Kids and the City

Here Comes the Sun (I Know, Shocking!)

Parents of the Great Pacific Northwest, brace yourselves.  It looks as if all three of our local news weathermen are predicting a sunny weekend in our area!  Now, after you have recovered from hearing that news (doesn’t it seem like we’ve been waiting an awfully long time for summer to get here?), you may be wondering what to do with your kids during this weekend of sunshine and high temperatures.

Besides being surrounded by gorgeous mountains and evergreens year-round, we are also surrounded by tons of bodies of water and these places are sure to fill up fast on this, the first hot weekend of summer ’08.  Yes, it is a blast to hang out at Alki, Golden Gardens, and on the shores of Lake Washington, but these beaches often become over-crowded on weekends. Frankly, I’d rather spend time organizing my sock drawer than try to fight for a patch of sand (gravel) at one of our local beaches.

Instead of flocking with the masses, we’re staying home.  Yup, you heard it.  H-O-M-E.

There are so many things you can do with your kids to stay cool in your own backyard that I just can’t justify the stress of packing, hauling, driving (have you seen prices at the pump lately?), unpacking, hydrating, etc. that is involved with heading to the beach.  Instead, we are setting up our umbrellas and pretending that the beach came to us this weekend.

Here’s how you can too:

• Turn on your hose.  This may seem simple, but the mere sight of cool, running water is known to reduce my internal body temperature by at least 10 degrees.
• Find your sprinklers.  They don’t need to be fancy, simple garden-type will do. If you do want to get fancy, head to your local store (if you haven’t already) and pick up one of those sprinkler balls (ALL of my kids are in love w/this), a slip-n-slide, or one of the other hundred types of sprinklers before they run out (go fast, you only have until tomorrow before the rest of the Puget Sound figures out that the beaches will be crowded and rush to buy their own sprinklers!).  Kudos if you managed not to break the one from last year!
• Don’t underestimate the power of the kiddie pool.  A well-placed kiddie pool, a beach umbrella and a good book will keep you happy and cool while the kids get soaked in the sprinkler.  Optional items include a)  a strawberry daiquiri  b)  an icy cold lemonade  and c)  a stylish hat (think Samantha in the Sex and the City movie).
• Sunscreen!  Remember this important item or you will spend the rest of the weekend applying aloe vera to crabby children instead of frolicking on your backyard beach.
• Have a picnic.  Make it fun.  Cut the crusts off the bread, live a little!  Set up a blanket, towels, or a portable table if you don’t want the ants joining you and have at it.  Serve all the food with toothpicks (I find that my kids will eat anything attached to a toothpick), or make them eat with their hands tied behind their backs.  Don’t forget the popsicles.  Whatever you do, make it fun!
• Water games, squirt guns, water balloon tosses, running from one side of the oscillating sprinkler to the other trying not to let it get them, are some of my kids’ favorite keep it cool activities.
• Bring the inside out.  Grab your portable radio (er, iPod docking station, I guess this is 2008) and crank the tunes.  Find an extension cord and set up a TV on the picnic table for a little late night, mock drive-in movie (pop the popcorn).   Use you imagination.
• In the evening, drag out an old tent and set it up for storytime (or ghost stories if they are a little older) under the stars.  Although it doesn’t get completely dark until nearly 10 o’clock, staying up late to stargaze with your children in the summer is an experience you both will benefit from.
• Relax.  Remain calm and keep your eye on the prize.  Creating fun summer memories doesn’t have to be hard.  Keep it simple and just enjoy being together.

Hopefully there will be many more beautiful weekends ahead.  I’m not suggesting that we all stay home for each and every one of them -  but if beating the crowds, reducing your vehicle use and stress are important to you, remember that you can have just as much fun in your own backyard!

Oh, and if you have a neighbor with one of those elaborate water slide contraptions, might I suggest whipping up a batch of cookies STAT and becoming her new best friend?  Just a little nugget of helpful advice, from me to you.

Carrie Blankenship is the mother of three (four, if you count her goofy puppy). She writes her way through motherhood at Stop Screaming I’m Driving! She accepts bribes of lattes (especially Starbucks) and offers of free babysitting. If you’re really lucky, she may even do your laundry. She can be contacted at carrieb-at-seattlemomblogs-dot-com.

Subscribe to ‘Kids and The City’ | Subscribe to Seattle Mom Blogs