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Everyone looks forward to summer: the vacations, swimming, and longer days to play. When your children are so busy, it can be easy to forget basic summer safety. Here are some things to remember, to ensure you and your family have the best—and safest—school break yet.
Stay hydrated
Spending a lot of time outdoors in summer is a good way to become dehydrated. While sweating keeps you cool, it also zaps your body’s water supply. When you or your children are thirsty, instead of reaching for a soda or juice box, grab a water bottle. Water will rehydrate your body faster than sugary drinks, leaving you with renewed energy to go and play. Drinking plenty of water each day—especially when spending time outside—will ensure that you and your family stay safe in the summer heat.
Apply (and reapply!) that sunscreen
Make sure to lather up your family with sunscreen at least 30 minutes before heading outside to enjoy the summer days. This gives the lotion time to soak into your skin and start working its protective magic. Make sure that you also reapply the sunscreen after being in the water or exercising. Don’t forget easy to miss areas, such as the back of your neck, ears, and the tops of your feet.
Wear protective clothing
The summer sun can be brutal, especially when you are at the pool or beach. Make sure you wear protective clothing when outdoors. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt made with lightweight fabric can help ensure the sun doesn’t burn sensitive skin. Also wearing a hat with a rim large enough to shade your face, not only prevents sunburn, but also helps to keep you cool.
Take a break from the heat
Summer sun is at its peak between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Unfortunately, this is also the time most people spend by the water or in summer camp. Teach your family to stay safe in the heat by seeking out shady places to sit and rest, or take a break from the heat altogether and go indoors for a few hours. This will help avoid heat exhaustion, and ensure an enjoyable summer for all.
Now that the excitement of school ending has expired, and the long hot days of summer are upon us, the ever dreaded boredom has settled into the household. Although we would all love to “vacation” for the summer, it’s not always an affordable or available option for our families.
Entertaining your kids for 8+ hours a day can be a daunting task ; however, with a little time and planning, you will be able to create a busy (but affordable) schedule that suits your family’s needs.
The goal of planning is to prevent your kids from having the “same old” schedule and becoming bored. Remember, a day of “down time” can also be planned between all the busier activities. One of the most difficult parts of planning activities is generating ideas. Luckily, there are several online websites and blogs available that will help you generate your own ideas. We’ve put together a handy list of websites to help inspire you!
While planning, thinking “big” can prevent us from seeing the easy and simple things. Entertainment and activities don’t mean amusement parks and fancy toys but finding ways to enjoy the things that are already around us. For example, learn and explore your own hometown and surrounding communities. Begin by planning a trip to the library to research the town’s or city’s history. Later that day, allow the kids to present their information to the entire family, and then allow everyone to help plan a tour of their town or city for the next day, days, or weeks. Not only will this save you time from traveling, but it can also be very educational. Additionally, by staying local, you will have much more control of your budget.
Planning doesn’t mean scheduling every hour of every day but merely being prepared to take on the days and weeks of summer with your kids. It’s important to be flexible, create back-up activities, and even have an emergency activity when all else fails. Include your kids in the planning to help nurture their creative side, and additionally, they will be learning how to entertain themselves along the way.
Lastly, remember to enjoy the “lazy” days of summer before the chaos of schoolwork and extracurricular activities ensue!