School’s out and all the kids are home – all day long. Now what do you do? There are a bajillion books out there with ideas galore, but let’s start out with the basics. Do you remember how to be a kid? Relax for a day or two, then jump back into your own childhood and take your kids along for the ride.
Have a picnic in the backyard. Grab a blanket and some sandwiches and head outside. Sit in the shade under a tree or the porch swing while you munch. Let the world going by be your “dinner theater.”
Play in the sprinkler. Don’t bother with the swimsuits. Kick off your shoes, throw the water on full blast and start running. Don’t want to use that much water? No problem. Go to your local We-Have-Everything-Mart and grab a little plastic pool for 10-20 bucks. Fill it halfway and have a Splash Fest.
Ride bikes around the neighborhood. Do you remember the old banana bike that was your best friend as a kid? You could go anywhere on that thing. You could fly. You were the fastest kid in the world. And when you got tired, you could just ride in slow lazy circles in front of your best friend’s driveway while the two of you talked. Introduce your kids to the joys of just riding around. Where are you going? Lazyville.
Chase down the ice cream truck. Keep a few ones in your pocket and your ears open. Believe it or not, there are still ice cream trucks around. Listen for it in your neighborhood. If you don’t have an ice cream truck, go find the nearest snow cone stand in a parking lot and sit around while you lick the dripping syrup off your wrist.
Cover every available surface with sidewalk chalk. Draw a mural, practice your graffiti art legally, write your name three feet high, or play hopscotch. Everybody from the sitter to Grandpa can get in on the fun. Got a sidewalk that runs along the front of your house? Leave a stick or two of chalk out with a sign encouraging the neighbors to work our their creativity and enjoy the rotating art gallery.
Sure, you’ll want to do some more elaborate stuff during the summer, but that can come later. Allow yourself and the kids some decompression time and ease into summer with a little déjà vu.
