⌛ School will be out soon.

I'm not looking forward to keeping three kids occupied for the next couple of months. I thought a boys and girls club would be great. Someplace where they could swim, play badminton, do crafts, take field trips, play soccer, basket ball, whatever. Anything but TV and computer games. I'd pay P100 per day per kid for such a service (maybe more if it was well organized). Any thoughts out there about how we might organize something like that?

 

Someone used to teach a martial art in Quezon Park. Swim? Resorts are cheap. Buy a basketball rim/stand and a ball?

How old are the kids? Age matters.

 

great idea bebas, I thought about giving mine a crash course about the art of selling peanuts at the boulevard, well, Mama was not that excited.

 

Just when exactly does school get out over there? It gets out around the beginning of June here in California....

 

exams in SLS are march 14-18.

 

Mom and Dad! I'm bored!

Here are a few suggestions of things you and your children might consider doing for the summer weeks ahead. I have no idea of the age of your children, but many of the activities below can be made suitable for any age. Of course, some activities may be unavailable here or impossible to find ready made. If so, you might have to take the initiative yourself.

• Learn a musical instrument
• Animal husbandry of some type or form, (dog, cat, bird, fish, rabbits, or farm animals if possible)
• Plant a garden (veggies and flowers)
• Read books (get eBooks online)
• Learn simple computer programming like visual basic, or simple page layout design for DTP (probably you prefer non-computer activities which are physically active)
• Photography
• Learn a language (young children pick up languages much faster than adults)
• Rocks, flowers, stamps, insects, etc. collections
• Learn to cook/bake simple things
• Learn dance
• Take up various sports whether team sports or individual sports like tennis, ping-pong, badminton, jumping rope, or just learn individual sport skills like playing catch or shooting baskets or dribbling
• Constructive hobbies (where they make something) like woodwork, flower arranging, knitting/sewing, pottery, painting, stained glass, etc.
• Volunteer work like visiting people in the hospital (reading to them, visiting, etc.), cleaning up the neighborhood, adopt a senior citizen in a manner of speaking, befriend them, visit, etc.
• Work/responsibilities/chores. People learn a lot from work. Work teaches character which is life-long. (NO! I am not advocating child labor for pay, but work as in working as part of the family unit and having responsibility for something or another. Taking care of an animal is a good example of this type of work/responsibility.)

I am an elementary teacher. I've heard the same concern for years as to what parents might do to 'keep the children from boredom' during the summer months. Summer time is a great opportunity to learn things never taught in school. Perhaps making a weekly schedule of things that they can depend on doing is a good idea. Children like structure, learning, variety, and guidance.

Good luck! Make it fun, make it a learning experience!

 

I will be again be putting a bunch of kids in the swimming program at the provincial capital. I had my granddaughters and a niece take lessons there last year and it was great. It doesn't use up their whole day but helps to burn off some of the energy. One granddaughter takes ballet and tap at MEV Dance Studio. Swimming dance and family activities seem to keep them happy.

 

Nice idea about the Boy's Club, I grew up with one, but probably not going to happen here - no United Way to fund it. So what about a daily exercise program, not too rigorous, followed by learning something on the computer like Word or Excel or whatever. Also, online Sudoko keeps the brain challenged.

 

After a little thought (very little)........

this is what I think would work for my 3 kids (ages 8, 10 and 10). We live in Valencia, so I'm going to concentrate on kids living in this general area.

Mine love to spend time in the pool. We've been going to Destiny Wellness resort almost every Saturday. They've pretty well learned to swim all by themselves. So, two days a week, we'll go swimming. They charge P50 per head for use of the pool. Non-swimmers are not charged admission, but it would be nice to pay anyway. You can bring your own food.

Maybe play soccer one or two days a week (boys and girls mixed), volley ball one day a week (also coed), badminton one day a week (also coed). I'm going to talk to the mayor about using the city park for those activities. I'm open to suggestions for another activity. Some of those listed above might be good.

I'm open to scheduling stuff for either mornings or afternoons. (Probably not both on the same day, though. I'm getting too old to have so much fun!)

Parents will chip in to pay for equipment, which will be shared to the extent possible. I don't think it will cost more than P300 per kid for the whole summer???

So, anyone who has a kid between the ages of 7 and 11 is welcome to participate. If you're interested, email me at greberting@yahoo.com or text 09083954333

 

Lukester, how would you like to help me get this thing organized?