Fun Ideas for Families to Get Outside in the Summer

Fun Ideas for Families to Get Outside in the Summer

It’s barely the start of warm weather and already I am hearing my kid’s favorite words “I’m Bored!”  I know most parents and caretakers are very familiar with these words.  It’s seems that no matter how hard you try to keep children busy they are always bored.  Summer for me was always the best time of the year.  It meant that my sibling and I could go to the beach almost daily or the Pitch Lake.  It meant long days outside climbing trees, finding treasures (what we thought was treasure), eating lots of fresh fruit and longing for a nice summer shower so we could play in the rain.  Since my family and I live in the city it’s a little harder for us to do the things I did when I was growing up.  Here’s some fun ideas for families to get outside in the summer.

As a child my family loved going to the beach but when we moved to MD getting to the beach wasn’t as easy as it was in Trinidad. Having my own family now I wanted to find a way to get my kids on the beach so they could enjoy it and so we were lucky to find some state parks in our area that features small beach areas the kids can play in the water and we can all hang out and picnic. Our favorite park is just $4.00 a car during peak season. We get out there early, grab a few picnic tables, set up food or get the grill ready, spread some blankets and just relax. When we get out there we are usually there for hours and the kids have so much fun they never want to leave. There are areas for fishing, swimming, grilling, and they even offer crafts and other children’s activities on the weekends.

Our apartment complex has a pool, they also updated it recently by removing the old pool and replacing it with a new one and a special splash pad area just for the kids (it’s fun for big kids as well). During the summer months finding a pool could be a challenge for some but try your local parks and recreation website for community pools or state parks with pool areas. There are also local swim clubs and you could even visit the beach if it’s possible. Anything to help with cooling down and enjoying the outdoors. Make sure the kids get enough sunblock to protect them some sun burns.

Attend free festivals.  Living near the Baltimore area there are always free or low cost festivals to attend during the summer.  One of the largest is the African American Festival in Baltimore.  It usually happens in June or July and they always have music artist that perform each night of the festival.  Baltimore also hosts Artscape which draws performers, artists and vendors from the DMV area.  It’s also free and a great way to find out about up and coming artists and performers.  They usually have lots of free samples and great food vendors as well.

On certain Saturdays each month stores offer free craft activities for kids.  We usually visit Lowes for their Build and Grow Clinics.  You can see our past clinics here.  Other stores that also feature activities like these include Home Depot, Michaels, and The Lego Store just to name a few.

These are just a few ways you can get outdoors this summer.

Related articles

• 5 Tips to Green Your Summer Celebrations (milieudelamoda.wordpress.com)
• Best Public Pools In Baltimore (todays1019.cbslocal.com)
• 10 Best Summer and Beach Books for Preschoolers (thekennedyadventures.com)
• 100 Fun Things to do this Summer (wholesalehalloweencostumes.com)