Keeping kids active and engaged throughout the summer can be a challenge, but with a few research tips everyone in the family will be happy.
Did you hear that?
Yep- that was the sound of the final bell to dismiss classes for summerbrvacation!
Yippee! If you are like me, you've watched your children keep up withbrcountless assignments, prepare for grueling tests, class activities andbrathletics, all while juggling a few non-school related responsibilities. brWhew! It's time for a well-deserved break.
Also if your home is anything like mine, the sigh of relief is accompaniedbrby a bit of anxiety. That's because I want to fill the summer “vacay”brcalendar with things to do that are both fun and productive.
Fortunately for us, we have extended family in the area and that meansbrplanning for our daughter, who is now 13-years old, is less tedious,brlogistically, than when we lived in California.
But regardless, I have come to depend on three basic resources for findingbrgreat summer options for kids.
1. The lovely “free” magazines on stands near the entrance at grocery storesbrare awesome summer planning helpers.
My favorites are, Suburban Parent,brand North Texas Child. I callbrthem my tried and true! I grab one of each practically every time I visitbrCentral Market in Southlake. The magazines advertise and detail many areabrcamps and summer programs. You’ll find a variety of offerings…everythingbrfrom cooking and horseback-riding camps to sports and computer relatedbrprograms. Just browse the pages and you are likely to find something thatbrfits your schedule and of interest to the kiddos! Oh, and don’t forget manybrmonthly magazines are also online.
2. Local colleges and universities host a plethora of summer camps andbractivities for youngsters.
A few years ago mybrdaughter, Madison, attended a wonderful girls' engineering workshop at thebrUniversity of Texas at Arlington. It was an on-campus, weekendbrevent during the school year. During that event, I honed in on thebruniversity's summer engineering camps. Additionally, my daughter spent 4brdays living on campus with other middle school students at the University ofbrNorth Texas in 2011. Yep! Another camp! This was a tennis campbrsponsored by Nike and we loved the way the organizers kept things runningbrsmoothly the entire time.
3. My third resourcebris none other than… Google! I love to research new things and, inbrmy opinion, this powerhouse search engine is the best in the game!
I often advise mybrdaughter and husband when they question me about random stuff by saying, “Googlebrit!” While there are several search engines to suit your fancy,brthe point is the Internet contains a wealth of information! So don'tbrunderestimate its power to help you find programs to keep the kids engaged thisbrsummer. And be as specific as you'd like… for instance search, “summer campsbrfor pre-teens in Grapevine, TX” or “swimming camps Southlake,brTX.” I've become pretty good at sniffing out great local summerbrcamps along with camps in other states. Thanks to my online searching,brwe've become known for combining a summer camp with a family vacation! Madisonbrnow has camps under her belt in areas including New York, San Francisco andbrAtlanta.
Well I've taken upbrenough of your research time… I'd better “blog off” now so you can get busy!br Summer's a waitin!
Dionne Anglin is a TV news reporter withbrFOX 4 News. She, her husband, daughter and their rambunctious dog, abrone-year old Vizsla, live in North Keller. Dionne is always looking forbrnew ways to explore her North Tarrant County community… and that often includesbrthe lure of new restaurants, shops and jogging at different parks—but also thebrquest for locating cozy spots to enjoy coffee and plain old people watching. brCheck out her blog to keep up with her adventures in maintaining a career andbr“mom-dom” with a unique sense of style at Reporter Mom.