Washtenaw County summer sports camp — first day of football camp 2011.

Angela Verges | Contributor

Remember the famous line from the Wizard of Oz, “Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my"? I changed those words to fit my situation, “Kids and carpools and camps, oh my.”

School is out for the kids, but that does not mean a vacation for parents.

It was the first day of football camp, swim lessons and a dental appointment, and that was just for one child. By the end of the day I was low on gas and low on energy. I had broken an unspoken rule of parenting: “Do not over-commit.”

So what do you do when you want to keep your kids from just sitting around the house all summer?

There are many things kids can do to keep themselves entertained during the summer months. As parents we want to find activities that are somewhat educational as well as fun.

Often we hear that kids lose a lot of information over the summer months when their minds are not engaged. Finding balance between learning and fun is key.

The magazine Natural Awakeings (June 2011) gives five suggestions of things for kids to do while on summer vacation.
1. Reading - Summer reading programs provide age appropriate options for kids of all ages. Kids can find books on topics that make them want to pick up a book. Last summer my son found a book on football that he liked and he would read without being asked.
2. Science - Families can spend time camping or hiking and capitalize on the “natural learning opportunities.” Indoor science lessons can be disguised as games for teaching scientific concepts and foster also “skills kids will need when they head back to school.”
3. Games - Kids love to play Dance, Dance, Revolution as well as other Wii and Play Station games. The article indicated that these games engage the body while demanding mental concentration. Kids learn new skills and may also “improve their ability to focus when they need to sit still for lessons later.”
4. Cooking - Preparing meals is another way of engaging kids minds during the summer. As they learn to cook, kids are mastering the skills of reading, measuring and following directions.
5. Art - One parent set up a space at home for where her child go and create until his heart was content. The room was stocked with a variety of supplies to aid in creativity. Another family started a weekly family film festival. They would “watch a movie together and afterwards talk about the actors’ lives and their work.”

There are some activities or obligations that we have to fit into our busy lives such as dental or doctor appointments. However, we can regulate the number of activities we want load onto our schedule.

 What will you do this summer to keep the kids entertained with overloading your schedule?

Angela Verges is a writer and mother of two. She can be reached at awritersdream41@yahoo.com.