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AEP Online |
A+ Advice for ParentsLearning and laughter beat summer boredom blahsQ: My two children and their stepbrother and sisters are at our house until school starts. Camp is over and the kids are bored. After breakfast, I hear five voices, ages 5 to 11 whining, "There's nothing to do!" We can't afford a daily diet of movies and mall trips, and going to the local park and pool only sop up an hour. I'd like to find fun, inexpensive activities with a little learning. Can you point me to resources? A: Your children and stepchildren may be bored, but they're also lucky. They have a mom who wants to help keep their brains in gear during the long down time known as summer break. Make a list of what piques your kids' curiosity and their interests and passions. Sort the list into categories (science, math, reading, music, art, games, sports) and so on. Then consider scheduling: Do you want activities that get cleaned up and put away every day? Or can you start one or more projects that span a days or weeks and that result in the kids having created something tangible at the end such as their own movie, dioramas, models, quilts or scrapbooks? Do you have a place large enough for them to undertake a big project? What amount of ongoing "mess" are you willing to tolerate? Can the older kids help the younger kids? What types of materials are you willing to buy, beg or borrow? Don't shy away from tackling big projects, says Doug Hewitt, author of "Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting" (Hatherleigh Press; 2006). He includes a chapter in his book titled "Advance Planning Required." "An activity that requires multiple days or weekends can teach children how to plan and finish long-term projects, an important life skill," says Hewitt. "Sometimes progress toward a goal appears minimal, but they'll learn that some things just need longer to achieve, and it will make their sense of accomplishment that much deeper." Next, ask your librarian for a range of kids' activity books. These passed the parent and grandparent test: -- "365 Afterschool Activities: TV-Free Fun for Kids 7-12" (Sourcebooks; 2005) -- "The Children's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your 6- to 10-year Old Busy" (Meadowbrook; 2001) -- "Every Kid Needs a Treasure Hunt" (Gibbs Smith; 2006) -- "Family Funbook: More Than 400 Amazing, Amusing, and All-Around Awesome Activities for the Entire Family!" (Running Press; 1998) -- "Family Fun Boredom Busters: 365 Games, Crafts & Activities For Every Day of the Year" (Disney Editions; 2002) -- "Never-Bored Kid Books," a series by age level (Evan-Moore; 2006) -- "Super Duper Art & Craft Activity Book: Over 75 Indoor and Outdoor Projects for Kids" (Chronicle Books; 2005) Go through the books with the kids. Let their enthusiasm direct you to activities that will sustain their attention. Next, ask your librarian to help find specific titles, along with Web and community resources that expand their interests. If they're interested in science, ask about local groups of 'citizen scientists' -- nonscientists who become involved in authentic science through bird-watching, water testing, hiking trail maintenance and so on who invite kids along to learn. (For more on citizen scientist activities, go to aplusadvice.com/science/science002.htm Want to reinforce school skills and have a ball doing it? Check out the "The Bag Ladies." Karen Simmons and Cindy Guinn are Florida-based elementary-school teachers with literally a "bag of tricks." They teach reading, math, science and social studies through project work that starts with paper bags, plastic bags, newspapers, cereal boxes, even empty CD cases. The results are highly personalized "keeper" projects such as pop-up books, magazines and time capsules. Geared to teachers, parents looking to pack a project with learning can find good ideas in their books: "Bags, Boxes, Buttons, and Beyond with the Bag Ladies"; "The Bookbag of the Bag Ladies' Best"; and "Math, Manipulatives and Magic Wands," (bagladiesonline.com). Puzzles and word games are good ways to spend quiet time. These titles have passed the kid test. Your librarian can lead you to many others. -- "I SPY" series (Picture Riddles and Puzzles from Scholastic) -- "Made You Look -- A Book of Picture Puzzles," (Klutz: 2007) -- "More Outrageous Crossword Puzzles and Word Games for Kids" (Saint Martin's Press; 2002) -- "You Gotta be Kidding!: The Wacky Book of Mind-Boggling Questions" (Workman; 2006) Last, encourage kids to read for pleasure this summer. It's important and when kids find the right books they're hooked. Once kids read a book, have them log it in on the Reader-Meter at Scholastic's Summer Reading Buzz (scholastic.com/summerreading). For every four books kids read, Scholastic donates one to Reading Is Fundamental. Parent Tip Summer garage and yard sales are great places to pick up books, games, tools and materials for summer projects, says author Doug Hewitt. "You can buy a lot fun and learning for a few dollars when you shop the weekend sales!" Copyright 2007, United Feature Syndicate, Inc. A-PLUS ADVICE FOR PARENTS 7-23-07 Submission inquiries? Contact Dave Gladney at 856-241-7772 or dgladney@AEPweb.org.
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