Friday, July 21, 2000
Good ideas for kid's play
Families employ the innovative and the routine
READERS RULE
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This week, readers take on the jobs of reporters in The Enquirer's Tempo section. Sede previous stories at Enquirer.com/readersrule
• Monday: Best-kept secrets
• Tuesday: Pet peeves
• Wednesday: My summer vacation
• Thursday: Technology woes
• Today: Kid experts reveal secrets
• Saturday: Move over, Martha
• Sunday: Obsessive fans
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In the beginning, summer is full of opportunities. So much to do, so little time. Then, by midsummer, the kids are bored. They've done everything they wanted to do at least twice. So, it's up to their parents to get creative and keep them busy — both at home and away from home.
We asked readers to write about a variety of topics for the week-long series in Tempo. More than 200 aspiring writers accepted the challenge.
Today's assignment: Keeping kids entertained.
Some parents plan elaborate activities for long car trips. Others send their kids to the pool for work and play, hold a neighborhood soccer camp or do theme days, combining fun with learning. Here's how they make it work:
Get a kick out of soccer camp
When I was in grade school, my mother hired a neighborhood college student to give art lessons to my brother, sister and me during summer vacation. I tried my own twist on that idea this summer by asking my neighbors, Jeremy and Nathan Coppock, 12, to create and hold soccer camp for my kids, Ethan, 4, and Connor, 6, in my back yard.
Nathan and Jeremy had to create the lesson plans, schedule the sessions and set their price. All four boys (coaches and players) were excited about the idea as soon as I mentioned it. The “coaches” decided to hold a two-week session for one-half hour a day. They also set their price — just $5 each for the entire session. The soccer camp was held from June 26-July 7 and was a great success.
Connor and Ethan loved playing with the older kids, and they learned a lot. Jeremy and Nathan had fun planning and teaching the lessons, even when their class size grew to include our friend, Baron Redlin, 8. We wrapped up “camp” by treating our coaches to a cookout, complete with an awards ceremony for their wonderful work.
Soccer camp kept the kids positively and inexpensively occupied for weeks. The coaches have been coming over to kick around a soccer ball all summer, so we're getting even more practice and exercise.
— Angela Ginty, Mount Lookout
Theme Thursdays make summer fun
I wanted to make the summer more fun and interesting for our boys so I decided to plan “Theme Thursdays.” My goal was to have fun while introducing different cultures to our children.
It all began with a Western Hoedown that included cowboy stew, cowboy hats, toy guns, an old western movie, playing cards and poker chips, and sleeping on the floor with blankets. This evening went so well and lasted into the weekend that I developed a weekly theme party, and we learned about the American Indian, Japanese, African-American, German, and Irish cultures, as well.
Each evening included food, appropriate clothing, games, a video or a book, and specific activities found within that culture. The resources are endless with local bookstores, libraries and the Internet. It is also convenient to live in a town where we have access to different ethnic cuisines. We dined at a Japanese steak house and a German restaurant. I was able to shop at an authentic Native American store, a Japanese grocery store and a store with products from Ireland.
What was so exciting is that it began as a way to increase the fun for our children and ended up being a complete learning experience for the whole family. The play would continue well into the weekend, and by Monday the boys were eagerly waiting for the next party on Thursday. Their enthusiasm made each party a huge success.
This can be adjusted according to the ages of the children. Older ones could help with the research and if there are younger ones focus the party on the games and snacks.
I encourage all families to explore their own heritage. It is very important for children to learn about their ancestors and to discover new cultures. I want my children to respect other cultures and delight in our differences. Our society is becoming so diverse and we need to embrace that diversity. I did require the older ones to write about the experience in their journal to improve their writing skills. Our boys are currently choosing the cultures we will explore this summer and I personally can't wait. What started off as trying to make one day a week more fun ended up being several weeks of learning, exploring and a great experience for all of us.
— Lori Shutrump, 36, Mason
Foster learning on the road
A few years ago our family of five drove from Ohio to California. To involve the children in the planning, they were given the “fun task” of dividing and researching the states through which we would pass. In the library they spent time answering such questions as “What is the state capital, state flag, bird and motto? What is the population as compared to Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana; what Indian tribes inhabited the state, or what natural attractions should we know about?”
The information was written on notebook paper and put into his/her own travel portfolio which contained a Xeroxed copy of a U.S. map, extra paper and pens for journaling, colored pencils for map-marking, a new paperback book for long driving spells, and plenty of puzzle and game books. A disposable camera came in handy, with one journal page marked for recording places and sights photographed. During the trip, each child had the honor of explaining the states researched, giving his/her own view as to what we were about to see and do.
The navigator's seat in the front became the place of honor because it required knowledge of direction, (north, south, east, west) latitude and longitudinal figurings, highway and interstate markings, and distances to the next grand sight or simple rest stop.
Journaling each evening was anticipated because of Mom's surprise candy offerings and promise of a family card game.
Research doesn't have to end because it's summer. Children are natural teachers. Use your vacation to foster some great skills.”
— Deborah Billings, 49, Anderson Township
Work and play at the pool
Aaah, Summer. School is out and for thousands of adolescents the immediate future offers nothing but endless days of fun in the sun at the old swimming pool.
Yes, “The Pool.” A place where childhood romance blossoms, matures and eventually withers away — all by mid-August. Where puberty and a new swimsuit can transform a shy, gangly child into a self-confident, well-endowed teen-ager in a matter of days. Where friendships are forged and rank among friends is determined merely by who could dunk under water the most heads in a day. All this taking place around a large, cement hole filled with Clorox water under the watchful eyes of ... The Lifeguard.
Standing lean and tall against the sun in a crimson, skintight suit which bears her title, hair pulled severely back from her face, wearing wrap-around sun glasses as if to hide the all-seeing eyes, white zinc oxide heaped on the nose giving the appearance of a distant snowcapped alpine peak, swinging back and forth then round and round, over and over the all-important tool of her trade ... The Whistle.
Yes, this mystical figure, who methodically patrols her kingdom of wet, sunburned, sugar-crazed children can make a mockery of even the king of dunks by a mere blow of her whistle. Nothing is more feared than that high-pitched, screeching sound followed by the words, "You! By the ropes.” “Who me?” (Words mouthed as eyes open wide expressing a look of complete innocence). “Yeah, you. Stop hanging on the ropes.” As laughter and giggles erupt around him, another king is dethroned, while behind the sunglasses, the all-seeing eyes of the ever vigilant Lifeguard move on.
Pool of choice: Countryside YMCA in Lebanon where daughter Julie, 16, is a lifeguard and daughter, Lucy, 13, is a regular attendee.
— Jane Riesen, 42, Lebanon
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