The nice weather and the school year’s end mean kids and adults want to head outside to play. But playing the same old outdoor games over and over can quickly become tedious, and by the third week of summer break, you’ll likely be hearing, “I’m bored.”
So how can parents make outside play fresh and exciting without spending much money or constantly feeling like they need to entertain their kids? I’ve got a few tips to make outdoor play fresh and fun!
1. Take indoor toys outside. Simple no? Pack all the building blocks in a large plastic bin and set them in the driveway to play. Or, take the cars, animals, and people figurines to the backyard. The change of scenery will spark your child’s creativity and imagination because of the novelty of playing with an indoor toy outside.
2. Create a “Laser Maze.” This task takes some serious prep time. But once it’s up, it can provide endless fun for preschoolers and elementary kids.
Use string and trees, posts, or any heavy outdoor furniture you’ll not need in the immediate future, and you can create a laser maze for the kids to navigate. This activity is great if you have future spies on ninjas in your house.
If you want something less permanent and more colorful, check out this fun idea from KREAZONA using party streamers!
3. Make a giant sensory tub. Yes, sandboxes are fun and always a great sensory experience. But shake things up by making a giant sensory bin with something other than sand.
My favorite is water beads, but rice or dried corn are two other awesome alternatives! Toss in some exploration toys, and your kids will likely entertain themselves for quite some time!
A plastic kiddie pool is a perfect size – just cover it so animals don’t get in at night!
4. Create a camp in your backyard. I did this one summer when my boys were 10 and 7, and they loved it! We pitched a tent together and stocked them with snacks, flashlights, walkie-talkies, and a sprinkler for water play on one end of the yard and sent them out to enjoy on nice days!
Extend the camp theme by building a fire one night and making smores, telling ghost stories at night, or playing flashlight hide and seek!
5. Make an outdoor art studio. If you have a child who loves art, spring, and summer is the perfect time to take it outdoors! Set up an easel and use a large plastic bin to store all their art supplies and to keep them safe from the elements.
Let nature inspire their art without worrying about cleaning up the mess! You can also use a make-up storage case or tackle box to store supplies and make them easy to transport.
Travel and fun outings were a significant part of my childhood. Whether it was trips to a Phillies game, museums, visiting my grandparents, Disney World, road trips, or big trips to Europe, my parents excelled at exposing us to fun and adventure.
As a parent, I’ve tried to do the same for my two boys. It hasn’t always been easy or affordable, but I’ve managed to do some pretty fun stuff with my kids. Most recently, I had the pleasure of visiting a part of Maryland I’ve never traveled to before; Lusby, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay.
I’ve lived in Maryland for almost seven years, yet this was my first visit to this beautiful area only ninety minutes south of my home, but I hope it won’t be my last!
A friend recently bought a vacation home there with her husband and turned it into a peaceful escape for families available to rent on Air B&B. They named their newly renovated home The Waffle House, which lives up to its cozy vacation-vibe name. My boys and I were invited to stay there free of charge in return for blogging about my experience. So, while I have been compensated for this piece, the opinions are all mine!
The setting of the house is ideal. It is situated near other homes, which provides a sense of community, but nestled in a wooded area less than a 5-minute drive to the beach. The spacious yard has a volleyball court, a basketball net over the driveway, horseshoes, a fire pit, and hammocks!
And although the house provides a tranquil sense of isolation, the town center is a mere 10 minutes away and has everything you need. We utilized “the CVS and Weiss Supermarket for an “emergency” S’mores material purchase. In addition, we visited one of the local restaurants, Atomic Seafood.
The house itself is adorable, spacious, and beach chic. Robin and her husband have pulled out all the stops to ensure you and your family feel the beachy vibe from the get-go. There are nostalgic black and white old-fashioned beach photos, seashell decor, and my oldest son’s (and future zoologist) personal favorite, a fossilized 8-12 million old piece of baleen whale vertebrae. The Vertabae was a gift from the Calvert Marine Museum, which we also enjoyed visiting.
My kids have been museum junkies since they were born. If there is one thing I, an educator, love, it is a good museum; so my two have visited their fair share, and both thoroughly enjoyed the Calvert Marine Museum.
They both enjoyed the exploration room designed for kids to play hands-on, but the museum trip’s highlight was the opportunity to watch the resident otters being fed their lunch.
Only three of us were on our trip, but the home could accommodate several more. There’s a set of bunk beds and a king bed in the master suite and two additional bedrooms with a queen bed each. The room I slept in was right off the dining room and had one of the queen beds and a loft designed as a kid’s area. And honestly, a teen on an air mattress could easily sleep up there. So there are several ways you could arrange sleeping arrangements depending on the ages and numbers in your party.
The living room was our favorite spot. The dual air hockey/pool table entertained my two off and on, and I enjoyed cozying up in the oversized armchairs to read. The candy machine was another fun novelty loved by my kids! I loved that nickels were provided, and I’m surprised they only used it twice each during our stay!
Lastly, one of the biggest perks of staying in this beautiful vacation home is its proximity to two beaches. On our arrival evening, we visited Driftwood beach, a mere five-minute drive, and witnessed a beautiful sunset.
The following day, the weather cooperated, and the temps rose to a whopping 62 degrees – a treat for February, so we packed up and headed to another local, private beach, Seahorse Beach, for a few hours before lunch and then went back for another hour in the afternoon.
My boys enjoyed searching for shark teeth and collecting seashells, playing in the sand, and exploring the beach and the water.
And despite the cooler temps, my eldest even got in the water! I enjoyed sipping warm coffee and reading to the sounds of the waves as my children played in the sand.
Beach chairs, toys, and even sunscreen (which I forgot to pack!) were at the house, making the trek to the beach a smooth experience.
Other amenities provided at the vacation home that came in handy include:
Keurig with k-cups, creamer, and sugar
Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash
First aid kit and bandaids
Dishes, pots, pans, cups, utensils, etc.
Lines and towels
Beach towels
Olive oil and condiments
Games
Roku TV & Wifi
Outside toys (basketball, frisbee, volleyball)
Back porch
Firepit
Attractions in the area:
Bike, running, and hiking trails
Calvert Cliffs
Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center
Cove Point Park and Pool
Cove Point Winery
Solomon’s Island Winery
Solomon’s Island
Flag Ponds Park
Calvert Marine Museum
The World Famous Tiki Bar
St. Mary’s County
Several Farmer’s Markets
We ended our brief stay by making S’mores in the firepit, and my final half hour before getting ready to pack up was enjoyed sipping coffee as I sat by the dwindling fire.
Our stay was wonderful, relaxing, and refreshing. It’s the perfect spot for a short or long getaway for couples, families, or friends. There was so much to do in the area; I hope to take my boys back at some point to explore the area further.
Arts and Crafts. That phrase probably revives memories of elementary school classrooms or summer camp. Being asked to wind yarn around Popsicle sticks glued together, or to paint a picture of the outdoors. More often than not cookie-cutter crafts and art projects would be produced, taken home to smiles from mom and dad and then eventually thrown away. Unless you are my mom, who apparently has boxes full of old items ready to be gifted back to my hands and out of her house. Why did we and do we continue to engage children in arts and crafts? The purpose surely cannot be so that can mass produce animal masks and dream catchers.
Early in my career as an educator I began thorough research into this topic and came across the phrase, “Process, not Product.” Put simply, this means your child’s process of creating the piece of art, or the craft is more meaningful and educational than the finished product. Isn’t that interesting? I thought it was. As a trained actor and musician the purpose of the finished product was to create something recognizable and enjoyable for the audience. What would “42nd Street” be without flashy costumes and tap shoes? Or what about a Mozart symphony where all the violins were flat. But then I thought about this further. Each performance of a piece, even with the same group of performers is never exactly the same. When a theatrical production is done by different directors, actors and producers it becomes it’s own entity, different from all that came before and will come after.
Then it made sense. As an actor learning my lines or my notes were only a part of the piece. Each show I have been in has taught me new words to add to my lexicon, a new technique or behinds the scene trick. With each show, I have learned something new through the process of creating the production.
So What’s the Process?
Open-ended art is a process of creating which allows free-range while creating. You create with what is available to you and possibly with no clear destination in mind. Open-ended art supplies are now common in a preschool or kindergarten classroom, including paper, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, stickers, stamps, paint, sequins etc. Children are free to create throughout the day. This type of art center can be easily made at home. Open-ended art allows children to use their imagination to explore and create without it having to be something. Young children who engage in art often don’t know what they are creating and will usually not decide if ever until they are completed.
What Are They Learning?
Problem Solving
Creative Expression
Critical Thinking
Mathematical and Spatial Reasoning
Science Skills
At Home
Our house is a well-spring of supplies and yours is too! Recyclables are some of the best items you can use and kids adore them! All of those empty cereal and snack boxes, catalogs you toss away, junk mail all can be used in open-ended art. If you are like me and believe an Amazon Delivery Away Keeps the Urge to Raid Target Away, save the boxes and let them use those! My youngest son has created rather elaborate forts of late out of boxes with just scissors and markers and my older son created airplanes and boats with empty 2-liter bottles, egg cartons, and cardboard. Consider collecting buttons, fabric scraps, string, twine, Popsicle sticks. If you can save it, they will use it.
Language Please!
At times our child’s art leaves us thinking… what is that?! Instead of asking your child, “What is that?” replace it with, “Can you tell me about what you made?” When we ask a child what their art is we immediately imply we can’t recognize it, aka, it’s not good. When you ask them about it you provide the opportunity for an open ended answer. Often when young children are engaged in art they don’t even know what they are making, so asking them what it is puts them on the spot, which is an uncomfortable position for children and adults alike! Follow up with further open-ended questions which will promote language skills and critical thinking. Some suggestions are
Can you tell me more about this blue line you drew?
I see you drew triangles, can you count them?
Why did you choose to use red and purple?
How does your drawing make you feel?
Accept the Mess
This can be the hardest part, but it should become our mantra to ensure our kids feel the freedom to create. This doesn’t mean we allow them to trash the kitchen with paint and glitter, but messes that occur as part of the natural process when making art are OK. Help your child build a sense of independence and responsibility by teaching them in clean up process. Breathe easy, go mediate in the next room is mess bothers you and allow the mess to happen, but make sure clean up is a group effort!
So grab the glue sticks and glitter because it’s time to get messy!
Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that was developed over 5,000 years ago by the Idus-Sarasvati civilization. Post-Classical Yoga, which was established sometime after 200 BC, was the beginning of what we in the west call yoga. As describe by Yoga Basics, “Yoga masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They rejected the teachings of the ancient Vedas and embraced the physical body as the means to achieve enlightenment.”.
The Modern Period and popularization of yoga in the west happened during the 1800s and 1900s when gurus started visiting western countries and attracting followers. Today, many of us in the west use yoga as a form of exercise and wellness. We participate in stretches and poses to relax and strengthen muscles also creates flexibility and develops balance and core strength. While yoga has been primarily thought of as an adult activity, I am here to educate on how beneficial it can be for children!
Yoga provides the same benefits for children that it does for adults. A child who participates in yoga develops gross motor skills, core muscles, and balance. Yoga is an excellent tool to help children calm down and self-regulate. Most importantly, yoga is physical activity, which in today’s world of iPads, electronic devices, and sitting at a desk during school, is especially critical.
My hands-down favorite for children’s Yoga is Cosmic Kids. These yoga journeys are not only physical movement, but they provide mindfulness and are presented through a story, which means they promote literacy as well! Triple score! I have used these repeatedly in my preschool classroom, and my two children, ages 9 and 6, love them as well. They have a story for just about every character and storyline you could think of. Have fun with your children, and jump in alongside them. Children are the epitome of Monkey See Monkey Do, they want to be just like the important adults in their lives. The bonus is you get a workout too! Not to mention, it is a fun way to bond. Some of them include bursts of running, jumping, and other cardio making it a whole body workout! Making fitness and wellness, a family affair has benefits for everyone.
Statistic time! When children learn the importance of health and wellness at a young age, they are much more likely to continue those habits into adulthood. According to the CDC, 18.5% of children between the ages of 2-19 suffer from pediatric or childhood obesity. Those are staggering numbers. With the technology available at every turn, it can be difficult to entice children away from those devices. Therefore, I say make the devices part of the routine. Use sites like Cosmic Kids, GoNoodle, and artists such as Jack Hartman and The Learning Station to engage your children in an activity, movement, and song. Many of these videos are available free on YouTube!
Ahhh summer, beautiful weather, swimming in the pool, ice-cold treats, trips to the beach, and MOSQUITOES! I have been blessed by what is known as “sweet blood,” the old wives tale way of saying you have the blood mosquitoes want. But what does that really mean? Why are mosquitoes seemingly more attracted to one person over another? And what can you do, if, like me, you are filled with that mosquito loving sweet blood?
My children, much like me, seem to be at the top of the mosquitoes menu every time we venture outside. I spent a mere 10 minutes outside the other day topping off our pool and came in with more bites than I could count on my legs, and I was wearing long (but loose) pants! I sent them outside to play one afternoon because, quite honestly, they were driving me nuts. A few minutes later, they were back inside, begging to stay in with legs that look like they have been used for target practice. No offense to the brand OFF! But when we use it, it’s like we never put it on.
All of this lead me to do some in-depth research about mosquitoes and ways to keep them at bay.
Only female mosquitos bite, so the next time you get bitten, just slap it away and yell, “Get off, bitch!!” It won’t stop the bugs from eating you alive, but it may make you feel better. The reason they bite is that they need the protein in our blood to feed their eggs.
Mosquitos are attracted to some over others, but not due to your blood, it’s your metabolic rate that really gets them excited! Drinking alcohol, being overweight, exercising, and being pregnant are all things that raise your metabolic rate. No wonder we all get bit standing poolside drinking a beer!
What Can You Do?
Expert advice also recommends wearing lighter colors as mosquitos can’t see well and are more attracted to dark shadows. Another idea is aiming a small fan at you as they can’t fly in winds faster than 1 mph.
Mosquitos are most active at dawn and dusk, although I seem to get bit no matter what time of day, so avoiding outside around those times could prove helpful.
Wearing bug spray, citronella candles, and bug zappers may be enough for some. But for me, one step outside and ZOINK! I’ve been hit.
Since I love essential oils, I decided to look into which ones work best against mosquitos. Turns out, I had everything I needed already in my home! Tea Tree Oil, Lavender, Peppermint, and Rosemary are just a few of the scents that these little bugs hate. So, yesterday afternoon when I went out to watch my kids splash around, I dropped a few drops of each onto a cotton swab and rubbed my ankles, neck, and arms. Viola! Not one new bite!
These same scents are also anti-inflammatory and can help soothe those itchy bites once you have them. So what did I do? I took about a quarter cup of coconut oil and added several drops of lavender, rosemary, and tea tree oil and rubbed it all over my bug-bitten legs. It wasn’t instantaneous magic, but about a half an hour later I noticed, I wasn’t itchy anymore. That and I also smelled fabulous.
Tea tree oil also discourages ticks, and after finding one on myself last week and one on my son this morning, I am ready to bathe in that stuff. I have a large leafy backyard that is attached to a nature preserve. Ticks happen. And as much as I love attempting to detach a tick from a screaming 6-year old who happens to be deathly afraid of bugs, I want to keep them at bay.
Peppermint oil is also fantastic at deterring ants and spiders. I use that inside my house around windows and door frames. It is a safe and natural solution you can use inside without all those nasty bug fumes.
Since I would like to continue to enjoy the outdoors, I am going to keep playing around with the recipe for my own natural bug deterrent and hopefully make it through the summer with my legs still in one piece!
I would love to hear from others who have had success with homemade remedies either as a deterrent or as a relief for bug bites!
Summer is just about upon us, and with the stay at home orders lifting all around the country, parents and kids alike are ready to get out and have some fun! If cabin fever has your boiling, here is list of easy, low cost and fun ideas for everyone!
Make popsicles! Fresh fruit slices and juices make a delicious and healthy treat that everyone can participate in and enjoy. All you need is a pop mold, sticks and your choice of fruits and juices. Moms and Dads make your own special adult ones by adding some vodka or rum!
Create a water and ball pit for the kids to splash and play in. All you need is a large plastic kiddies pool, water, some beach toys, and those small plastic balls known and loved by children for generations.
Watch science sites for news of any meteor showers, lay out a blanket in the backyard and catch some stars. Or, you can simply sit outside and star gaze and look for constellations.
Have a movie night in the backyard! Buy a plain white sheet and a movie projector and enjoy some family fun outside. Home movie projectors go for about $120 on Amazon.
Learn a new game! Purchase a croquet or badminton set and have fun honing your athletic skills. Bean bag tosses, ultimate Frisbee, Cornhole, Ladder Toss and giant Jenga are all great options too!
Find a nature center and take a hike. You can use this opportunity to do a nature scavenger hunt, pack a picnic, or go wading through some streams.
Have a bubble party. Bubble machines make it easy to have bubbles go every direction. Pick a beautiful breezy day, stock up on bubbles and bubble machines, and have some fun!
Have a tie-dye session! Tie-dye kits are sold at just about every major retailer and online, add water and some white cotton clothing, and go for it! You can tie-dye shirts, bandannas, skirts, shorts; you name it!
Participate in a service project together. Many shelters and organizations that are collecting donations. Community parks and neighborhoods also have projects also need volunteers too. Contact a local group and teach your children the value of helping others.
Support a local farmer’s market. Small businesses need support more than ever. Whether you are looking for the freshest strawberries, local honey, or hand made candles, your purchase will help those struggling to keep their business thriving.
Big ideas or small summer is the time to get outside and enjoy family fun, and after being copped up for so long, we are all in need of a little sunshine and fresh air!
Master of Mixed Maternal Arts 