I’ve been brainstorming what to do during my kindergartener’s upcoming school break. I’m excited because we’ll have a full day together, which means we can go someplace a bit further away than our usual outings and will have a larger chunk of time to spend together. There are so many possibilities, from educational options to lazy day fun:
- Integrate School Learning: Look to the subjects your child is studying in school for inspiration. For example, if your child is studying the solar system, you could find the nearest public telescope and go on a night-time outing to look at the stars. If your child is learning about nutrition in home economics or health class, visit an organic farm, buy some locally grown food, research a healthy recipe and make dinner together. If your child is learning about the government, pay a visit to the state capitol or attend a local city council meeting.
- Check out the Zoo: From the grizzly bears to the dolphins, my kids love visiting the zoo to see the animals, learn about what they eat and see them in action. Zoos often have educational programs that teach about endangered species, protecting the environment and conservation.
- Children’s Museum: If you’re lucky enough to live near a children’s museum, take advantage of it. Granted, a children’s museum is likely to be extra busy during a school break, but that makes for an exciting, energetic atmosphere. I’ve been to a few children’s museums and they are fun, educational, creative—an all around great place for a kid to learn and play.
- Art Museum: I always mean to take my kids to a “real” art museum, but I just never seem to get around to it. A school break gives you the perfect opportunity to put a museum outing on the calendar. You can plan a shorter outing if you have young kids—maybe just hit one or two exhibits, participate in kids’ activities and then head home for lunch or out for a picnic.
- Fall Fun: Fall school breaks offer special opportunities for outings. My husband recently took the kids to a corn maze where they had a corn pit for the kids to jump in, a petting zoo, hay bale maze, magician, hay rides and other fun outdoor activities. Make plans to select Halloween pumpkins, pick apples at an orchard or buy some daffodil or tulip bulbs to plant in your yard.
- Science Museum: Older kids can experiment and learn while having fun at a science museum. Whether they opt to study dinosaur fossils, learn about hydro power or look through microscopes at bugs, they’ll be having so much fun they don’t realize how much their brains are learning.
- At-Home Fun: You don’t have to leave the house during school breaks, either. You may choose to stay at home and build a fort, get out the Play Dough or go on a late-season nature walk. Construction toys like MindWare’s Chaos Tower are perfect for days when kids have time to delve deeply into a project.
Don’t let this year’s school break opportunities pass you by. If you’re like me, you have ideas for fun family outings and activities—it’s finding the time that’s the challenge. So take advantage of the next school break to learn, have fun and bond as a family.
