Good Parenting

Could it be possible that Staycations are here to stay? A Staycation is a vacation at home, and due to economic conditions, HOME is becoming a popular vacation destination. More and more families are experiencing vacations in their hometowns, and love it. As with most vacations, the effort you put into it is what makes it special.

For a successful Staycation the key is to pre-plan:

* If your children go to day care, find out what the day care has planned for the week. There are events that the children will not want to miss. This will be great for mommy and daddy to have some time together.
* Check with the local library for childrenÂ’s events and times. Libraries will often have special events planned every business day during the summer. These are great, free events that are also learning experiences.

Approach your Staycation with enthusiasm.

* “Hey kids, we are doing something different this year! We are going to stick close to home and go to places that you have wanted to visit!”

Ask each child for ideas of where they would like to go. As the parents, you will choose where you may go, so you can arrange within your budget. Be sure to choose at least one destination from each childÂ’s request, if possible. Destinations could include:

* Zoo
* Museum
* Entertaining Restaurant
* Amusement Park

Depending on your budget, you may plan only one costly event, such as an amusement park, that you know everyone will enjoy. For the rest of the week, choose:

* Day at the local Park
* Day at the Lake
* Backyard Splash Day
* Game & Puzzle nights
* Library Visit
* Craft Day
* Friend day (each child has a friend over)

Be sure to include some ‘down’ time for the family. A well-planned Staycation should include some rest and relaxation for everyone, especially the parents. Stop and read a book, watch a movie at home, etc. Ask a family member, or a friend to watch the children while the parents go out for dinner.

Planning your Staycation will be unique to your family; the number of children you have, the age of your children, the availability of local entertainment, and the budget that you have to work with will all need consideration. Here is a basic plan:

Saturday- Over a nice breakfast, have a family meeting and discuss some options for the week. Who would like to visit the zoo this week? How about the museum? Today mom and dad will make a plan and we will all discuss it later tonight. Spend the day getting the laundry done, house cleaned, grocery shopping done, etc. Things you do not want to do during your Staycation.

Sunday- Have a Backyard splash day (water guns, slip and slide). Plan a lunch that the children can help prepare, or maybe prepare themselves and surprise you. For dinner have a barbecue outside. Invite the neighbors. Be sure the children have ‘down’ time and go to bed early. Tomorrow is a big day.

Monday- Zoo day – Pack a lunch and go to the local zoo. This should take up the majority of the day. Plan a quiet evening at home with a family movie, or puzzle.

Tuesday- Talk about what you saw at the zoo. Draw some of the animals that you saw. Have a game of charades and guess what animal you are acting out. Watch a film about animals. Eat animal crackers and make animal shapes out of play dough. The kids are rested, so they get to stay at grandmaÂ’s house tonight!

Wednesday- Since they stayed away from home overnight, and probably ate more sweets than usual, this is not a good day to go out. Bring some lunch to grandmaÂ’s house for all to sit and enjoy. Visit for a while and then go home (grandma needs to relax). Let the children invite a friend over to play and make a fun dinner for them. Make sure the kids are in bed early, because tomorrow will be a busy day.

Thursday- Your day care has a plan to go to the water park. The kids have been looking forward to this, so of course they should go. Mom and Dad make plans of your own for the day.

Friday- Museum Day – Go to a local museum that has plenty of children’s activities. This will be an all day affair. Pack a lunch and eat outside of the museum, if possible. Try to keep the younger kids awake on the car ride home with activities and museum discussions. Once home, everyone gets to take a nap. Older kids can read a book, or have some quiet time.

Saturday- Library Day – Today the local library is having an event. After the event, sit around the library and read some books. Be sure to check some books out to take home. Most libraries have dvds that you can check out as well. Plan to go home and rest. Once everyone is rested, Auntie Renee is coming over to play with the kids, and watch library dvds. Dad and mom are going on a date. The kids can help them get ready to go!

Sunday- Time to get ready to go back to work, grocery shop etc. Have a nice dinner and discuss all the fun that your family had during this special Staycation!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 1:07 pm and is filed under Good Parenting.