6 Tips To ACE Summer Camp Season
School is now out and summer is officially on! Kids and moms alike are bracing for yet another yearly transition - that big change in routines that we all experience when school life turns into camp life. For us moms, something flips. Many of us stop making school lunches and instead, have to worry about packing enough bathing suits, hats and sunscreen to keep up with our kids' off-the-hook levels of summertime activity. Many of us embrace empty nests and a strange feeling of freedom as our children head off to overnight camp. And all of us, in one way or another, feel a tinge or a lot of stress.
Afterall, we are all creatures of habit. Summertime takes that safe feeling that the school year brings, puts it on a canoe and sends it off to the lake. In other words, it turns our sense of security right on its head!
So how can we return the feeling of zen to this short but precious season?
We have teamed up with Mabel's Labels and Chapters Indigo to share with you six tips that we think, will help you ace this summer!
1. CHOOSE TO ONE-STOP SHOP: Shopping for summer camp can be a headache - not to mention how many days it can take to find all the supplies in your kids' packing lists! Find a store where you can tick off the majority of those items with a single visit or online shop. Like Indigo Kids! Online and in-store, they carry backpacks, kids' towels, water bottles, sunglasses, sun hats, swim goggles and more. This summer, convenience reigns supreme.
2. GET SERIOUS ABOUT SERIES: Buying books for your children is a great way to help them keep up with and grow their literacy skills throughout the summer. But for school-aged kids, having access to a book-series can ensure that they stay hooked to reading throughout. If you read all the Harry Potter books when you were younger you know it . There is nothing like a series to keep you coming back for more. Our children love the American Girl and Camp X series.
3. TAKE TECH OUTDOORS: For some reason, when we think of technology we immediately associate it with screen time and passive, indoor play. Lucky for this generation, technology can help them enhance their outdoors experiences! Take a pocket-sized telescope/microscope combination, or funky binoculars to make any hike a lot more exciting. You can also take reading time outdoors with a story-book projector OR capture instant memories with a retro, Instax camera. Speaking of retro, you can also pick up a pair of next-gen walkie-talkies. Good luck getting your kids back indoors!
4. YOU'RE RAISING READERS, BUT YOU'RE ALSO RAISING WRITERS: If you've sent your kids to camp, you probably know that most of them do no allow for screens. And going back to basics can be so much fun! When children are avid readers, they also pick up the potential to become avid writers. Summertime provides the perfect time for them to document new experiences, friendships, feelings and yes- even crushes! Why not encourage their creativity with fun stationery to get those juices flowing? Our children (both girls and boys) are obsessed with flip journals and colourful pens and thin-tip markers! They also love the fun and functional designs of Yoobi kids' stationery! We have a feeling that we'll ALL be stocking up on this brand, exclusive to Indigo in Canada, way into the school year!
5. LABEL EVERYTHING: How many sun hats did you have to replace last summer? If you're anything like us, you had to run to the store a couple times! Minimize the risk of shoes, lunch boxes, clothes, towels and anything else getting lost by ditching the permanent marker and putting a durable label on everything instead. Mabel's Labels offers the widest selection of name labels in the market. They are machine washable and dishwasher safe- and once you order them, they're ready in just a few days. Your kids will love seeing their names on stickers and you'll avoid having to rummage through summer camp lost-and-found bins. Enough said.
6. STOCK UP ON KIDS' ID BRACELETS: There's nothing more terrifying than happily cavorting
with your family at a music festival or amusement park, to suddenly turn around and notice that one of your children is MIA. Luckily, the team at Mabel's Labels came up with a genius #MomHack to keep your kids safe and sound in large crowds. Their Safety I.D. Bracelets come in adorable designs and allow you to print our your family name and phone numbers of parents or caregivers. If your little finds herself hugging a stranger's leg, a simple glance at the bracelet will help return them to you quickly.
Can you already breathe a LOT easier?
We hope these tips will help you enjoy the gorgeous summer weather and return some well deserved relaxation to the season.
Do you have any tips of your own you'd like to share with the #Momjo community? Drop your comments below and don't forget to WATCH our video with all the hacks and products listed above:
