Where will *you* take your family this summer?It's cold and rainy today, but that isn't dampening my spring fever and summer in the least. I'm sooo ready for summer, and so are my kids. We've planned a trip to the UK to visit Alfie's parents, but you don't need to travel that far to have a great family vacation! Here are five vacation activities that will ensure that your family will have fun no matter where you go:
1) Learn a new skill. Vacations are all about seeing new places and trying new things, so while we're vacationing at Alfie's parents' home, we're hoping they can teach our kids some new things. Alfie's mum is going to teach The Pea how to knit, and Alfie's dad is going to help 3Po and Jammy with some carpentry projects. It's a win-win situation -- my kids learn something new and fun, they get to spend time with the grandparents, Alfie and I get some time alone :)
2) Keep your minds sharp with activity books. Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean your minds have to go to sleep. There's always some downtime in any vacation, so rather than fill it up with television, I plan to get some activity workbooks for the kids. They really enjoyed last year's Summer Bridge workbooks -- fun and not so academic that they're all burned out -- and I'm going to make it fun by providing an incentive for when they finish. I'm sure The Pea would love an iTunes gift card, and the boys would love a new toy!
3) If you give a kid a camera..... Let your children be in charge of capturing vacation memories! Okay, maybe you don't want to put them in charge of your super-expensive digital SLR, but a digital point-and-shoot or a simple disposable camera would be perfect for young shutterbugs. My kids (Jammy especially) love shooting pictures -- it gets them more involved, and it stalls the "let's go!" whining when we visit scenic places. And they end up with some pretty interesting photos!
Jammy at the Grand Canyon4) Go camping. Our family campout has turned into an annual activity. Two years ago we camped at a local park, and last year we camped out in Napa Valley. This year we're looking further south. Maybe we'll camp on the beach this time!
Camping in Napa5) Play with water. It isn't a summer vacation without some wet splashy fun! Target and other retailers sell inexpensive water guns that the kids use to keep cool on those hot, sunny days. We don't even need to leave the back yard (call it a stay-cation, if you will)! And now that the kids are older, we might even treat them to a visit to a water park :)
The first waterfight of 2010
Summer, here we come!
Do you have ideas for family activities this summer? TwitterMoms wants to know about them! Head on over to the TwitterMoms vacation discussion page, and you could win a $50 Target giftcard!
Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Williamsburg Tourism and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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