“Staycation” is summer to me.

A new word has been coined – “staycations”, as if this is a new concept. Funny thing is, growing up these were my summers. It was the norm for me and most of my friends. Finally, my nerdy youth is “cool”.

My parents owned an ice cream and candy store (yes, a kid’s dream) so summer was too busy a time to leave. I spent many summers helping by washing dishes until I graduated to scooping cones, mixing sodas and shakes, making ice cream pies and adding up penny candies. My right arm is still much stronger than my left and I grimace whenever I think of Double Dark Chocolate – so good but the hardest thing to scoop. I always thought,
“Dad, why not yogurt?” We could have been swirling instead of scooping. See – we never want what we have.

Anyhow, thinking back on my summers, they were great fun. Since you may be having more “staycation” than vacation this summer, please send me your ideas and I will share them on our news page. We all need ideas! Here are a few of the special days that have stayed with me.

Break a rule. Summer is a time of change; no school, longer, hotter days. Give yourself permission to break a rule now-and-then. A guiltless transgression is a treat no matter your age. Let the kids stay up later than usual. Let them watch more television than usual. Have dessert before dinner. Have dessert for dinner! My daughter and I still laugh about the night we had ice cream as our whole dinner. I continue to argue it was dairy with fruit and remind her nuts are a protein… but we both know… we broke a rule and loved it!

Look at old family pictures. Kids love seeing their pictures, and they love seeing yours even more. “Mom – I can’t believe you wore those clothes!” “Dad – you had curly hair?” It is even better if you have pictures of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The pictures inspire the telling of family lore. Hours will pass and you will still be sitting around the table instilling your kids with a sense of self. They might even want to draw their family tree.

View the Stars. There are two approaches to viewing the sky. It can be a classroom where the focus is on learning constellations and phenomena. Or, it can be, simply, an awesome site to view, reflect and meditate. It is a quiet time to be enjoyed in your own backyard or in a park away from the city lights. If you are lucky, you may see a falling star (which is really a meteor). There are great resources on the web for constellation maps (www.stargazing.net). August 12-13 is the Perseids meteor shower that expects 60 meteors per hour.

A plant. Bigger is not always better, especially if you are a kid. Big can be overwhelming. So, instead of planting a full vegetable garden, have each child pick just one plant to nurture this summer – hopefully one they like to eat. If you have the space, plant a sweet potato vine or a pumpkin for Halloween. Easy plants for a container are green beans or sugar snap peas. I have a container of sugar snap peas on my deck and they are already 2’ tall in a month.

Neighborhood Experts. In our neighborhood, each house had a specialty. I knew Mrs. P. was wonderful with flowers. Mrs. M. was the cook and Mr. G was the place to go for games. During the summer, our local experts would offer special times for any kids who were interested to come for a lesson. I learned to arrange flowers, bake and play chess. Thinking back, I wonder what our Moms did when we were gone….

	- The new KidsPark centers in Fresno and El Dorado Hills, California are open. Be sure to refer your friends in these areas. For each family that registers we will thank you with a free hour of play. -Our new center in Northridge, California will open mid to late summer. - Our preschool covers all the traditional curriculum with a modern twist. There are no additional registration fees; you pick your schedule and pay as you go. Check your center for class schedules.

Click to see even more of what is going-on at your local center.

We'll beat the heat all month long with activities, games and the coolest arts and craft projects around.

We Scream for Ice Cream

Saturday, 13 - All Day.
Mix, shake and enjoy homemade ice cream. It is a science and culinary experience.

Father's Day Gift Workshop

Friday, 19 -Saturday, 20 - All Day
All supplies and materials are provided to create a gift to take home.

Ice Sculpture Day

Saturday, 27 - All Day
Time to beat the heat and chill out with our cool, fun ice sculpture event!

Jump up and down and shout hurray! July is a month filled with summer fun. So, wave goodbye to boredom and hello to fun activities, games and crafts all month long.

Red, White and Blue Celebration

Friday, 3 - All Day
Enjoy spin art, crazy hair creations, special treats and more. (Check your neighborhood center's July 4th schedule.)

Beach Party Luau

Saturday, 11 - the funs starts at 5:30pm
Put on your shorts, shades and head to a beach party you won’t forget. There will be sand art, limbo games, groovy tunes ....

Ocean in a Bottle

Saturday, 25 - All Day
Make waves at KidsPark and take home your own blue ocean.