A Free Range Summer: 3 Reasons why we don't do many summer camps

Now that us mamas who have kiddos in school are in the home stretch to summertime, the topic of what we're doing on summer break keeps coming up.  I always enjoy listening to other people's plans and making plans of our own whether they be a beach vacation or just a day playing in the water hose in the back yard.

I have to say though I have been fascinated at how much some families do during the summer.  We have friends that attend a camp every week or every other week during the break. (NOTE: not talking about a home where both parents work a traditional job - I know camps in summer aren't really optional in that case)  I found myself questioning wither or not I was providing enough education and entertainment for my kids during the summer.  Then I caught myself, thought a little bit about THIS post, and stayed the course.

I'm not here to tell you one way is right or wrong.  I'm not a very black and white person and I have found that the answers usually lie somewhere in your gut and in the gray.  But I do know what works for us, and if any of you dear mamas out there want a change of pace during the summer, but feel pressure to load up the schedule with summer camps and vacations, I hope I can provide some encouragement.  My kiddos are going to one camp this summer.  It's at Ascent Community church.  They went last year and they both begged to do again this year.  DONE.  Then we are going to visit family in Memphis...and that's about it.

So without further adieu, here 3 reasons why we don't cram pack our schedule during the summer.


I notice the good when life's not as busy

Wake up, make breakfast, make kids eat breakfast in 15-20 minutes, pack backpacks, exercise, work, make dinner, homework, play, bathe, sleep....repeat.  That's the basic template of our day give or take a few activities.  While I have made sure to create a rhythm during the school year that I can still enjoy, it's nice for us to have a break from it for a while.  I've noticed that the less I'm rushing, the more likely I am to notice my kids going on roly poly hunts.  The fewer obligations I have, the more time I have to include my kids in dinner prep.  The less stressed I am about getting everything done during the day, the easier it is for me to be loving and patient.


I believe being bored is a good life skill

One of my dear mama friends told me that she enrolled her kids in a wide variety of camps because they would be bored and she would go crazy.  I get it.  I really do.  I think about THIS post which so many of us can relate to once the summer is coming to a close.  But here's the thing.

I think it's good for kids to have big dose of boredom every once in a while.  

My parents believed this, and I think we have to be even more intentional about it today if it's something we believe in because we don't ever have to be bored.  I'm barely mature enough to handle my iPhone, so it kinda scares me a little to think about a world where kids these days are getting phones between the ages of 10-12.

Summertime is a great opportunity for kids to experience boredom and learn how to deal with it.  I'm here to tell you that you do not have to entertain your kids for every second of every day.  You may be panicking and getting antsy at the thought of it, but just give it a try.  I'm not promising that chaos won't ensue or whining of massive proportions, but I betcha if you give them a chance, they'll surprise you at the imagination that's living in side them if given the chance to emerge.


I like a blank canvas

I supposed this one goes hand in hand with boredom.  If you can get past the potential weeping and gnashing of teeth, you might be surprised and even delighted at the ways in which your kids will entertain themselves.  I want to raise my kids to be kind, creative and to be able to solve problems.  It may sound counter intuitive, but they may not need an intense engineering camp to teach them that (although some of those sound pretty cool!).  All they may need is a backyard and a water hose.

For example, earlier this week we had no after school activities, homework was done and it was a beautiful day.  I told them they should put on shorts and get dirty.  They played zombies and aliens, hunted bugs, took photos, and made observations about what they saw in nature.  They fought and screamed at each other more than a few times, but they worked it out.  They made up jokes and made "goo" in the driveway (don't ask; it's disgusting).

I know not every day can be like that.  Some days they'll be at camp and some days we'll be indulging in entirely too much screen time.

But here's hoping that summertime provides more opportunities to notice good, to be bored, and to play in our blank canvas.



Here are some iPhone photos I snapped yesterday during our day of joy.  We were outside the entire day...only coming in to eat.