to learn there. Right wood to burn, plants and animals to avoid, food safety, fire safety...it also promotes family bonding. You need to work together to get tents up, cook, etc. I make everything a lesson."

Melissa D'Arlynn finds all kinds of things to do with her kids. "We grow a big garden, take hikes through Perrot State Park [in Wisconsin], play with bubbles and read, read, read. We're also considering selling cookies at the Farmer's Market."

Jennifer Wright takes full advantage of what nature can teach. "We always take family outings or camp. When we do this, we always teach the kids about survival skills, like edible plants and how to make a shelter. We don't camp like normal people; we take only what we can carry and hike to the spot. You find wonderful camping spots that way."

Whether finding ways to learn around the house or out in the wilderness, there is no reason to let a whole summer go by without learning something-and getting in some family bonding at the same time.