Summer is coming. Are you ready? Parents across the country are already scouring online sources, newspapers and public library bulletin boards looking for the right camp for their young ones this summer. Hotels have been booked and vacations have been arranged and parents are counting the days until a hint of relaxation arrives, (guilty as charged)! But what about the days in between? You know, the days your children don’t have exciting activities planned. Of course, we are all homeschooling families here so we aren’t anxious to send our kids off to sleepaway camp all summer to get them out of our hair or anything like that. We love them and want to be with them. I also like pizza but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t burn my mouth once in a while. I just need to wait for it to cool down and then I can enjoy it. Savor it. Don’t we feel like that with our kids once every so often? If they would just calm down a bit it would be easier to savor our precious time with them. The problem is, it can be ever so tempting to use television, tablets or phones to help them settle down. Is that the right approach? Not to say these forms of media are bad or we need to throw them out altogether but if we have a backup plan for those times when we just need a short break, (and by break I mean a shower or folding laundry in peace), then we won’t need to resort to screens as much. Here is a list of random hobbies or activities that you can encourage them to do in their down time.
Photography
Set up an account for them under your name so they can sell photos on a stock photo site such as Shutterstock. There are plenty of internet video tutorials to teach you how to get started. Once your child does it a few times they can learn what the company is and isn’t looking for. They will receive feedback for each picture submitted, helping know what they did wrong if it was rejected. This is an excellent way to teach children how to be creative but also how to follow rules and guidelines at the same time. Plus they can make around $.25 every time someone downloads their photo, which can add up fast.
Meal Prep
Some kids love to help in the kitchen but they don’t know where to begin. If your child is one of these types, make a list each day of items that need to be prepped with simple instructions on how to do it. It will give them something to do with their hands as well as a sense of accomplishment knowing that they are contributing to their family’s meals. Examples include;
- Marinating the meat you will be cooking for dinner
- Cutting up vegetables for a salad
- Making a salsa or dip to go with your meal
- Making a simple dessert such as no-bake cookies or peanut butter pie
- Make a drink from a mix such as lemonade
Whittling
Give your kids a good old-fashioned whittling project to work on. Why not? This is a great hobby for the child who likes to keep their hands busy. Forget fidget spinners! Give them a skill that they can fidget with in their spare time that can actually be productive!
Chicken Raising
I suggest buying full grown chickens for this because raising peeps is a lot of work and only something I recommend if you the parent are fully committed. Once they are full grown, raising them is simple. It is just a matter of keeping them fed, watered and clean. (By clean I mean cleaning out the coop. Kids who love animals and love hands-on activities love collecting the eggs and taking care of the chickens so there will be eggs to collect!
