What we'll do for our kids

Summer is vacation time for most Canadians, and if you have kids, that vacation time is often spent geared towards entertaining and/or educating your child(ren).  It can be both relaxing and stressful all at once.

My husband and I both love to do things that are geared towards kids.  When my husband suggested visiting Disney World last Hallowe'en, I balked a bit at the total cost, but I knew we would all have fun.  When we visit museums, play mini-golf, go to see the latest Pixar film, or visit an indoor play place, we all have a great time.

This summer has been no exception.  Although we don't have much more than a week (and weekends) to get away, we can still find many ways for all three of us to have fun.  Our "stay-cation" included a day at Canada's largest waterpark, Calypso; a trip to the local go-kart track where we also played a couple of rounds of mini-golf; a visit to the Museum of Science & Technology; and, a day at the cottage.  The travel part of our vacation took us to Marineland where my son and I had the opportunity to touch and feed a beluga whale.  (Those Marineland commercials really have a way of capturing a child's imagination, and it's a "must see" destination for many 5-year-olds.)  If you live in southern Ontario, you can get a really good deal on Marineland tickets since the cost of a season's pass is only $5 more than a day pass.  We enjoyed the rides, seeing the whales, watching the show, and playing in the arcade.

Of course, summer isn't all play and no work.  Jobs afford us the luxury of taking vacations away from home, but it also means less time together during the week.  But splash pads and parks are great places to get your child(ren) together with their friends so they can burn off some energy, and museum memberships can cover a few rainy days.  At home, we do crafts, play video games, bake cookies, read books, and more.  I'm even working on a story idea with my son.  He hasn't quite grasped the concept of a story line yet, but he knows what he wants as the subject of his story (robots), and if I prompt him with enough questions, we'll have a story to tell eventually.  Hopefully it won't be long before I have something more to share with all of you on this subject.  Including my son's story idea, I have two other very concrete ideas floating around in my head.  Not bad for someone who really thought The Littlest Knight would be a one-shot deal.