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By Stacy DeBroff
For the days when your child’s energy level runs high, look outdoors for entertainment. Start by doing a little research and begin adding dates to your calendar—movie night on the town common, weekly concerts, local baseball games, pool schedules, and nature programs at a nearby zoo or sanctuary. Find out what your community offers kids and take full advantage of it.
Visit a working farm:
• Strawberries begin ripening in early May, and the berry picking season extends through the entire summer, with blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, among others, widely available both in the wild and on local farms that welcome families to come and pick their own.
• Once you’ve picked the fruit, set aside another day soon after for making jams or jellies, pies, ice cream, fruit-filled pancakes, or some other yummy treat.
• Find a local farm or orchard that offers fruit or vegetable picking. Call ahead to find out about their growing season, and when things ripen. Visit a local farm for do-it-yourself citrus, peach, apple, or pear picking, and take home a peck to can, stew, make into pies or cakes, juice, or just eat plain.
• Look for farms with added features such as an animal petting area, hayrides, a cider press, or winery to tour.
• Fill a backpack with drinks, snacks, sunscreen, and diapers, if you need them, and head to the nearest trail for a hike. Too much trouble? Stay in the neighborhood and explore the shops, houses, and yards around you, or go on a nature walk. Take plenty of time to talk about everything you see, and bring a baggy to collect outdoor treasures: leaves, acorns, rocks, flowers, sticks, stones, fallen birds’ nests, or anything else that captures your child’s imagination.
• If you live near a pond or stream, take your child to throw in pebbles or skip rocks. Save bread to feed the ducks each week, or buy a simple fishing pole and some bait to try fishing. Find out whether you need a permit first. Many rivers and lakes rent canoes and rowboats too.
• Explore your local parks and playgrounds. Make a project of finding your favorites, and give your child the job of testing out every swing, slide, and jungle gym before giving his expert opinion on the best. Bring a ball, kite, or Frisbee along, and have a picnic there.
• Dust off your red wagon, bike, or in-line skates and take a ride. Even a visit to the local convenience store or ice cream shop becomes an adventure if you get there without taking the car. Next time you child has a playdate, bike there with him, or make a regular ritual of heading out right after dinner for a trip around the neighborhood or to stop by at a friend’s house. If you live in a busy neighborhood, look for local bike trails that make cycling safe and easy.
• Check out local farmer’s markets as well as yard sales and flea markets on the weekends.
• Explore area zoos, petting farms, and wildlife sanctuaries.
• If your child enjoys a large range of games and activities, take him to a carnival or fair, or to an amusement or water park.
• Go to the beach, pool, or lake.
• Picnic in a park, or even in your back yard.
• Wet and freeze dishtowels or sponges instead of or in addition to an ice pack, depending on the heat, to use for face wipes and clean ups.
• Use an upside-down vinyl tablecloth as a spread at the park or beach, and leaves, sand, and grass won’t stick to the bottom.
• For the child who likes athletics, take your child to see a ball game or another sporting event, or go miniature golfing, hit some balls at a batting cage, or ride around on go carts.
• If you’re looking for some musical or cinematic entertainment, look for a drive-in movie theatre or attend local concerts.
• Visit the town’s recycling center and/or landfill to begin a conversation about why we recycle.
• In snowy weather, ski, sled, or go cross-country skiing with your baby on your back.