I’ve always had a soft spot for summer. As a child, I relished the warm days. Free from my school routine, I played, enjoyed the occasional class, and relaxed to my heart’s content.
I still love summer, but it has a different meaning for me now. As a working parent, (I’m a Marketing Manager here at Sponge), it’s about keeping my children engaged and supervised and entertained. I’d like my kids to have that lazy, hazy days of summer feeling I enjoyed, but there is the need for a little more structure since I’m working part of the time.
How to succeed on all fronts? Build in down-time – trips to the beach, a vacation, and the freedom to play outside.
Then, on to the business at hand – finding activities to satisfy everyone. As soon as the park district catalogs arrived in March, we dog-eared the pages. Dance camp or pottery? (Neither!) Archery or ice skating camp? (Both!) When we ran out of options there, I turned to the internet.
Luckily, there are lots of top-notch sites that helped me fill out our summer. Some of them are multi-purpose – info on activities lasting a week or more, or ideas for things to do when we simply need to get out for a while. Three sites that fit the bill for both – ParentMap, Red Tricycle, and SeaTots. By late April, our calendar was set. All we needed was the last day of school.
Are you adding to your child’s summer calendar? We’d love to have you join us at Sponge for a summer camp (or two!), offered weekly through July 25 in Seattle and on the eastside. Your kids will travel on a fun language adventure, immersed in Mandarin, Japanese, French, or Spanish.
If it’s general types of classes you’re seeking (for kids and maybe something for yourself?) there’s a new site called Connect2Classes that I think is promising, with lots to choose from.
Did you finish planning summer weeks ago? Then I have to ask: What resources did you use to organize your children’s summer break? I’d like to hear from you – I can always use ideas for my kids…and for Sponge!
Margaret Compton
