Can you believe another school year is almost over? Have you even thought about what your child/children are going to be doing this summer? Better get started, most of you only have 1 month left!

Summertime is so full of opportunities for kids~

* lots of free time

* get to sleep in

* get to watch LOTS more television

* more time to hang out with friends

* so much more to do on a good summer day

Sounds like your kids might already have it planned out.....it all sounds good to them, but what about you? You still have to get up and get to work, you don't get all the luxuries of being a kid. Darn! Anyway, if you have someone real reliable to help you take care of your child, they could definitely have a fun summer. Keeping the kids busy is probably more work than your day job. With them busy-they are staying out of trouble.

I have 3 children of my own. I own and operate a child day care, so therefore I cannot take them to all the places a kid should be able to go. My kids have lots of friends that I rely on to take my kids places.

My kids are very active. Thank Goodness they are of ages that I feel comfortable with them if they go on bike rides, or walks around the neighborhood.

A lot of you are limited on what and where your children go, though, since you may have a job that is out of the house. I would like to give a few pointers of how you can still make sure your children have a very enjoyable summer, even if they are in daycare.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have 3 kids. I have one in elementary, one in middle school, and one in high school. I will give some ideas that my kids have done in the past, and I am sure they will do most, if not all, of these activities this summer as well.

I have been Blessed with these activities working great for all 3 of my kids.

* go through sprinkler

* ride bikes

* have a lemonade stand

* make outdoor forts

* have a 'star wars' light saver fight made out of water noodles

* go swimming

* slip n slide

* jump rope

* go on nature hunt

* make a pretend fishing spot and go fishing

* write with chalk outside

* create new games never played before

* keep a summer journal

* read under a tree

* invite a friend over

* get creative with blocks, lincoln logs, or legos

This is just a few of the ideas that my kids do around the house. If they get bored, they can always go online to find something neat to do on the internet. Some of their favorite online games are ToonTown, Age of Mythology, and Yahooligans, just to name a few. Another great online activitiy that is interactive is WebKinz, this may keep them busy for an hour or so. We don't want them to spend their whole day in front of the monitor, so make sure you limit their time on the internet, and the television for that matter, summer is already short enough!

The middle school age is a bit tougher, in my opinion, simply because they want to go-go-go! If their friends are busy, or have other plans, they get bummed easy. At this age all they want to do is hang out at the beach, or something where they just simply are not old enough to be at by themselves. But too old for Mommy and Daddy to be holding their hand the whole time. This is the time to learn trust and responsibility one step at a time. If you do decide your child is ready to go to the beach with some friends by themselves, I would highly recommend you get your child a Cell Phone. Give her some rules to follow, like

* call when you get there

* don't leave with anybody else no matter what

* call and check-in in an hour

* call and let us know you are on your way home

These simple rules will tell your preteen that you are willing to give her a chance at being able to go places without you, and giving her a chance to become more responsible. If she is able to follow these rules, praise her by letting her go again next time.

As far as my high schooler goes, she is very independent. She is my total beach bum!! She usually always goes downtown with a bunch of her friends and hangs out at the beach all day. Although, when she is home, it is a ton of fun.  She is at that ~creative~ time in her life.  She likes to mess around in the kitchen and cook, help out with the daycare, take a walk with the older kids to the park, and so on.   She is trying her hardest to help and stay out of the way.  You can always bet she will have her cell phone on her (at all times)!  There hasn't been very many months that her texting has been less than 5,000 texts a month.  Thank goodness for unlimited texting!  But if she is not texting she is having fun with everyone in one way or another. 

If your child is active in sports, your local community may be having some summer clinics like ours.  Our community has clinics to help with conditioning skills of soccer, basketball, volleyball, and football.  Check with your town to see if those opportunities are in your neighborhood.   There is also your town's baseball or softball team that your child may want to join, or maybe even a camp that your child may be interested in.  If it is too pricey, most camps offer a scholarship program or assistance if you need it. 

Hope these ideas get your child off and running for a fun and safe summer season.  When you get time--get out and enjoy it with your kids, also!  They are a blast to hang out with!