End of Summer Vacation Final Fling!
In less that a month it will be the end of that magical time for kids – summer vacation is winding down. As we start getting out those school supply lists and start school shopping fro both supplies and clothes. Most of our trips and camps are over and our kids are perhaps both excited, nervous, and bummed all at the same time at the thought of going back to school. So why not have one final summer fling party with your kids – to finish off the summer magically.
I know for me the thought of doing one last fun party with my kids sounds like a lot of fun – I start getting ideas immediately. The first few things that come to mind are similar to the ones I discussed for birthday parties here. Treasure hunts are top on that list of things to do that are both inexpensive and fun for kids of almost any age. Beyond that though I recommend talking to your kids – it is for them anyway – what would they want to do with, say, that last weekend before school starts, and what is within the budget.
I think the best fun you can have with the kids can actually be free to little cost and can be done nearby or at home. Here are four of my ideas for the last summer fling:
- Treasure Hunt – Like I mentioned before, this can be tailored to all ages. For preschool you could do a little hunt with clues around the house or yard using pictures and symbols. For elementary school age kids use clever riddle clues to send them around the neighborhood or a local park. Last, for teens, try something on a bigger scale, and make an evening of it. If you, and your kids friends have access to GPS devices you can make a GEO Caching treasure hunt making your own caches and clues leading from one to the next around town. (GEOCaching.com)
Board Game Party – My kids love board games. I have found them several times this last summer up in one of their rooms playing Monopoly or Clue – or on occasion to please their youngers, a bit of Candyland. When I look back too I have fond memories of long nights of board games with my friends and cousins playing Monopoly, Clue, Risk, or even Chess (yes I am a geek). Now there a lot of new games that could appeal to almost any age. You could plan a game night where you play one you already have or maybe find a new one and try it out, one I recommend for older kids is Settlers of Catan – this is a game I love playing with my siblings when we get together. The point is, make a night of it and make it memorable.- Video Game Night – I can here some parents groaning… but hay it’s the end of summer and it could be a lot better than it sounds. I actually get excited thinking about this one. You could do several things with this one, depending on the age of your kids. First there are a lot of great group/party video games out there now that really promote social interaction. A lot of the Wii games are like this. There are also great games like Dance Dance Revolution, or Sing Star (two of my favorite series of games). These games can make for a great night for your kids and their friends and it could be as cheep as a game rental from your local video store. These games are also great for all ages. Another type of video game night for older kids could involve your kids friends bringing over their game systems and doing multi player games all in a group. If your kid is often hooking up with friends on line with their X-Box360 or PS3, even some Wii games, to play different games then this may be the party for you. It adds a new level of fun to bring everyone together in one house with their game systems and have a tournament all together in one place. With younger kids you can do something similar with their Nintendo DS’s playing Pokemon games (my kids would go crazy over a Final Fling like that).
- Camping Party – Here you could invite your kids and their parents for one last camping night. Go out that last weekend for a night around a campfire at a local campsite. Roast marshmallows, make smores and tell ghost stories then play some kick the can or capture the flag in the dark. In the morning you could then go fishing or for a hike as a group, in my opinion this would be the best way to say goodbye to summer vacation.
The list could go on, you know your kids best, make some plans now to make it a summer ending fling they will be talking about with their friends back at school for the rest of the year.
Nester Dad out…
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