3 Hours Enough for Preschool Summer Camp?

Hi J.---I applaud you for wanting to offer your children the opportunity for camps and a variety of other activities. I beg you to consider an alternative.

I believe that kids these days are WAY overscheduled. People need downtime, they need to learn to relax. Your kids are so little, they need their rest. I know you say that they won't sit still/put their feet up, but I think that maybe this might be your most important activity to teach them this summer. As someone else said, set up that schedule. When the new baby sleeps, everyone sits down for their rest. They don't have to sleep, but they definitely need to learn quiet time. Kids also need to learn how to keep themselves occupied without having to have you do that all of the time.

Go to an appliance store and ask for discarded refrigerator boxes. Bring them home and have the kids build playhouses and forts. Get a ton of sidewald chalk and let their inner artist shine. Go for walks in local parks. Have them see how quietly they can walk and how many different things that they can hear or see. Read, read, read. The new baby can benefit from being read to as well.

I wonder how many kids today are being diagnosed with ADHD because they never learned to sit still when they were little. I don't know, it's just a thought. I work with a Naturopath and she feels that many problems with kids today are because of lack of adequate sleep (electronic devices in bedrooms-they should be for sleep only) and overstimulation. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck ! D.

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I guess my question would be why can't the baby go outside too? If baby is napping, get a baby monitor that has the portable "beeper" and keep that with you when you play outside with the other two.. Adding another camp in the afternoon.....all that running around can be stressful in itself. The other thing that might happen is they might get pretty tired in the morning at camp and need a rest time after they get home. Before camp starts, let them know that when they get home from camp you will all have lunch together and then have a little rest and quiet time. They don't HAVE to sleep, but need to rest. They probably will fall asleep. I think the key to that would be to let them know ahead of time what the plan is, make it sound FUN and be consistent. You might even make a pretty and colorful schedule board for them to follow. Let them be part of the plan for a fun summer. Congrats on your new arrival!

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you just need a good schedule. if they don't nap they still need a quiet time each day for resting. Have them do the camp in the morning, pick them up and play outside for a while longer. then inside for lunch and rest time. put them down for a movie each day (an hour or so) they don't need to sleep but watch the tv and rest. then back up and outside in the yard or playing inside the house. or if it was me I would not mess with buku different camps / play groups etc. sign them up for a daycare and be done with it for the summer. they will be on a good schedule and you will be able to rest with the little one.

Is it possible to get a mother's helper to come in in the afternoon when they get home? You will be in the house with them-they can play with the older kids or pitch in with the laundry, cleaning, snacks, meal prep and such. I'm talking about a teenager-they wouldn't even require minimum wage- a little 13 year old still loves children and can be a wonderful help-with supervision, of course. Good luck-I had three summer babies-and two winter-and it was difficult. I took them all to the country-where it was cooler and found two sisters to come in and help entertain the older children so that I could focus on the newborn.

I would do the 9 to 12. The driving around and hauling kids to the second session would wear my energy out anyways.

Save the money and get a season pass to a local children's museum or something. Go the the library, the bounce house, splash park, swimming... things to do inside or stay cool during the summer.

If you can, add an afternoon 2-3 days a week. This will cut down on the added expense and drive AND will give them a few extra days out of the house to burn energy. I agree with you, too much time at home just makes us all crazy. And every time you leave the house you are spenig money somewhere. My kids (3 & 5) have to attend summer camp 5 days a week all day. My ideal would would be 2-3 1/2 days and 2-3 full days.

If it were me, this is what I'd do: enroll both your children in the morning program, then at the 12 pickup, go find a shady park to eat a snack and play for as long as possible. Can your little one go in a front/backpack, or can you set up a blanket in the shade as a 'base' and let the kids explore?

Another idea would be to put a sun canopy in the backyard. You can buy a small sandbox with the money you'll save from not going to the afternoon camp, and they can be in the shade. Consider setting up a mister connected to the hose, so that they can cool off, or the sprinkler. Kids can get super busy playing in these.

The reason I suggest these ideas is because so many children at this age are pretty tired of doing the social work of being in preschools/camps by the middle of the day. Some aren't...only you know your children. My son is almost four and would be a wreck with such a long day. (We don't even do playdates after preschool, because he needs some down time.) Instead, you could offer some independent/quiet play time each afternoon for 30 minutes or so: quiet play in their room alone, books on tape, etc.

Summer is hot, too, which takes it out of the kids. You might find this also impacts their desire to play well with other kids. Plus the driving transitions aren't a whole lot of fun.

Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be right for your family. Kids are all so different.

I would do the morning summer camp, then save the afternoons for the park, spray park, library, childrens museum, zoo etc. If too many outings are difficult with the baby, how about bubbles in the yard, a sprinkler, or Play Doh at an outdoor table? With having a new baby at home, your other children will enjoy some "mom time" too, so I wouldn't schedule them for too much. I do like the suggestion about swim lessons. It will tire them out, but you and baby can watch from the sidelines.

My suggestion would be to have them do something outdoors during the early evening. Our parks & rec district has swimming lessons for all different ages both in the morning (which wouldn't work with your schedule) and after 5pm. So if your kids did summer camp in the mornings, then you did lunch and maybe a little quiet time in the afternoon, maybe a craft or two, then swimming lessons? In my experience, my kids always really looked forward to swimming lessons, and it was a nice way to tire them out before dinner, bath, and bedtime! =) Plus swimming is a useful skill for any young child to have. Just a thought.

Sounds like you really want to have them in the afternoon program. If you can afford it and drive them and they're not hurting for more time with you at home, do it. If they'll feel pushed out by the new baby, then I'd plan some park time, swim time, picnic in the yard or nearby playground time, art projects outside etc. on some days and maybe have one video day where you can rest or get some housework done.