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Balancing rhythm and routine with fun this summer

In this edition of Mom of the House, Brianna Bell offers some suggestions on how to combat boredom this summer while keeping kids happy and healthy
2018-06-29 Mom of the House summer
Daniel, Penny, and Georgia at Crawford Lake last summer. Photo provided by Brianna Bell

I can’t believe it! Somehow another school year has come to an end, and summer vacation has started once again.

On Thursday my daughter walked out of her Kindergarten classroom for the last time and said goodbye to her teachers that have supported, cared for, and educated her for the last two years. It was an emotional moment, knowing that my daughter has spent two years in the same classroom with her peers and teachers, and next year everything will change.

This summer we are focusing on creating a summer full of memories. We want to have some rhythm and routine, but also be free enough to throw out the schedule and just enjoy lazy mornings watching cartoons, and last minute trips.

Below is our summer bucket list that we have created together. Hopefully you’ll find some fun summer ideas for your family too!

  1. Enjoy the many different parks in Guelph: We have so many great parks, from Exhibition Park to the newly renovated Riverside, to smaller parks like Oak Street and Suffolk. We plan to “park hop” this summer, and visit different parks each day. This map shows all the parks in Guelph.
  2. Enjoy our Halton Parks Membership: Because my family lives in the GTA we have decided to buy a Halton Parks Membership and meet our family at one of the seven different parks. We will enjoy hiking, geocaching, swimming, and many of the other fun sights. Mountsberg offers a Raptors Centre, with bird shows and the opportunity to see and learn about different birds of prey. Crawford Lake has a 15th century reconstructed Iroquoian Village, and a beautiful trail that wraps around the rare meromictic lake.
  3. Take the Kids on Day Trips: We will be spending a few days visiting some of our favourite spots nearby, including the Halton Radial Railway Museum, Wildhagens Adventure Garden, Springridge Farm, In the Hills Pony Club, and the Children’s Art Factory.
  4. Create fun memories at home: We will be spending some of our day at home, resting, catching up on some of our favourite shows, and making memories by making fun crafts, making easy snacks together, and enjoying some learning activities together.
  5. Visiting the library and participating in the Summer Reading Club: My kids have really enjoyed participating in the summer reading club and collecting the different buttons at each branch, and we will be spending twenty minutes each day reading and earning points towards fun rewards at the library.

What would you add to our summer bucket list?


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Brianna Bell

About the Author: Brianna Bell

Brianna Bell is a Guelph-based writer who focuses on events, small businesses, and community stories. In addition to GuelphToday, she has written for The Guelph Mercury and The Globe & Mail.
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