Page 7 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 6/10/2015

LifestyleClear Lake Mirror-Reporter June 10, 2015 • Page 7

(Family Features) Celebrate unlimited sunshine and bask in those carefree summer days with
kid-friendly activities that bring the family together.
For many parents, it’s the same routine each and every year. After weeks of anticipation for
the end of the school year, those lazy summer days finally arrive for your children. But soon after,
the newness wears off, leaving behind sad faces and the dreaded phrase heard by parents across
the country, “I’m bored.” But all it takes to battle summer boredom is a little preparedness and a
few clever ideas to make this summer the best one yet.

•Go on a Park Crawl - Research all of the parks in your town and visit each one. Your kids
will love pointing out their favorite attractions at each location. When the activity is over, have
each child pick their favorite park so you can visit regularly.
Be sure to load up on sunscreen, drinking water and bug spray. Also, make sure you have a
map or smartphone handy to help you navigate to the next park.
Make it memorable by taking a picture at each stop. Those treasured moments can be printed
and pieced together into a summer scrapbook they’ll cherish for years.

•Make a Splash - Backyard water games are synonymous with smiles. Enjoy the classic warm
weather activities of water balloon fights, squirt gun wars, playing on a slip and slide and, as
always, swimming in an outdoor pool. Younger kids will love ice excavating, too. Simply freeze
plastic toys in a large bowl and let them chip away at the ice.
Be sure to have everyone wearing swimsuits and plenty of sunscreen. Backyard fun also means
your freezer is just a few steps away, so stock it with cool treats.
Make it memorable by making a game of your water activities. Whether it’s a water balloon
toss or squirt gun tag, kids will be more involved when you throw in some friendly competition.
Be sure to have a lot of summer-themed prizes, such as cool beach towels, sunglasses or splash
balls.

•Catch a Cool Movie by Car - Relive the nostalgia and simplicity of seeing a movie at a
drive-in theater. Your kids will love the experience of catching a movie under the stars, and because
many allow you to pack your own summertime snacks and beverages, you’ll love the savings. Your
family can view a movie that’s just to their liking, with many venues offering blockbuster hits,
while some even bring back the big screen classics from your own youth.
Be sure to bring plenty of lawn chairs, pillows, blankets and bug repellent for the whole gang.
Make it memorable with each family member dressed in their favorite 50s or 60s drive-in
attire, or in a costume that represents the movie.

•Score a Home Run - A visit to the local baseball field is a wonderful way to teach your is complete with handmade cheer signs and pompoms for them to by draping them over tables.
little ones about America’s favorite pastime, while also encouraging an active lifestyle. Invite their wave about proudly. Be sure to supply kid-safe paints, brushes, sponges and other
buddies along so you can have a whole team, or just practice catching, pitching or batting with •Create a Family Masterpiece - Get crafty with the kids and let items around the home for tracing shapes and designs.
a couple of players. them create their own giant mural — on a bed sheet. Simply lay an Make it memorable and encourage your kids to tell a summer
Be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, drinking water, hats, baseball gear and a cooler packed old one out on the lawn and let the kids paint away. They will love story through their artwork. Allow them to draw inspiration from a
with delicious treats. to proudly hang up their creation in the basement rec room or any recent trip to the lake, the mountains or a family reunion.
Make it memorable by creating your own cheer section. Some kids may be too young to play, other place where they play. Or they can turn them into fun tents With a few kid-friendly ideas, you can create memories that will
but they can still participate as cheerleaders for their brothers or sisters. Make sure your squad last a lifetime.

Keeping kids active once the school year ends

Once school is out, kids used to a full schedule might find themselves with still good to leave some time for relaxation, find a locale where you can embrace
lots of time on their hands. Though it’s good for kids to squeeze in some rest activities like snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, or other adventures that get you and
and relaxation during their summer break, it’s also important for kids to stay your youngsters off the poolside chaise and out exploring. Such a trip might
active so they don’t develop poor habits as the summer goes on. In addition, the inspire kids to embrace an activity more fully, getting them off the couch not
American Psychological Association notes that kids who are physically active only while they’re on vacation but also when they return home for the rest of
are more capable of coping with stress and tend to have higher self-esteem than summer.
kids who do not include physical activity as part of their regular routines. The •Teach kids to garden. Gardening might be seen as a peaceful and relaxing
following are a few suggestions for parents looking for ways to keep their kids hobby, but it still requires a lot of elbow grease and hard work that pays physical
active throughout the summer while still allowing them to recharge their batteries dividends. A garden must be planted, hoed, weeded, and watered, and gardening
after a long school year. gets kids out of the house to enjoy the great outdoors. When growing a vegetable
•Plan an active vacation. Summer is when many families go on vacation, so garden, kids might embrace the chance to be directly involved in the foods that
why not choose a vacation that involves more than napping poolside? Though it’s will eventually end up on their dinner tables. Parents can embrace this as an
opportunity to teach the value of eating locally-produced foods and the positive
impact such behavior has on the environment.
•Go swimming. Few adults who work in offices haven’t looked out their
windows on a sunny summer day and thought how nice it would be to be spending
that afternoon making a few laps in a lake, at the beach or in a pool. Kids have
the same daydreams during the summer, so take a day off every so often and take
the kids for an afternoon of swimming. Swimming is a great activity that exercises
the entire body, including the shoulders, back, legs, hips, and abdominals. In
addition, swimming helps kids and adults alike maintain a healthy weight while
also improving their cardiovascular health.
•Limit how much time kids spend watching television, playing video games
or surfing the Internet. Many of today’s kids are as tech savvy as they are busy.
But it’s important that kids don’t spend too much time online or on the couch
watching television or playing video games. Such activities are largely sedentary,
and they can set a bad precedent for the months ahead, even when the school
year begins once again. Parents should limit how much time their youngsters
spend in front of the television or the computer during summer vacation, keeping
track and turning the TV or computer off if they suspect kids are spending too
much time staring at the screen instead of being active. Kids might not love it
when you turn their video games off or minimize their access to social media,
but explain the limitations at the onset of summer and let kids know you expect
them to be physically active even if it is summer vacation.

Check out this page weekly for fun tips on a variety of topics. Brought to you by these community minded sponsors.

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