Coach Mom Newsletter - june 2012
Smoothly transitioning
a family into summer can be tricky. The big
change-up in schedules can throw everyone
off, so I have included suggestions to ease
the transition. I have also packed this
issue with a variety of ideas to make this
your most enjoyable and memorable summer
yet!
Communicate
Communicate
your expectations as parents –
bedtime, chores, rules for having friends
sleep over (how many days per week and which
days).
Ask each member to
define how they best rest,
and build it into the schedule. For some it
means enjoying sitting in a quiet room
reading. Others rest better by doing
creative things like building with Legos or
drawing.
Discuss opportunities
to serve together. (See the
list of ideas below.)
Research online to find fun and
inexpensive things to do in your area,
and discuss what most appeals to you.
(Dallas-area families can see the list of
free or under fifteen dollar options below.)
Plan
Schedule
quiet time, independent reading time, and
brain-building time.
Assign children
who are ages nine and up family
dinners to prepare and serve (and
don’t forget clean up). Write it in the
calendar.
Sign up the
children for some camps, but don’t
overdo. Spending the whole summer telling
your kids to hurry and get in the car, then
darting here and there is not a relaxing way
to spend summer.
Think about a
value you would like to emphasize
this summer and plan practical ways to teach
it.
Trade off with another
couple for a get-away weekend,
and take advantage of weekend specials at
local hotels.
Mark your calendar to
register your children online for
school several weeks before it
starts. (This will be one less thing to do
in the fall if your district offers this
option.)
Take Action
Create a paint
station for budding artists or
plant a small garden for children to tend.
Reconfigure
a playroom or redecorate a
child’s bedroom.
Create a handy
place for sunscreen, goggles, and
swim toys.
Serve Together
Draw pictures
and pass them out (along with hugs) at a
nearby assisted living home.
Have a summer
book drive for a local elementary
school.
Pull weeds
for a widow neighbor.
If your children are
older, offer to care for a young
couple’s toddler while they go out
for a quiet dinner.
Clean out closets and
donate nice clothes and goods
to a local shelter.
Give each member of
your family twenty dollars to share with
someone else, then watch and pray
who God would have you bless with
giving.
Bake some
cookies for a minister at your
church to demonstrate your love and
appreciation for him/her.
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Thank you to Neil Lemon
for his post on
http://www.iliveindallas.com/fun-things-to-do-in-dallas.
Below are some excerpts from his post that
will give you ideas for fun things to do in
Dallas this summer:
Take the
Trolley Tour - The M-Line's
air-conditioned and heated trolleys run 365
days a year, providing local transit service
to Dallas' vibrant Uptown Neighborhood. All
rides, except charters, are free. There is a
voluntary fare box, and I'm sure
contributions are welcomed. (Mr. Rogers and
San Francisco don't get to have all the
fun.) Find the trolley schedule online.
Cost: Free (donations accepted)
Digitally Tee
Off - This isn't your grandpa's
driving range. Top Golf is a revolutionary
sports entertainment complex combining games
with great food and an environment you can
enjoy year-round with friends and family of
all skill levels. Top Golf features
computerized microchips in every golf ball
that track your shots’ accuracy and distance
while awarding points for hitting targets
ranging from 20 - 250 yards away. The food
isn't half bad either. Cost: $3.80 a
game 9am-3pm, $5.80 a game 3pm-close
Eat your way
through the Farmer's Market - The
Dallas Farmers Market has been a fixture in
downtown Dallas for six decades. It has
grown into a true Texas treasure as one of
the largest public markets of its type in
the country. Often you can make a meal out
of all the free samples. Cost: Free
Bike on the
Katie Trail - Rent a bike for free
on Thursdays after 7:00pm at Fleetwood
KitKat's near SMU, the only self-proclaimed
Dallas Cruiser Bike Boutique. The Katy Trail
is a 12-foot-wide concrete bike trail and an
8-foot-wide parallel, soft-surface running
path, with several entrances and plazas
linking the Trail to other area parks. It
extends 3.5 miles from Airline Road to the
American Airlines Center. Once completed,
the bike and pedestrian path will link
the Mockingbird DART Station near SMU to the
West End in downtown Dallas. Cost:
Free
Be a Conspiracy
Theorist - Since 1989, The Sixth
Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza has welcomed
more than 6 million visitors from around the
world—people of all ages seeking information
and understanding about the assassination of
President John F. Kennedy on November 22,
1963. Did you know that the infamous window
from which Oswald shot Kennedy sold on eBay
for more than a million dollars? I've heard
that the "X" on the street moves every year.
How's that for a conspiracy? Check out the
plaza and the museum and judge for yourself.
Cost: $13.50 per person
Go Mural &
Statue Gazing - Deep Ellum is a
hotbed for graffiti. Many of the music
venues use graffiti artists to advertise
music shows. In the late 1980s, the city
allowed a number of local artists to paint
the walls of the Good Latimer Expressway
tunnel. The tunnel was demolished in
spring 2007 to make way for the DART Green
Line train. Since then, more projects have
been developed to restore the area’s
longstanding artistic legacy such as the
Traveling Man Series. Cost: Free
Commune with
Dog Lovers - Check out Deep Ellum’s
Bark Park or Unleashed, the indoor dog park,
and meet other dog lovers. Some dog parks
are more popular than others, but they can
be found all over the city. Cost: Free, and
$7.50 a dog
Appreciate art
at Nasher Sculpture Center - The
birth and growth of the Raymond and Patsy
Nasher Collection started more than fifty
years ago. In 1950, Raymond and Patsy
traveled to Mexico, where they became
interested in pre-Columbian art and bought
the first works in what would become a
sizable collection of objects from ancient
Latin America. Old classic movies based on
American novels are regularly shown at the
Center on Thursday nights. Free. Cost:
Regularly $10, Movie nights are free
Get a Bird's
Eye View of the City - Reunion
Tower, or the "Big Ball," is synonymous with
the Dallas skyline, appearing on tee shirts
and coffee cups. It offers a view from 500
feet above the ground. There is a restaurant
at the top, but you don't have to eat
dinner. Just order Cokes from the bar and
enjoy the view. Cost: Free
Acquire Bow
Hunting Skills - Texins* Archery
Club (*correct spelling) offers group
lessons and yearly memberships to their
archery range. They'll hook you up with a
compound bow or, if you're feeling medieval,
a classic straight bow. Classes are held
each Wednesday 6-7 pm (except holidays), no
reservations needed for groups under 10
people, minimum age 8 years. Cost: $10
for gen. public, $5 for members
To see ten more ideas,
see Brenna’s latest blog post -
20 Fun Things to Do in Dallas.
Not in the Dallas area?
Google search "Free Family Fun [your
city/area]" and share ideas in the comments
on Brenna's post. Be sure to include the
city/area, so other readers in that area can
share in the fun!
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Thanks to Jamie and
Lisa for sharing these tips on helping kids
transition into summertime smoothly!
My oldest always has a
hard time with change. So, the beginning and
end of the school year is always hard for
us. I have a big dry erase calendar that I
hang on the wall during these times. I put
everything on the calendar that is coming up
so he knows what to expect. And, it gives
him something fun to look forward to. He can
see it, and he can see that it is coming and
it makes him more relaxed and able to enjoy
himself. – Jamie Trisler
I enroll my youngest in
summer camps that are fun for him (mainly
sports camps) that start fairly early in the
morning. This helps him stay on schedule
with waking up at a normal time and keeps me
motivated to get all my work stuff done
while he is gone that way when he returns
home I'm ready to have fun with him for the
rest of the day. – Lisa Perry
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