Fatherhood

It’s that time again. The kids are home from school and “me” time is back to “we” time.

It’s two days into Summer vacation here and I can already tell they have plans for me being the fourth in whatever games they create. I’m not going to get much work done, so I figured I might as well find some things we will all enjoy.

Below are ten fun and affordable things you can do with your kids this week (yes, you’ll get bored of some of these too, and need more next week).

1. Make Sidewalk Chalk

All you need is:

• 1 Cup of Plaster of Paris
• 1 Cup of water
• Powdered Tempera paints
• Toilet paper rolls
• The directions at Kinderinfo.com

It takes a couple of days to harden, but children love the anticipation and drawing on the sidewalks with their own chalk. And hopscotch is easier for us to play than Xbox.

2. Camp in the Backyard

All you need is:

• A tent
• Some blankets
• A flashlight
• Your imagination

I loved going to Yosemite with my dad when I was younger, but the camping trip I remember most was the one my brother and I had in the backyard for over a month. By the end of the Summer, our tent was more like a suite. My kids love to play hide and seek and tell ghost stories until they fall asleep.

3. Plan a Treasure Hunt

All you need is:

• Some scrap paper and a pen
• A good memory
• A few treats for the end

When the kids have friends over, you can set up a neighborhood treasure hunt, but when it’s just the kids and you, it doesn’t take much to set one up around the house. Write clues on the scrap paper and hide them around the house so that one leads to the next.

Make one treasure hunt for each of your children. Make it more exciting by putting the clues where the children will have to talk to each other to understand what the clues mean. If you can remember things each of your children only know themselves,the game turns into a nice sharing experience instead of a competition.

And don’t forget to reward them all equally at the end.

4. Play in the Water

All you need is:

• Some grass
• A hose
• Water
• Your favorite water toys

Depending on how old your kids are, there are many ways to make grass and a hose fun. For the little ones, Kiddie Castle’s are excellent; for the elementary kids, you’ll definitely want to get a Slip N’ Six Pins Slide; for the adolescents, nothing beats Super Soakers.

Of course, dad always gets the best super soaker…the hose. Plan your garden-watering time around this event for maximum multi-taskage.

5. Kid Cutouts

All you need is:

• 2′-4′ sheets of paper from the craft store
• A pen
• Some markers or paint
• Scissors

Write clothing items on scraps of paper and then trace around each of your children on the sheets of paper. Randomly let your kids choose scraps to see what clothes they will be painting on themselves. Add things like “goalie’s mask”, “tutu”, “peg leg” and “fireman’s hat” to see some real fun.

For educational purposes, you can have them draw their major organs, muscles or bones before painting. When the paint is dry, cut out the pictures and hang them up.

6. Go to a Game

All you need is:

• A minor-league or professional baseball team nearby
• Some bag lunches

I grew up in Angel/Dodger territory, but nowadays, I take the kids to San Luis Obispo Blues games. It’s more enjoyable, less crowded and nicely priced. Many times, children under 8 get in free and you can bring your own food if you like.

Best part is watching the youngsters chase down foul balls and participate in the seventh inning stretch races.

7. Go to the Library

All you need is:

• A library card

As an avid book reader, this is easily one of my favorite things to do with my kids. Fortunately for me, my children still enjoy going to the library with me and even checking out a few books.

Libraries usually have some reading events going on during the Summer. Be sure to check with your local library for a schedule of times to coordinate so you can enjoy some time to look for books, as well.

8. Take the Kids to Work

All you need is:

• An understanding boss
• Some bag lunches

Getting to know about the real world is a valuable lesson for all children, and one great way for them to do so is to spend a day with you at work. Knowing where Dad is all day, what he has to do to make money and learning what a job is all about will help build your child’s identity and work ethic.

If you work at home like myself, it might be a good idea to explain that if they want to spend a day with you working, they have to behave as if they were at an actual job and not at home. That’s hard for all work-at-homers to remember sometimes.

9. Picnic in the Park

All you need is:

• A blanket
• A frisbee
• A picnic basket
• Lunch

I don’t know about where you live, but Summer’s in San Luis Obispo are darn near perfection. I make it a point to get out and enjoy the weather and scenery every day, if only for a few minutes.

Once a month or so, it’s time to pack up the picnic basket and go play some Frisbee golf at the park. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, dig in and relax. More than likely, there are plenty of other kids around for your children to play with, so bring a book while you soak up some sun.

10. Make a Lemonade Stand

All you need is:

• A table
• Some chairs
• Some posters
• Markers
• Some water
• Some ice
• Some plastic cups
• Lemons
• Sugar
• Some change

As a lifelong entrepreneur, I’m always encouraging my children to use their heads when they are in need of money. There are a million things kids can do to turn a little profit, and a lemonade stand is one of the best.

In addition to being fun, there are numerous opportunities for teaching lessons, including math, how to make a profit, how to bargain with customers and how to treat customers politely. Despite the high cost of citrus in California this year, we’ve already figured out exactly how many cups need to be sold to break even.

Whether they make it or not, it’s a good idea to give them some reward for their efforts so they learn a hard day’s work is never for naught.

Well there you have it. That should get us through the first week.

Be sure to add some of your favorite Summer activities in the comments.

summer vacation, child activities, things to do with kids