Hey Friends!
If you are like me, and you are well-versed in children's programming, you will recognize the quote in the header of this blog entry. It's what Phineas from "Phineas and Ferb" says every day of the summer before they set out on a new scheme or adventure during their summer break. I love that show! I don't love summer as much as they do, though. As a single mother of five, every school break-ESPECIALLY SUMMER-is a challenge. I find myself saying each spring, "if I can just make it through the summer..." We'll, here we are and I wanted to share with you of some great activities that have helped me make it through the years. I hope you'll share yours with me too! Seriously, what am I going to do with these deranged minors all summer?! (I especially need affordable ideas for the older ones)
#1 - I wanted to remind those of you who struggle to afford summer childcare that some church-based summer care programs/camps offer scholarships. We have been blessed to receive this help for the last four summers and, though my oldest two have "aged out," I have three there this summer and this has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. Don't be too proud to call up churches and ask if there is assistance available. Other summer programs to remember are the Boys and Girls Club, Pulaski County Youth Services Our Club summer programs, and some of the school-based summer care programs can be pretty affordable too. Thought: I've always wanted to find people who would barter childcare or other services, but that's a big challenge when you have more kids than most anyone else you know. lol.
#2 - Vacation Bible School subject: Last summer, my mom was watching my youngest and she proposed a challenge to me. She proposed that I try to see how many Vacation Bible Schools I could find. Challenge accepted! Not only can you visit the websites listed in Savvy Kids, but you can also Google "vacation bible schools Little Rock 2013." I found a vacation bible school for every week from the first week of June, through the first week of August, with the exception of the 4th of July week. I wish I had found the lists sooner, because we didn't get into one week that was already full. These are not usually full day situations (though some were!), but my mom appreciated the breaks and my son had a blast. By the end of the summer, he was Bapti-Catho-Presby-Metho-Piscopal. Bottom line: the kids loves Jesus in any kind of church. I love it!
#3 - Teenagers - An important scripture to remember when raising teenagers if Proverbs 29:15-"a child left to himself [or herself] will bring his [or her] parent shame." Teenagers need to stay active and be part of healthy communities to keep them from getting on the wrong path. They need love and interaction. I am very blessed to be able to bring my teen to work with me from time to time, but that gets boring and sometimes frustrating for both of us very quickly. So, I made a schedule for this kiddo and booked him all over the place for the entire summer. I have scheduled a variety of types of activities for him: service, social, athletic, and I ordered his summer reading books right after school ended. Though my oldest is not doing everything on this list, I found some great leads and programs while I was program shopping:
1) Little Rock Family has a huge lists of summer activites and summer camps for kids. Check it out at LittleRockFamily.com.
2) Boy Scouts of America meets during the summer and also has Boy Scout Camp opportunities.
3) There is a scouting division called Venture Crew that has frequent service opportunities, such as helping at the Cub Scout Day Camp that is going on all next week.To check out scouting opportunities, visit this link: http://www.quapawbsa.org.
4) Special item: I recently found that most people who have children that have experienced the effects of an alcoholic or addict don't know that that there are Alateen programs in our area. The Alateen and Al-Anon support groups help teens and adults heal from the hurts that result from substance abuse. There is a meeting at the Wolfe Street Foundation in downtown Little Rock on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm and on Thursday nights at 7:00pm at the First Baptist Church of Sherwood. We love that program!
5)Also, In case you don't know, I work for Pulaski County Youth Services. I'm really not sharing this item to promote my work, but we have a great summer music program. It's for six weeks this summer, Monday-Thursday, from 9am-1pm. We also have a financial literacy camp from July 8-12, and some ACT Prep opportunities. And...ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE FREE! For more information and to download the applications, visit this link:
Http://www.pulaskicountyyouthservices.org
#4 - Family Activity Ideas:
-There's always the library. It's a great free activity unless you always return your books late like me. We are library outlaws on the regular. lol.
-The Rave has free movies two days a week all summer. Everyone gets in free. These aren't the current moves that are out, but there are some good ones. For some reason, I can't find the list online, but you can look it up. You're smart!
-If your kids like to bowl, there is free, daytime bowling all summer at Professor Bowl on Reservoir Rd. Parent passes are super cheap too.
I could literally go on and on with lists of great summer programs and affordable activities, but I've got some program applications to fall asleep without finishing. This was just to encourage you that there is hope for summer sanity while the kids are out of school this summer. I would love it if you would share your summer activity ideas, secrets, resources. Or if you would babysit my kids...
