Hello Ladies,
I LIVE for summer, I have a 6 year old, 2 year old, and a newborn. I REALLY dont want to stay cooped up all summer. Tomorrow is my daughters last day of school and I want her to stay active this summer. I still have 4 more weeks of recovery before I can run around like a maniac with the kids. Im sort of wishing I would have gotten my daughter into some kind of camp, but it might be too late. What are we going to do? I need ideas! Before I go crazy......
I had a young teen come over and helpme with my older kids when I had newborn. she took them outside & played with them took them thru sprinkler and got them tired It was awesome! & she thought it was easy $
I hear you. I love spring and summer too. Is there a Y near you? You may be able to get your 6 yr old into some activities there. Check your local park and rec and department they may have openings also.
Any VBS's in your area?
It's awfully hot (here, anyway) but can you take her out & be a maniac when your husband gets home? :)
When we first moved to central Texas (right after school let out) with 4 kids, I enrolled them in several different VBS (vacation Bible School) programs at different churches. They had lots of fun activities for the kids (ages 5, 7, 9) and it got them to meet some kids in town. It also let us do a bit of exploring the different churches in the area. It also gave me a few hours each morning to get a few things done without them in the house.
Even if you aren't interested in organized religion, they can be a lot of fun.
Does your local library have a summer reading program? There is usually an activity each week, and they can often earn points toward a prize for reading books.
I really like the suggestion of the "mother's helper" of hiring a neighbor pre-teen to help keep the kids entertained... and it gives them good experience with baby-sitting.
VBS, parks, library programs, kid events, pools. We are going to a kiddie concert at a nearby town hall tomorrow.
Why can't you go outside? I had my youngest in July and I took her outside right away. I wore her in a Moby, you an even get the ones that have SPF in them. When she was out of the Moby I put her in the shade in a little hat. If she was napping, I would use the baby monitor and go outside with my older daughter. It's doable :D
Be sure and check out if any of your local parks have a parks and recreation program for summer, also look into local libraries, they usually have a reading program for every age group where they have story hours and contests for reading X amount of books to earn books the kids can keep.
Just look around for different camps. I'm sure some of them still have a few openings.
I totally would get the Molby wrap with spf like the other mom suggested. I have a wrap and I love it. During warm weather not so much, so I'm sure you can find another carrier that either cover the baby a lot or you can invest in big hat to cover both of you (we want to keep you safe too!!)
When i was a kid my mom used to take us the boys & girls club during the summer, and you can take them anytime. Its also super cheap.
I hope you have a backyard! We lived in the back yard when mine were little. A swingset, sand box and kiddy pool would keep the older one occupied for hours. The newborn could nap in the stroller in the shade or I would hold her/nurse her in a nearby lawn chair. I would pack like we would for the park - drinks, snacks, diapers, etc, so we could stay outside for hours. Lay a blanket out for diaper changes.
I bet you can still get them into camps! I would look. I know around here the last day to register for some of them was yesterday, but I maybe call the park dist. and see if you can drop registration off in person. Plus, there are probably some camps that you don't need to register for yet, like one week ones that don't come around for another couple weeks. Also, if you're open to it, Vacation Bible School was also a good suggestion. I'm betting they will take people until they start, although only your 6 y/o would be eligible for that.
If you can afford it then definitely get a mother's helper! A girl anywhere from 13-18 would be a big help and probably work for cheap! Other than that, maybe try and get a baby pool or fun sprinkler for the backyard? This way the older kids can play while the baby sleeps or hangs in the shade and you don't have to exert much effort. Also Red Box movies are only a buck and if you need some sleep, pop one of those in on a hot day!
All the answers are great.....does she have a friend and the mom would help you out getting her to activities like the library or the park.... then when you are able you pick it up for a while... Some craft stores have camps for a week or two, and one of our grocery stores Dierbergs gives cooking classes, Eureka did have an arts council that did some classes as does Chesterfield. Coca has some great theater programs and artsy stuff for kids the Painting Paw in Chesterfield valley has a summer program. Not sure about what the Point has but it never hurts to check. Bluebird park in Ellisville has some camps also.... Look at the County Parks The Zoo used to have programs for kids that were great fun..I think the Magic House does also.. Hula hoops, jump ropes small plastic pools, water guns, balls, chalk...make a tent in the backyard to sit under. Plant a container garden and have her take care of it. So hope this helps...I have more stuff... but will limit it for now. Good luck.
Kindercare Learning Centers offer a summer camp, Im not sure if they are still enrolling, but it is worth it. My son goes there and he loves it!
