Curious Parents Youth & The Arts Resources

Learning and Togetherness this Summer
Publisher's Note

School’s over, sports are done and all the extracurricular activities are on hold until the frenzied fall restart.  Free time – that’s what summer’s all about.  Free time is when childhood memories are formed, relationships strengthened and passion for learning is ignited.  One of my favorite moments with my son Edison was when he picked up a long willow branch on a walk one day and he explained how we could make it into an archer’s bow.  He described the different kinds of bow, what wood species had the best strength and flexibility and brainstormed materials for the bowstring.  That night at dinner, he and his brother demonstrated four or five bows they made later that afternoon, inspired by the stick and conversation on our walk.

With a little initiative and creativity, parents can conduct summertime family outings that create real connection with their children and introduce the whole family to learning and exploration.  Our region is packed with destinations and activities for summertime adventures and day trips.  You don’t have to go overboard either.  Some excursions might be day trips or even last a whole weekend, but you can fit a great experience into a few hours if you need to fit it in between other commitments or don’t want to travel far. 

Ask your children what they’d like to do and where they’d like to go this summer.  Take inventory of their special interests and abilities that you’ve noticed this year.  Identify some ideas that would take your kids and family completely out of their element to stretch their imagination and introduce them to something completely new.  (I took my son Newton and some of his ice hockey friends on a trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum expecting a lot of groaning and a very short visit, but they were so intrigued by the armory that they demanded to see the other exhibits and it turned out to be an all day visit). Combine your ideas into a list of places and activities that you’d like to visit this summer.  Plan some of them for specific dates, but leave some on the list as ideas for those moments where you want to be spontaneous and need an idea for something to do.  Make sure some are good for rainy days.

Include some culture – visit an art museum, gallery or do a pottery project together.  Visit a nature preserve, take a bicycle ride or hike and identify the rocks, minerals, identify the different species of trees and discuss the topography of the area.  Visit a museum or battlefield and have them take it in visually, then close their eyes and imagine they were there while the history was happening.  Go to an amusement park and discuss how the rides work, what g forces are the effects the rides have on their bodies and perceptions.  Visit a zoo or aquarium and play the animal game – someone thinks of an animal and the rest of the family has to guess which it is by asking questions.  Our Summer Fun section is a good place to start for ideas and don’t forget to call in for your Summer Fun Pass to get discounts for kids and families.

While you’re out with your family, keep the pace slow – wander and meander – let it take you rather than rushing through the whole map to see it all.  Let your kids lead, watch and observe and ease into those moments where they ask questions and engage you in the conversations and connections that you’ll cherish and they’ll tell your grandchildren about.

Have a great summer together.

John Piccone is the publisher of Curious Parents