Extracurricular Activities
This summer we have plans. And by plans I mean classes/lessons/extracurricular activities. Trouble is? I think we may have booked too much. Or maybe not. I have no idea actually.
In the past we’ve spent much of our summers in San Diego, hanging beachside with my parents. But this summer, we’re going to be spending much of it here and after researching summer camps and finding few affordable options, we decided to do three days of summer-school a week (at his preschool) and extracurricular activities on other days.
Swimming lessons were obvious. I’ve been slacking getting him into swimming because he “doesn’t want to go!” except he HAS to go because duh. So I took him to the YMCA, introduced him to the “giant awesome so cool” pool and signed him up for swim lessons twice a week starting next month. And then I signed him up for Basketball. And Taekwondo. And music lessons. All of which were Archer’s idea which = awesome! I’m all for it! Except I fear I may exhaust him. And myself trying to shlep him all over L.A. to various lessons and thises and thats all the summertime long.
As a kid I was always busy. Piano lessons, softball (which I sucked at) soccer (which I also sucked at) ballet (which I loved but probably sucked at) tap dance, zoo-camp (I was obsessed with all things animal) horse-back riding, various farm camps where my parents paid top dollar for me to pick up cow poop all day in the middle of nowhere… the list goes on. I LOVED activities but remember equally loving staying home and kicking back with my mom, toys and neighborhood pals.
The thing is? I work. And although my work isn’t particularly conventional it still exists and I can’t really take more than a few days off. Which means? I have no choice but to keep Archer in school (at least partially) during the summer. And I figured booking Archer in tons of fun extracurricular will lessen the pressure for me to saddle up every day with picnics and plans for grand adventuring.
(My mother set the bar VERY high for being a hands-on, amazing day-trip parent and sometimes I feel as if I’ll never quite be able to live up to that.)
In conclusion, I’m curious to know what you have planned for you kids this summer. Summer school? Summer camp? Loads of activities? No activities? Do you plan daily activities? And if you work full time, do you feel pressure to adventure on the weekends? Do you choose day camps over summer school? How do you manage after-school activities? It’s overwhelming how many options exist. What works for your family? Your kid? You?
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To be honest, I can’t afford summer camp. So I’m planning on doing tons of day trips around town that are free. The typical stuff like parks and museums, plus lots of playdates with friends. And since I have to work (thankfully from home) I will do what every Mother says I should never do, I’m going to plop her at the kitchen table with playdoh and moon sand.
Yeah. We couldn’t afford summer camp either hence the summer school situation. It was thousands (4-6K = WTF?) of dollars to put him in camp full time for the summer (I realize this is not always the case – especially outside city lines but still!) which had me wondering what families do that have to work full time? Craziness.
No kids quite yet, but I’ve been reminiscing a bit about my own childhood and what made the summers feel so good. My parents both worked full-time. They had both just begun their major careers by the time I was born and didn’t really want to take a break to be stay-at-home parents. I don’t remember having a summer break until the summer after first grade. Instead, I went to daycare/preschool through the summer. I remember being really surprised that we could have the whole summer off from school. In elementary school, I started going to day camp. Living just 10 minutes outside of a large, university-oriented city afforded us lots of good camp options. I learned a ton at day camp: sailing, swimming, archery, dancing, various arts and crafts, crazy camp songs, fun card games, play-writing…there was really something for everyone and I think learning life skills in day camp was a great extension of learning in the classroom. It helped that I was a pretty social kid (probably from my 50 hours per week spent in daycare). On hot evenings, my mom would pick us up from camp, pack up a picnic dinner, and we would head to the local swimming hole until closing time. Ahhh, summer.
Ugh, this is the hell I am in right now, too.
We can’t afford to send Ben to loads of day stuff… so between me, and Himself and Himself’s Mother we are using our holidays from work.
Thankfully the UK kids only have 6 weeks off for their summer holiday. And what’s really cool is that it’ll PROBABLY BE RAINING THE WHOLE TIME.
Eeesh!
Good luck, mamas!
we are doing what we normally do since we home school. Piano lessons, swim we do year round for the last 2 yrs and will continue, yoga, chess and he is going to be in a production of Cinderella, which will end in July and I plan on teaching him tennis and surfing.
So, while it’s not crazy busy since I loathe the idea of over scheduling kids it is no different there our normal year. I don’t work so my time is devoted to our days being our own.
Single, working mom of 3 here. I swear, summers go by faster and faster because of all the hyper scheduling I do and honestly, I don’t even do half of what friends of mine do. My 2 oldest boys leave for 1 week sleep away camp in June, then they come back and before they start aquatics camp at the beach for 6 weeks, they do 1 week of baseball camp at the highschool. This is while my youngest will be in her summer camp program for 8 weeks in the mornings. At noon, my sitter picks them all up from camp, feeds them and then heads to the beach of pool. I come home from work at 5:30 and start the second shift. Thanks for asking about the pressure to pack the weekends when you work – yes. The beauty of it is, my older kids are at the age where they just want to hang out, so I’m (selfishly) encouraging much more of that. Isn’t that what summer is all about? Lemonade stands, finding bugs in the back yard, eating lunch on the grass.
We both work so camp is a must and cheaper than paying for full time child care. Plus my kid really needs the structure. We’re doing full time camp for most of the summer, starting the day after school ends!
My childhood summers were so great and carefree… We just didn’t do much and stayed around home, except for three weeks when I was going to English day camp (which I loved and partly explains why I can speak it now). As a kid I was kind of lazy and mellow and not overtly social, so I don’t think I would have done well with a very full schedule, and everything we needed was around home: a large yard with a forest and stream in the back to explore, a pool, a quiet neighborhood with all of our friends nearby, lots of family coming over, evenings spent by the fire…
Of course everything is different now. The reason why we had these summers was because my mom didn’t work, but I do… And our yard/surroundings are much less interesting than the ones I had growing up. So this year and the two next ones kiddo (3), is going to daycare, which is year-round (they do have a more relaxed summer schedule, and spent a lot of time outside playing in water). After that when he starts school I’m not sure what we’ll do… Our town provides full-time summer day camps, all the kids around are going, and they seem to like it. It’s more expensive than daycare (which we’re lucky enough to have subsidized over here), but still affordable. We’ll probably go with that.
But I still feel a little sad about it. There was such a great feeling about the summer mornings, when we could wake up later, linger, and not have anywhere to go to… I’m sorry my son (and baby number 2 on the way) won’t likely ever experience that.
my big girls (8) are doing theatre camp for a month. they’re going to perform suessical. i bet it will be loads of fun. the 4 year old is going back to his pre-school for camp, but in his new (pre-k!) class.
We’re doing soccer, two nights a week, and my big girl will do a week at Arts Camp (I teach the art) and for the rest of the summer we’re off. We’ll do day trips, and lots of days at the park and splashpad down the street. I work a little for my husband’s company, but the kids are my priority. My youngest starts pre-K in September, so I kind of feel like this is my last gasp of being home with my baby, I’ll work more in the fall when he’s at school, but I want to enjoy the summer and just play, play, play, as much as we can.
I like how you put put it, “work, is work.” I get that and appreciate it. Just because work may not be “conventional” doesn’t mean one can take time off from it! I have one part-time job that I work 3 days a week. 2 of the days, I work shorter days, 1 day I work a more typical 9-5. And, I’m in the middle of starting my own small business, so lots of set up and behind-the-scenes-things going on with deadlines to meet. So what to do for this summer….We realized that we couldn’t afford summer camp, either, even the “part-time” option. So, I’m taking things one month at a time, signing my son up for various, fun short camps. He will start with a Summer Art Workshop (this is only 3 weeks long, so I will have to figure out something after that ends) that is 5 days a week for three hours. However, he will only attend the art workshop 4 days, because one of those days he needs to attend a separate drop-in day program that can cover my long day of work. He has never attended anything like this before but is excited to do so because during the regular school year he has several friends who attend this program. After this, he is heading for some history and sport camps. And, if we can find it/swing it, music.
My neighbor keeps trying to convince me to put my oldest in summer camp. I just think it’s dumb. I didn’t have kids so that I could pay someone else to take care of them all the time. I’m so fortunate that I don’t have to work, so we take full advantage of that.
Our summer plans consist of a vacation to Nana’s house, storytime & summer reading program at our public library, play group with friends, and a whole lot of staying at home enjoying the backyard at our new apartment.
Well, my only LO is 6 months old and still breastfeeds full-time.
But, my husband just graduated from Optometry school and can’t practice until his license comes in around August. So, I might start pumping and go back to work for the summer and let my husband be stay at home.
However, I was always a very independent kid… And I spent weeks at summer camps once I was school age. And I intend to put my LO into summer camps too. Not because I don’t want to raise her myself (I did quit my job to stay at home with her, and she’ll never see the inside of a daycare)… But, because many camps will offer her learning experiences I cannot at home.
I was even looking at language emersion camps, for the future, recently.
Being a Full-time Mom is less expensive. And your kid will be better off…just sayin’. Camps and lessons and other means of farming your kid out are great in moderation. I’d be careful not to over-do it.
Being a full-time Mom is less expensive for some…
Let’s not generalize too much.
I’ll finish a degree is dentistry just about the time my daughter is school-aged. And, my husband is an Optometrist.
We’d lose ten of thousands of dollars in income for one of us to stay home to be a ‘full-time’ parent.
That’s still more than even the most expensive camps, for 6-8 weeks of sailing, horseback riding, or language education.
And, I grew up in a home with a ‘full-time’ parent… I lived on a farm, and worked most of my summers along side my parents. I learned a lot on the farm, but I learned more at the camps I went to… Lessons that supercede crafting and swimming – I learned independence.
Basically, I think that what’s good for one family – is not always good for another. You need to consider your child and their needs (some kids require more hand holding than others), your work situation and what you can afford.
And, odds are… All of our kids will turn out just as messed up as the next parents’. The point is to offer your kid the best you can, and hope for the best.
We live in Ventura county and have an AMAZING park and recreation!!
My son (age 6) is going to a boys club this summer through the park and rec. Its for boys only and each week they have a different theme. One week is pirate week, one week is water week, etc. etc. He has been going since he was 4yrs. and he LOVES it!!
He is also taking skateboarding lessons.
We kept the rest of the time free because I like to take them to different places. My kids LOVE museums – so we want to go to Kidspace, the science museum, natural history museum, etc. etc.
remember when kids didn’t need something all the time to keep them busy. sign of the times though since most parents both have to work- especially in ca. it is a great luxury I have to stay at home with my child, raise him myself, educate him myself and watch him be free, learn and pursue his dreams, goals and interests without the binding of “school” and other broken institutions. with that said, it works for us but not for everyone. we all have different ideas when it comes to parenting and our priorities- doesn’t mean kids are any less loved or cared for or tightly wound due to over scheduling or not- each kid is different. blanket statements suck when referring to PEOPLE and FAMILIES- just remember to step back at some point and enjoy it and the small teeny time that kids can be kids cause one day it’ll be gone and you want to remember all the time you spent chilling in the back yard blowing bubbles and not spent in the car from one activity to the other.
I work in school, which means I’m off during the summer too. I can’t WAIT for summer this year! typically, I take the kids back East to visit my family for 3 -4 weeks, and then the rest of the time is spent in playdates, at the beach, or whatever they can come up with on their own. I can’t really afford camp, and since I’m not working in the summer I can’t really justify it either. We may do one week of camp at our local rec center ($120) or sign up for on session of tennis or gymnastics but that’s it. The kids will definitely get bored, but I think that’s good for them in some ways so it doesn’t bother me.
I like the comment above…what works for some families may not work for others, so true! I will be returning to work this fall so this summer I plan on staying home and hanging with the kids. The only official thing we are signing up for is swimming lessons and the rest of the time parks and hanging out with friends. I look forward to just being home and playing out in the yard!
My kids would go nuts without friends and things to do, so; I’ve enrolled my 6 yo. in the sports camp offered at his school for 6 weeks (tres cheap since it’s *gasp* in the valley) allowing him to ‘try’ a different sport each week to see what he likes and doesn’t like for future sport reference.
During the other weeks, we’ll visit the beach or friends’ pools or the zoo or the movies or whatever we feel like on that particular day, since his 3 yo. brother will stay in pre-school 5 days. The program changes in the summer, allowing for all kinds of fun activities from ponies to sprinklers to arts and crafts.
We spend Sundays in Malibu, and have rented a house on the beach in San Diego for a week of vacation. That’s it! I find no two kids or families are alike, and whatever works best for you and yours scheduling-wise is the way to go…obvy. xox
I think its important for kids to be able to run free and be wild without the structure of school or activities. No doubt. Archer is very structure oriented which has taken some getting used to as Hal and I aren’t AT ALL! If it was up to him he’d stay in school all day. I am lucky that I get to be home with my kids most of the time but I also feel lucky that I can work and pursue my career, have a creative outlet as well. Archer knows I work and respects it. I also think getting out of the house and hanging with peers, doing sports, music, etc, in a class setting is waywayway important. Home is awesome and I LOVE it here but so for us is getting out there, joining teams, participating in the community.
Our school break is a little under 8 weeks, and I think me and my kids need an unstructured break, but that’s not to say we won’t be busy. We still do swim lessons and playdates, and the like, but I feel like I have spent the last 9 months being a taxi driver and I NEED A BREAK! Also, summer camp is expensive, I can’t afford to send 3 kids, but I would if I could!
This summer is going to be soooo different from the past 8 summers with my child and I can’t wait!! The company where I’ve worked for the past 16 yrs is closing June 30th, so instead of looking for work right away I’m taking the summer (10 wks) off with my 9 yr old son. I’m so thankfull I don’t have to put him in the summer camps, not that he dreaded them, there were some fun ones. But mostly because I always hated that HE had to get up at 6:30 a.m even in the summer when his buddies got to sleep in with the sahm’s. But I also realized that I needed to get some plans made for him, since it can also be a long summer if you don’t fill it with fun things. We’re lucky to be a member of a yacht club with a fantastic beach and pool, so he’ll have weekly swim lessons there, and a week long Sailing is fun course to see how he likes it. I also recently tried him in his first tennis lesson and he loved it, so he’ll be doing 8 wks of that twice a week starting end of June. Other than that structure I picture working in our gardens, biking, rollerblading, walking our dog, reading, baking, day trips to amusements and or water parks, going with our friends to their cottage all while also allowing us the time to kick back when we need to. I’m so excited and so blessed to have this time to hang with him. Now I’m looking into seeing how I can do a career change (from software engineer) to something that I can have summers off. I’m seriously going to be so sad next summer that I will have to work again. Maybe I will teach.. Hmmm.. lot’s to think about. Your summer sounds devine and a wonderful balance. Just make sure you make time for YOU in there as well!!! I may also take up tennis this summer, it’s amazing with kids how much we don’t think about ourselves. I also rode horses for most of my life and would love to get my son into that as well. We will see if there is time to maybe get him into a lesson or two!
Well I’m a stay at home mom/graduate student, so technically I’m like a mom during the day and a graduate student at night. Emma is 19 months and so camp is out, and since NY is like the craziest, most expesivest place on the planet, I cannot afford classes either. I would love to put her in swim classes but instead we will hit the (free) public pools and the beach, I as swimming instructor extraordinaire!
I’m not a sit still kind of mommy (even though I’m like 6 months preggo) and so we will be taking mucho day trips. Pools, beaches, fruit and veggie picking, museums, movies, and various adventures to far away places (like central park). So far Emma seems like that kid, the one who wants to be going all the time as long as she is home in time for nap, so I hope it works out.
I think you just have to feel your kid out and see what works for them. If he wants all the craziness, do it. If he decides he doesn’t, quit.
Happy Summer!
I work part-time (3 full days a week), so I needed something to fill my older son’s days. My little one (1.5) will go to his regular day care (they do fun projects and water play with the kids, so I know he’ll love it), but the older one needs a break from that environment. The current plan is gymnastics camp for the month of July (9 – 12 pm – includes swim lessons!) with a sitter picking him up and hanging out at home 2 days a week (with maybe a taekwondo lesson in there one day)/ one day of him entertaining himself while I work at home; BounceU camp for the first week of August; camp nana and papa for the second week of August (hurray for unstructured time with the grandparents); camp daddy (he’ll take 3 days off) for the third week of August; and family vacation for the last week of August. I’m really looking forward to it and I think my son is too!
BTW Annalise and other stay at home moms who claim they are so happy to raise their kids themselves – believe me, no one else is raising my kids but me and my husband! Yes, they spend time outside our home sometimes but that does not mean that someone else is raising them! I am the one who is teaching them values, setting an example, teaching them how to behave and I am so grateful to have loving caregivers who spend time with them reinforcing those values (just as you will be when your children go to school).
Wow, all the sudden I feel really blessed to not have to make this tough decision that other mothers have to make regarding where to send their kids in the summers. I think enriching activities are great for older kids, in moderation. I do perhaps believe that our children, at younger ages, benefit most from being with us and learning right from wrong based on what our belief systems are and less of what others think and believe. At an older age a child can decipher better what that difference is. My younger child gets enriching activities by something as simple as blowing bubbles with me. I don’t think kids “need” a lot. Most just want our time and attention, you know? I always said I would rather live in a 1 bedroom apt with two kids then drive a fancy car in a big house and have to send my children somewhere else. There are days that I envy women who have other careers to go off to where they are appreciated and viewed as important elsewhere. That is for just a split second, and when I see my children do something kind to another child that I know I have taught them this stays with me forever. Each person has to live with their choice and it doesn’t make us better or worse parents. For me, anyone who is ambitious enough and wants to, can be a writer, salesperson, business owner, etc. No one else can be my kids mom but me and I only get one chance at this. I can’t afford to get laid off or fired from this project. I take this as my most important “job” in life and when they are small it goes by so fast. There really is nothing I would rather be doing. A lot of friends say “put you daughter in pre school and give yourself a break”. I don’t really want a break though. I am so scared that these moments are going to be so fleeting that when I think of the three of us not being together everyday I get sad. So since I don’t need to, I don’t. This is just my perspective on my life and whats best for our family. I never wanted to have children until I knew that either I or my husband could stay at home with them. I guess I never really realized how lucky I am.
My second daughter spent her entire first swimming session at the Y refusing to get in the water. But she did indeed learn how to swim….eventually….and loved it.
We have done camps through schools for multiple weeks in the past, but this year I am mixing it up and trying out their different interests. I think their summer plans sound really fun this year. A week of art camp, a week at the community center, a week at a farm camp, a week of kung fu, etc.
It helps that they are one year apart in grades so they get to do most things together. We will also have a babysitter come to our house for a couple of the weeks so they can chill out at home, and my mom and dad have them come to the beach separately.
I am looking forward to camping weekends and other family summer fun I am planning on the weekends too.
First off, no I don’t work.
We seriously considered summer camp for my oldest (8 yr old daughter), but when asked which one she wanted she simply replied that she wanted to stay home. She has a big school year coming up. She is going to a new school, will be starting school earlier than before and she will have 2 book reports to do during the summer. I think she has earned a couple of months of unscheduled free time. And yes, we will probably be spending the majority of it indoors watching TV. Very hot in NOLA.
I am taking the spontaneous approach for the summer. We have memberships to the zoo, aquarium, children’s museum, etc and we will go at the moment the feeling strikes. I think kids need down time and since I will have 2 adjusting to new schools in a couple of months I think a lazy summer where we fly by the seat of our pants is the way to go.
I have to work this summer, so my older two (8 and almost 6) are going to day camp and my son is going to a Montessori daycare program. He’s 20 months.
Also, swimming for all of them. Weekend trips planned almost every summer. Tap for one kid, t-ball for the other. By mid-August, they may be happy that school is about to start. ha.
It’s also quite different with two, as you know! One off to activities, and still home with one. Also trying to make sure the older is getting mama time when the younger is asleep. Mine are currently 6, and 1. I work/reside/create (when I can) from home, still feel repressed by old decade expectations of not wanting to be the summer camp leader for your children, but you know what? I don’t. I don’t play violin, nor teach it for example. But, maybe my girl can and will excel at it. I’m giving her opportunity to discover her treasures and talents, and myself time to relish and (re)discover some of my own. An hour of violin, one of drums, three to be free and two more at the zoo with mom and sister, brilliant! Moderation, and the knowledge of your child’s character while s/he learns and teaches it all back to you is the most golden, shiniest summer key! xo
I am the mother of three amazing girls aged 5, 3, and 3 months. My parents are pushing me to put my eldest in camp but i am refusing because she is my daughter and i want to take care of her, my husband thankfully agrees. We are very luck to be able afford me taking the summer off. I love being a mother and plan on doing baking, art and swimming. We also are going to London to see family for 2 weeks then we are going to San Diego for 2 weeks (the girls love it there) and then end summer with 2 week i Mexico.