Recess! Media

It’s June, and one day very soon that school bell will ring for the last time, signaling the beginning of summer vacation! Over the past week, I’ve been asking my library patrons to tell me about their favorite summer memories and I’ve collected quite a list. There were stick-ball games, bubble blowing contests, memories of picnics with sack races, neighborhood jump-rope contests, mornings spent swimming, and afternoons wiled away in tree houses. I was a little sorry to hear that none of my patrons remembered curling up with a book over their summer vacations, but let’s face it sunny days beg us to go outside and PLAY! This summer, help your children create wonderful summer memories by logging on to the Internet to explore sites offering great ideas for things to do OUTSIDE!

We’ll start at the Fun Attic, with its lists of different kinds of games. There are ball games, tag games, circle games, and water games and most of the activities require nothing more than what you ve already got at home. Try soccer ball bowling, for example. Arrange 10 empty 2-liter bottles into a triangle, and let that ball roll.

At the Family Play Activity Center, you can search for outdoor activities by age or skill level. Try the various types of relay races, or if you want a quieter afternoon, there are instructions for making a birdbath, writing a nature journal, or taking tree bark rubbings.

At the Oxygen Network s Moms Online area you’ll find a wealth of suggestions to inspire creative outdoor play. One family designed their own miniature golf course in their backyard. When everyone masters the course, they add new features and create a new one! Or if you like, dip a fly swatter into a pan of soapy water and spin around to encircle yourself in a cocoon of bubbles!

Finally, make sure you stop at The Games Kids Play where you will find the rules to games you’ll remember from your childhood. When was the last time you played Capture the Flag, or Red light Green Light?

And after a day of running around you won’t even feel guilty when you hear the lilting jingle of the ice cream truck! Happy summer to you all!