With school almost out, you as a parent may be starting to panic about what you will do with the kids this summer. From summer camp to day trips, here are some ideas on how you can stay occupied as a family in the coming months.
Hit the Playgrounds and Waterparks
The dog days of summer call for sun and fun – and water play too. Pack up a picnic and take the kids to the local playground or nearby waterpark. We have our own waterpark and splash deck, but there are also many other waterpark options around Austin and beyond.
There are many proven benefits for kids to let loose on a playground, such as:
- Physical – Climbing, jumping, swinging, and racing all help your little one practice gross motor skills.
- Sensory – From the sandbox to the swings, there are many sensory experiences found at the playground. For example, they can walk on different textures such as rubber, woodchips, and metal equipment.
- Social – Thanks to the unstructured time kids have here, the playground is a great place to develop social learning. Interacting with their peers, following rules, and negotiating, are all learned on the playground.
- Executive Function – Working memory is an important executive function skill and can be achieved by learning the rules of games and using those rules to play with other kids.
- Play – Whether in social situations or independent play, this unstructured time is vital for child development.
Attend Summer Camp
Signing the kids up for summer camp is a great way to keep them busy while you’re at work or just running errands. The summer camp we offer here at Country Home Learning Center in particular is a fun tradition for any San Antonio, Texas and Austin families. This camp includes all our regular activities, our Kids’ Choice Special Interest Clubs, and regularly-scheduled field trips for swimming, skating, bowling, and watching movies. We also take special field trips to many local destinations.
Our reward-based Reading Program offers academic exercises throughout the summer, while our facility offers ways for kids to explore various themed rooms filled with equipment for hands-on learning, and exploration into science, math, language development, computers, and dramatic and creative arts.
Enrichment areas include:
- Waterpark and Splash Pad
- Adventure Jungle Indoor Playground
- Large Indoor Gym and Basketball Court
- Country Home Theater
- 1950′s-Style Soda Shop
- Resource Room and Library
- Age-Specific Outdoor Playgrounds
- Putt-Putt Golf Course
- Soccer Fields
- Computer Labs
- Arts and Crafts Labs
Our field trips include:
- Weekly trips in the summer to enjoy swimming, bowling, and skating
- Museums
- Pizza play zones
- Zoos
- Theater arts and music appreciation
- Art studios
- Taste of life experiences (ranches, farms, etc.)
- Game centers
- Adventure Quest in Boerne for horseback riding, inflatables, pony rides, petting zoo, mini golf, and more.
Some examples of our summer camp curriculum include:
- Theme-based units (“Wacky and Wild Science,” “So You Want To Be A Star,” “Medieval Times,” and “Rainforest Adventures”!)
- Team games, movies, creative arts, and weekly cooking and science projects
- Weekly field trips
- In-house special events (Inflatable Interactive Sports, Bricks 4 Kidz, and more)
- Kids’ Choice Special Interest Clubs (Sports Club, Music & Dance Club, Cheerleading Club, Art Club)
- Kinder – 13 Years Old
Get Outside
Free time is just as important as play time. Get outside every day, whether that’s to shoot hoops, take a bike ride, go on a run, skateboard, dig in the garden, draw with chalk, or engage in a scavenger hunt. Getting fresh air while burning off excess energy will keep your kids healthy, happy, and stimulated.
Get Creative
For those days that you can’t get outside due to weather, crafts will keep their attention and enhance their creative side. Work on summer printables, try your hand at some summer crafts, or do a puzzle together. When the weather clears up, camp out in the backyard together, make sidewalk chalk murals, stargaze on a clear night, create a backyard mini golf course, go fishing at the local pond, and build forts.
Sign the Kids Up For Summer Camp at Country Home Learning Center Today
Now’s the time to sign up your kids for summer camp here at Country Home Learning Center. This fun hands-on, interactive camp includes all our regular activities, our Kids’ Choice Special Interest Clubs, and regularly-scheduled field trips for swimming, skating, bowling, and watching movies. We also take special field trips to many local destinations. To learn more, contact us today. In the meantime, check out our summer camp slide show to see all the fun we have.