Entertaining your children when school is out for the summer can become quite expensive, especially if you enroll them in pricey summer camps for a large portion of the time. However, many parents feel that the alternative is to have their children sulking on the couch while moaning about how bored they are, especially if friends are all attending camps. Actually, there are plenty of ways to have cheap summer fun with your kids. Why not try a few of these budget friendly ideas? Your local YMCA is a family oriented place with plenty of great activities. Your children can go swimming, take a variety of classes and even attend day camps for a very reasonable price. Most YMCA’s have family memberships, which makes the classes more affordable for families with several children. If you don’t have a YMCA close by, check with your local parks and recreation department to see if they are offering events for children and families during the summer months. Many times, they offer low cost art, sports and even cooking classes for kids.

Another great way for your kids to have fun this summer is to set up events in your own backyard. Have them put together a circus. After they’ve practiced the event and have the ring set up, friends and family can make up an audience to view the final result. Don’t forget to add some games and serve some refreshments that match the theme, such as popcorn and corndogs. If your children don’t like the circus, suggest that they put on a play, hold a pet show or set up a fair.

If your children like collecting things, they can make a natural history museum in a spare corner of the house. Then, you can take field trips to local places so that they can create their museum exhibits. Take them on nature hikes so that they can make rubbings of tree bark and leaves. Let them take photos of local wildlife and flowers, but be sure that you don‘t actually take home any wildflowers, since these plants may be endangered. Go to the beach and collect interesting shells and bits of sea glass or visit the areas where your local rock hounds hang out. If you have prolific gardens or you can get permission for them to pick some flowers in someone else’s garden, your children can also press flowers and mount them as part of the display.

If your children are budding entrepreneurs, they may have more fun making money. Why not try a good old-fashioned lemonade stand? Just be sure your town or city doesn’t have any ordinances that would prohibit it before the kids set up. If they need to clean out their closets and toy chests, suggest that they combine the lemonade stand with a yard sale.

Finally, don’t forget about gardening. Growing their own produce can be fun for kids, especially when they discover a two foot long zucchini hiding in the garden bed.

Most children fall behind in reading and math during the summer break.  That’s why when the new school year begins, teachers have to spend the first two months bringing the children “back up to speed” with reviews. 

To help your child keep up with mathematics, try bringing them into the kitchen for the summer.  Invite friends over in varying numbers so your children will have to determine how to extend recipes.  If your recipe feeds four, how much meat would you need to double the recipe, triple it, or quadruple it?  Your children probably won’t complain about having to do math if they have something to look forward to.

Even with gas prices the way they are these days, some families are still planning to drive for vacation.  Ask the children to help determine how far you’ll be able to travel when you fill the gas tank and how much it’ll cost.  You might find that your child can help you find a shorter route that will save you money.

You’re never too young to learn how to handle money.  If you have a yard sale this summer, ask them to make change, as well as allowing them to place some of their own items to sell.  This will help them learn the value of money, and how to keep track of it by helping divvy it up at the end of the sale.

Play games with them.  Scrabble and Boggle are great games to help your child’s spelling while they’re out of school, and they’ll have fun in the process.  Yahtzee and Monopoly are good games for math.  Of course, if you’re children are younger, you may have to play games like Chutes and Ladders or a simpler game.

Go to the library as a family and pick out some books that everyone will enjoy.  Then each night, instead of turning on the TV, have family reading hour.  You may find that your children enjoy having to use their imaginations to see the story that they don’t complain so much when they’re told to turn the TV off.

Get them involved in geocaching.  Geocaching is an activity that the entire family can enjoy together.  You get directions to a secret cache of items that you must find.  Most of the time, these items are hidden in forests or someplace not easily accessible.  Not only will you have to learn about reading maps and a compass, it’ll be a great opportunity for your family to enjoy the outdoors together.

If you look around, there are plenty of great places to pick up some summer learning.  Think outside of the schoolroom and you may find that the best places are right in your own home or very nearby.

Recommended Resource: 

Kids Activity Calendar Weekly Activities, Crafts and Games all about the Alphabet For Your Preschooler.  Each week you will receive coloring sheets and worksheets in your email along with craft and activity suggestions and even a snack list that incorporates the letter of the week. What a fun way for your little ones to learn the alphabet and much more.

Reading Solutions for Kids - Resource which aids in teaching children to read.

Zoobooks - Turn a youngster’s love of animals into a love of reading!

As kids look forward to the last day of school, most middle school public school teachers remind their students to read at least 25 books over the summer.  While this is certainly a daunting challenge, there are ways reading can be included in fun summer ideas for kids.

While it is estimated that school kids put in more hours than working adults, they too need a bit of a break. The first week of vacation should be devoted to rest and relaxation. This can then be followed by weekly trips to the library wherein kids can choose their own reading material specifically in topics which interest them. All year long they are being told what to read. By giving them the opportunity to choose books they like, they won’t feel so overwhelmed. Allowing them to decide what to read will give them the flexibility to seek different genres such as Harry Potter, and the ability to engage in this ongoing adventure.

Children are under a great deal of pressure during the school year. Summer should be a time of fun, but it can also be a time of learning as well. If your kids love to read, the trips to the library will be exciting for them. If they are hesitant, allow them to browse around. If they don’t choose any books the first time around, try again a week later. They may come upon a book or books which grab their attention. You can be assured once they find a topic of interest, especially if it’s a serialized book, they will want to return.

Fun summer ideas for kids can include reading as part of their summer enjoyment.  It all depends upon how it is approached. While the 25-book requirement may or may not be reached, it is important for the kids not to feel pressured, but allowed to read at their own pace. If they manage to read 1 book every 2 weeks, that’s a plus. Whether they take a book to the beach or read aloud at home, reading should be a fun and relaxing time for kids.

Summer Fun and Learning Can Co-Exist

Learning never ceases during the course of our lifetime.  So too, kids need to be motivated to learn as much as they can, even during summer recess.  Summer fun and learning can co-exist.  Here are some examples of how this can be achieved.

Word games, such as Scrabble, come in small sizes, which are suitable for beach and road trips.  Kids love it!  It stimulates their vocabulary and engages them in friendly competition.  It also enhances their math skills, as they have to add the points every round.  Boggle is another portable word game that kids love.  They can manipulate the letters, make words, and add up points.  This is a great game to take on a camping trip or to the beach.

There are board games that allow the kids to work on words and sentences.  There are computer games, which involve critical thinking.  These games can be competitive, and reinforce group work, and cooperative learning, as well.  Using these types of games keeps the stimulation of the kid’s minds at work.  It’s critical to keep the thought processes flowing, so they are prepared for the following school year.  In playing these games, they can also be taught to accept defeat gracefully.

Another board game, which involves critical thinking, is checkers.  The entire family can challenge each other.  This promotes social stimulation.  Suduko is a game involving math and numbers.  They have a kid’s version, which can be utilized on a rainy day or when there is some down time.

The advantage of utilizing and playing these games is learning, even though the kids do not realize it.  In this way, while they are having fun over the summer, they are actually preparing for the fall term.  Learning not only stimulates their minds, but also reinforces the skills they are taught throughout the school year.  In addition, there are some great sites for computer savvy kids you might want to look at.  They are funbrain.com, math.com, and abcteach.com.

Summer fun and learning can co-exist by utilizing these games and word play.  Without realizing it, your kids will be ready for the next phase in their school career, because time was taken to teach and have fun at the same time.

Top Five Summer Jobs for Teens

As summer approaches, it’s time for your teen to get a job.  This will be good preparation for their future role in the workplace.  Here are the top five summer jobs for teens you may want to consider:

1. If your teen is already in college, a great way to spend the summer is to intern in a company which incorporates the teen’s chosen field.  For example, if your teen is studying architecture at college, working for an architect will give them insight, and training, which will become invaluable to them later on.  They can use the company as a reference later on or they may even be offered a job after graduation.

2. If your teen is athletic, he or she may opt to work as a lifeguard at a beach, pool, or park.  This would not only be great training for them, but also teach them discipline, and a good work ethic, as well.

3. Perhaps your teen wants to become a veterinarian.  Working at a veterinary clinic can be an immeasurable source of knowledge.  Any practical experience they gain can only serve to increase their proficiency in this area.

4. Is your teen interested in becoming a computer programmer?  If so, your child can intern at IBM, or other top-notch companies, wherein, he or she will learn all of the latest computer technology, as well as the ins and outs of software applications.

5. Does your teen want to become a writer?  If he or she is majoring in journalism, any local or national newspaper would be happy to take him, or in as an intern for the summer.  Here, your teen can learn all about writing, publishing, editing, and news coverage.  This would be a wonderful experience to help catapult your teen into a successful career in journalism.

You may have read about the teen, who had an idea about selling beanie babies on eBay.  He is a millionaire today!  The possibilities for your teen are endless.  Having a summer job not only teaches about the specificity of the position at hand, but what companies expect; what jobs are more competitive than others; learning to work with others; developing a good, strong work ethic; taking criticism; and applying what was learned to their college and life experience.

Delegating household chores between all the occupants of the house seems only fair. There are jobs around the house even the smallest child can do.

Stop by http://schmoozins.com/kids-chores/457 to learn more

Isaac my 8yo is a true gamer and loves hisWii.

During my nap he must have been interrupted by his sister and her friends because look at what I saw on the floor propped up against his door that was cracked.

You won’t find any junk here!!

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I was visiting a friends blog here and while reading it I learned that her son’s name means “Firery One”. Well, I’ve known this person (cyberly) for 9years and NEVER knew the meaning of her son’s name yet, the friend uses fireyone as a username on the online forums we post together one.

After finding out the meaning to her son’s name and reading how her son truly lives up to his “fiery” meaning I decided to post about the meanings of my 3 childrens name.

!st up is my oldest (20)
Shayna
Meaning: Beautiful
Gender: Female
Origin: Hebrew

She happens to be beautiful both inside and out!

Next we have: my 16yo
Isreal (she is a female) (here is the meaning for IsrAel)
Meaning: Prince Of God
Gender: Male
Origin: Hebrew

Well, she is truly of GOD! She has been involved in church her FULL life, sings in the choir, dances in the church dance troop, participates in the Youth Programs AND is an usher.  She spents aproximately 10hr a week in church!

Last but not least is my 8yo:
Isaac
Meaning: He Will Laugh
Gender: Male
Origin: Hebrew

WOW did they get this right. Isaac is my “jokester” he has a wonderful sense of humor, is usually the live of any party and is the best “cheerer-upper” that I know!

How fitting that all of my childrens have strong ties to the meanings of their names.

I used the tool here to quickly search the meanings of the names. I would love to see comments with the meanings of the names of yourself and/or your loved one.

Oh and before I go. I have a unique name Aurelia (pronounced Ah-real-lee-ya) and that is Latin for Golden

Also we are African American yet I was Brought up in a Jewish Household until the age of 13 and ALL of my children have Hebrew names.

Summer is coming up right around the corner. Families everywhere are planning out some fun vacations to celebrate the beautiful weather. Amusement parks and renting cabins are popular ways to spend your summer, but not everyone can afford them. Here are some no-cost ways to spend your summer with the whole family throughout the season:

Start a book club- Pick a spot in the backyard, and lay down a blanket large enough to fit the whole family. Have some cookies, lemonade and whatever snacks you choose to have. Use a book from the library and take turns reading it out loud. You can even discuss some things that occur in the book. Consider making it a weekly event and invite your neighbors and friends to participate as well.

Treasure Hunt- Some kids are into anything to do with pirates. You could plan a treasure hunt with their help. Scour your backyard, local beach or park and find things you could put into a treasure chest. The kids could also make some of their own items to place in the chest too. Spend some time searching for pirate information on the internet and use what you find to make up your very own treasure map. Then bury the chest or hide it in the house and let the kids try out the map they created.

Gardening- Make up a small garden or use a small portion of your existing garden. Let each of your children have a row or small area to use to grow whatever they choose to. Each child is responsible for taking care of their own crops. Help them research the item they chose to grow so they can see how to best care for it. When their crop is ready to harvest, they can reap from the hard work they put into growing it.

Help your child’s interests to grow- Find out what interests your child and help them research it. If your child is into sports, you can research their favorite team or print images off the net and start a scrapbook of their team. If your child is into crafts, you can research craft projects on the net and find some that are no-cost and interest the child. Teenagers may be more interested in playing a game of basketball, baseball or visiting a zoo.

Movie night- Some libraries have movies you can rent. Pick a night each week and watch a movie the whole family could enjoy. The children can take turns picking out what they want to watch for that week. Have your bowl of popcorn or whatever snack you choose, and sit back with your family in your own “home theater”.

There are plenty of ways to spend some fun time during the summer that doesn’t cost you money. Use your creativity, imagination, and get ideas from your children on what they would like to do. Plan some of those activities as a family and enjoy your summer.

For more help, visit Finding More Family Time for tips for a happy family life.