I'm looking for suggestions for summer activities for a 13 year old girl who lives in a very small town.
My younger (half) sister sent me a message over the weekend, asking me to tell her how i survived being a kid in my small hometown, especially during the summer months and not living in town itself. Now, she and I have never been close (she's my dad and stepmom's daughter, and i was off in college when she was born) so I don't know tons about her life, but I do remember how hard it is to be a 13 year old girl living in the boonies of west-central PA with no one around to interact with.
I offered a few suggestions (summer sports leagues, things like that), going to the ball field, that sort of thing. Apparently the summer programs for kids end with 12 year olds for some reason, and the baseball season ends in 2 weeks, so that isn't a long-lived option. What sort of ideas can I give her? I was thinking of suggesting she I co-read a few YA books, but that's not a daily activity for sure. My mom, god love her, suggested I invite her down for a weekend to stay with us and do some "city" activities. Again, good idea, but not long-term.
What sort of ideas do any of you ladies have to put out there? She'll be in 8th grade, and though I'd suggest finding a babysitting job, it doesn't seem like too many people use the teenage babysitter option any more, which is sad. I'd like to give her some good ideas, so throw them all at me and I'll share them with her.
Thanks for your ideas!!
Does she have friends within bicycle riding distance? If so, just let her play. At that age we rode bikes, played outside, hung out at the local pool and read books. Hanging out was our primary activity. We were not highly scheduled and we survived the boredom.
-Local park w/a friend?
-Library
-Get her her favortie magazine subscription.
-Do they have a place you can paint pottery? (Kind of expensive but what if you went to a craft store and bought her some small ones and paint to send to her.)
-Inexpensive digital camera to get her started as a new "photographer".
-Send her some blank cards/envelopes w/stickers & glue on things to make greeting cards)
-Exercsie video for kids.
-Send her a teenage age "make your own jewelry kit" from Wal-Mart.
-Maybe she could watch the cooking channel and pick a dinner meal to make w/her mom.
-Journal
-Maybe she could write a mini book (5 pages) of her teenage life in her area to send to someone (you, friend, grandma).
-Have her brainstorm businesses she would like to start.
-Volunteering somewhere: pet store, pet clinic etc
-have a garage sale?
Membership to a local pool or water park?
She could be a mother's helper for a nearby family.
Does she have a library nearby? Sometimes they have weekly meetings, etc.....
If she can't babysit is there an option to be a mother's helper? that way she isn't left all to herself with the kids but the mom gets some help. i had a 13 yr old neightbor come help me after i had my 4th child and it was great to tell her to take the oder kids outside to play for a little while i nursed the baby etc. Is there places she can volunteer?
Stock up on the magazines and books & nail polish & bust out the boom box and some tunes and lay out and get a tan?
That is how I spent most of my summers at that age!
What does she like to do?
I spent my summers as a teen swimming and reading and writing (some of my favorite things ever).
I had friends that went to camp (either as campers our CITs or counselors)
I had friends who went on an archeological dig
I had friends who got jobs
I had friends who played music/ learned an instrument
I had friends who joined the ROTC
Basically.... starting from bar / bat mitzvah age everyone had to figure out what they *loved* doing, and figure out a way to make it happen. $ to pay for it, transportation, etc. It's GREAT life skill training... the whole "You will be responsible for your life this summer. How do you want to spend it? Okay, let's figure it out."
Well it depends on her interest.....
She could plant her own small garden, take care of it, journal about her experience and take pictures of the plants as they develop and then scrap book it all!!! She could look for garden tips online. You could even help her purchase some seeds or journal. And then she could practice cooking her fresh veggies!
Are there local lakes or rivers around for swimming and fishing?
Any kind of camps in her area that would be for a week or two?
Any classes at the library?
