How do you handle summer vacation? I never thought about how lucky I was that my mom was a school teacher and had the same school breaks and holidays as me. (Or about whether she thought that was lucky or not.) I went to a few day camps here and there, including a very uncharacteristic, week-long cheer camp one summer. (Probably inspired by Cindy Mancini in Can’t Buy Me Love… anyone else who remembers that Patrick Dempsey instead of the Dr. McDreamy one?)
Hudson’s preschool isn’t offering summer school this year (a first in their history… which goes back to when Aron and his sister attended the very same one). This was something I learned when Skyler was about a week old; they handed out the notice and I nearly keeled over! Seriously: those of you who are home for the full day with both children… hats off to you. Those are long days. And I don’t say that just for me: Hudson loves going to preschool for those morning hours and I think a full day at home sometimes feels long to him, too! It’s a challenge to think of new, fun ways to keep him stimulated and engaged.
We’re still figuring out our alternative plan.
But if you’re in the Bay Area and you’re looking for ways to keep your children engaged during the summer, you might want to check out Galileo Summer camp. I first learned about (and wrote about) Galileo last year—their mission is to create a world of fearless, collaborative innovators by offering fun, imagination-sparking programs for kids from pre-K (age 4) through 8th grade. The older kids can do things like choose a week-long “major” (creating a video game, designing a fashion line…), which sounds especially awesome.
Save $30 when you register for Galileo with the code 2014INNOVATION at the sign up page (and/or register for their newsletter for a chance to win a free week of camp).
Because, you know, there are only so many hours Hudson and I can fill trying on sunglasses together.
P.S. My most recent camp experience as an adult: Camp Mighty.
This article is sponsored by Galileo, who works with curriculum partners at Klutz, The de Young Museum, The Tech Museum of Innovation and The Chabot Space & Science Center. Thank you for supporting Hither & Thither. I admire Galileo’s commitment to fostering creativity, and to building confidence in kids.
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