Community Voices for Health

By: Jessica DiRamio

Summer vacation will be here before we know it.  If your kids are anything like mine, they begin asking “what’s next”, the second school lets out.  I am fortunate enough to stay home with them, so the thought of summer vacation no longer stresses me out, as it did when I worked full-time outside the home.  Each May, I begin my annual summer planning to achieve the following goal:

Wear them out – – to the point of exhaustion – – at least 4 out of 7 days a week – – for the entire summer. J

Lofty goal, huh?  I did it last year, and I dare say my girls had the best summer ever.  I hope to accomplish the same thing this summer.  You can do it, too!  With my ideas for a busy summer, your kids will be so tired at night, they may actually sleep late.  Every mom’s dream, right?

The key to a busy summer is to plan ahead:  nothing says “boring day” more than an unplanned day.  I’m not totally against spontaneity, but in my household, unplanned days usually end up as a flop, and flop days equal bored kids.  Start planning now.

Organized Fun…There are a bunch of ways to fill up your summer fun calendar.

1. Taking any family vacations?  Work those details out and get those on the calendar.

• We rent a house in Marshfield every summer.  This is the most fun week for us and our entire summer revolves around this time.  We’re also hoping to do a long weekend in New Hampshire to visit Storyland in July.

2. Consider summer camps and clinics next as those fill up fast.

• This summer, my #1 and #2 girls are doing several sports camps:  basketball, soccer and cheerleading.  #3 is too little for camp, but next year, she’ll get to do something too.

3. Does your town have a pool membership program?  How about a summer recreation program?

• There are several area towns with fabulous summer recreation programs.  To find out if your town has something, simply Google:  “mytown Recreation Program.”
• For the past 2 years, we bought a family membership to the Island Grove Pool in Abington.  This year, we have decided to stay in Whitman and take advantage of the pool membership.  My #2 daughter also wants to go to our town’s summer Park Program for a few weeks.

Day trips…Now that your calendar is booked with week long or multi-day events, it’s time to think about day trips and excursions.

1.  Remember that pool membership I mentioned above?  Be sure to take full advantage of it.  Nothing spells exhaustion better than a day of swimming!

• Because our town pool has open swim beginning at 3pm each day, I plan to bring the kids there after a day of fun, as a way to cool off and wind down before bed.

2.  Beach, beach, beach!  We are so lucky to live in this area with a bunch of beaches within driving distance.

• My plan for beach trips this summer is to leave immediately after lunch to avoid having to pack so much food.  We will go to the beach at least 2 times during the week and once on every weekend.  We are very much a beach family.

3.  Water parks, zoos, playgrounds and more

• We will fill the rest of the calendar with day long trips to the zoo, local playgrounds and even a water park or 2.

Well, that’s my summer plan!  Are you exhausted yet?  Good, because that is the goal.  In all seriousness, while I love tired kids, I also love keeping them entertained, stimulated and active.  Some of my best childhood memories are from summers at the beach and on vacation with my parents and sister.  I hope my children can say the same thing.

Today’s post is the first of a two part series with information on summer fun.  Stay tuned for detailed information on local town recreation programs, pool membership options and more from Jessica DiRamio.