Countdown Until Summer Break: 3 Moms Share Their Secret Preparations
The countdown is on. Less than 30 days until kids let loose from school and take over the house. All. Day. Long.
How do us moms find time in the summer to actually unwind and recharge? All while making sure our kids are not “melting” their brains with social media.
Oh, and avoiding the dreaded summer slide (our kids lose up to 34% of what they learned in the past school year).
We talked to 3 moms who shared their routines to stay sane during the summer months and come out on the other side happier and healthier.
1. Give In To Your Kids!
Most kids have at least one of these items on their list of fun activities: video games, sports, drawing, and hanging with friends.
What makes these activities tricky for us parents is it means either stopping work in the middle of the day to drive our kids around or having them zone out on a screen. This is a tricky proposition any day of the week, much less for 3 whole months of summer.
Rebecca, a mom of 2, ages 8 and 13 shared how she solves this summer challenge. She uses a site called Outschool, which she called a “game changer.” The site has a wide range of online experiences including:
DIY (made easy): These include: creating your own Pokemon Card, drawing your own comic book, and completing mystery lego builds,
Connecting with kids: Under teacher supervision, kids can join a Minecraft Hangout , weekly soccer club, or an Acting Club
Fun Edutainment: Instead of kids being Netflix screen zombies, they can meet kids around the world who are taking a Science and Nature Class On Farts!, or playing Escape The Room.
When we asked Rebecca what else she liked about the site, she mentioned the wide selection of 60,000+ online experiences and the affordability (typically under $15). She also finds it to be a healthier alternative to passive screen watching and appreciates that her kids get to connect with other kids online, with the safety of a live online teacher.
If you want to take a look for yourself, creating a free account takes <1 minute, and you can find suggestions based on your kids interests. Pro-tip: You can filter live classes by 1-on-1 (like Math Tutoring that Rebecca’s younger one is taking this summer) or group (like creative writing clubs).
2. Have a Backyard Campout
Natalie, a proud Mama of 3 from Chicago shared her tip on having a backyard campout.
“We love the Chicago summers and when school’s out we use that time to pitch a tent in the backyard, roast marshmallows, and tell stories. Best of all, everyone including the kids takes turns telling stories. I find it helps us connect as a family without feeling like something always has to be done inside the house.”
It cannot be overstated how powerful connecting with family and connecting with nature can be. It can elevate everyone’s mood and alleviate stress.
And if you’re up for it, you can use it as an opportunity to teach your kids about the outdoors.
I will “leave” (pun intended) you with this fun fact about the outdoors that you can share with your kids: Did you know that some trees can communicate with each other? Trees can send chemical signals to each other through their roots and even release gasses into the air to warn other trees about predators or share nutrients. This is called "inter-tree communication"
3. DIY Crafts
Katherine, Mom of 2, loves doing DIY projects with her kids. She shares that she has cheap supplies in the garage that her kids rummage through and they make their own projects which have included costume jewelry, birdhouses, and puzzles.
She finds these activities to be calming and joyful for her kids, while also giving her kids a sense of accomplishment.
In the summer months, she goes to her local teacher’s shop and buys craft materials on the cheap. And then she plans projects with her kids the night before, so they can work on them while she works from home.
She also uses Outschool to have her kids do DIY projects with a teacher.
The range of things kids can do creatively is endless from painting and drawing to making jewelry or building a birdhouse, there's no shortage of options.
Here’s to a joyous and fun-filled summer with some rest and relaxation in between.