by Laura Falin posted in Parenting

I always start out so excited for summer vacation. No schedules, no needing to get everyone out the door to school on time, plenty of relaxing and spending time with the kids.
But then I descend pretty quickly into guilt. I want to do things with my kids. I don't want them spending too much time indoors on screens. At the same time, it takes so much work to be constantly planning and doing things.
I like taking them hiking but it requires a lot of energy -- and probably twice as much for the parents as the kids. I like doing creative things with them, but I have to have the foresight to have all the materials ahead of time. Otherwise, I end up piling everyone in the car and heading to the craft store to buy supplies and by the time we get back, everyone's cranky and no one has the energy to actually do the project. Over the years, I've developed a few shortcuts to make things easier on all of us. We usually alternate days. One day will be a high energy park or hiking or pool day, and one day will be low key creative time at home. I've gotten to know the splash parks and other fun places that are set up the best for our family, where I know I can watch the kids without running myself ragged. I've started grabbing craft supplies like markers and paints and paper when I find it on sale throughout the year, and I stash some of those away for our creative days at home.
I also have a short list of easy activities that don't require any fancy ...