Tick Tock Escape Games in Overland Park, KS

I can't say enough good things about our experience at Tick Tock Escape Games in Overland Park, KS. When they contacted me to see I'd like to come try it out for free in exchange for a review blog post back in the summer of 2017, I was intrigued. My son Michael had been to an escape room once and loved it and he was excited to try another one. He loved Tick Tock so much that his 15th birthday is coming up and he specifically asked to go back to Tick Tock and take 4 friends and his dad!

I really didn't know what to expect, and of course I can't share much because you have to figure out each room on your own! We took our three oldest kids and left the two youngest with our friend and her kids. The kids we took were then 16, 14 and 12.

When we got there, we were given instructions about how to get through the escape room situation. 
We were in a room with cool music and retro clues, so I was in trivia heaven. My husband didn't grow up watching a lot of TV, so I was super helpful in that area. However, that's about where it ended. Everybody worked together and we did so well we only missed the one-hour time limit by a couple of minutes. It was so great as a mom to watch my kids work as a team and come up with some smart ideas of things to try and they figured out so many of the clues! I went into the experience thinking my husband and I would have to carry the whole deal, but the kids were amazing!

They had a blast and wanted to do it again immediately. I texted my dad right away and told him he needed to do the same room I had just done, and he needed to do it with his brothers sometime soon. Fantastic workplace team-building opportunity. Great for birthdays, a double date, family or friend fun.

(I had written this post but not published it. In creating a list of enrichment activities for homeschoolers on my homeschooling blog, I remembered this escape room and added it to the list!)

Mastering Defensive Driving: A Key Advantage of Driving Lessons

 

Key Takeaways:

• Driving lessons provide comprehensive training in defensive driving techniques.
• Learners gain enhanced awareness and the ability to anticipate road hazards.
• Mastering defensive driving can lead to reduced insurance premiums and prevent costly accidents.
• Structured lessons can solidify lifelong safe driving habits.

Table of Contents:

• Defensive Driving Defined
• The Role of Driving Lessons in Developing Defensive Skills
• Anticipating and Responding to Road Hazards
• Benefits Beyond Safety: Insurance and Financial Advantages
• The Psychological Aspect of Defensive Driving
• Refreshing Your Defensive Driving Skills
• Conclusion

Defensive driving is an essential skill that keeps drivers safe by anticipating potential hazards and responding proactively to avoid accidents. Formal driving lessons are among the most effective ways to master this critical skill set. This article will explore the advantages of learning defensive driving through professional instruction, including increased safety, reduced risk of accidents, and long-term financial benefits. Let's navigate the critical takeaways of mastering defensive driving as a pivotal advantage of structured driving lessons.

Maximizing Value: A Guide to Buying Pre-Owned Vehicles

 

Key Takeaways:

• Appreciating the economic and practical perks of pre-owned vehicles.
• Detailed checkpoints for thorough evaluation and inspection of used cars.
• An aggregation of resources and current trends for the astute used car buyer.

Table of Contents:

1. Understanding the Benefits of Pre-Owned Vehicles
2. Evaluating a Vehicle's History
3. Inspecting a Pre-Owned Vehicle
4. Going for a Test Drive
5. Negotiation Strategies
6. Finalizing the Purchase
7. Considerations for Vehicle Maintenance
8. Finding the Right Insurance for Your Pre-Owned Vehicle
9. Resources for Used Car Buyers
10. Future Trends in the Pre-Owned Vehicle Market

As we embark on this journey, let us steer towards unleashing the hidden potential of used vehicles, unraveling the threads woven by suspicions and myths that cloud the pre-owned market. From the outside, these mechanical steeds might bear the patina of prior journeys, yet within them, thrum engines of opportunity, promising fiscal prudence and the sweet savor of savvy negotiation. What awaits is a guide and a navigational tool to pilot you through the considerations, tactics, and resources that will ensure your voyage through the tumultuous waves of vehicle acquisition culminates in triumph.

POGO Pass for 50% Off!!!

Here's what I know:

This is an AMAZING GIFT for your own family, another family, anyone who is new to the area, grandchildren, and newlyweds. 

This is not just for kids!

Kids older than 12 often count as adults and the price of things goes up, but with POGO Pass, it's just one redemption no matter the age of the person using it. 

The app makes it so easy to keep track of everything you've already done!

Here's how to buy one if you're ready to roll. $44.99 + tax through my site instead of $99.98 + tax just by going to my link!

Head over here to see how much all the current Kansas City Pogo Pass venues would cost WITHOUT a Pogo Pass.

How to Boost Your Teen’s Self-Esteem

Things are hard for teenagers. They worry about how they look, how well they do in school, their friends, social media, sports, not disappointing their families, their relationships, and a lot more.

As a parent, you want your child to do as well as possible, especially in terms of how they see themselves and how much they value themselves. You want your child to grow up to be a self-confident, responsible adult who does well in all parts of her or his development. This may be the most important thing you want for your child. But this is not always easy to do. Teenagers often struggle to be accepted by both the outside world and themselves. Parents can help their teens develop a sense of who they are in a very important way. Some parents find that an alternative setting to their normal school can be helpful but it is important to do your research first, for example by looking at Alpine Academy Utah complaints so that you can work through them with your teen. 

Here are a few things you can do to help your teen develop these traits:

Dealing With Gestational Diabetes in Pregnancy

Right, Joel at his 16th birthday party in 2017, giving his brother Michael a big hug. When I was pregnant with him I had gestational diabetes. I did not have it again with any of my following four pregnancies. I was scheduled to be induced with Joel but went into labor naturally the night before.

Gestational diabetes is incredibly common in the United States, affecting around 16% of all pregnant mothers. Contrary to popular belief, this condition isn’t necessarily born out of a poor diet or being overweight. Statistics show that only around half of affected women carry excess pounds, with many being predisposed to diabetes because of genetics, age or other factors.

Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes can be upsetting, but it’s important to remember that while it should be taken seriously, this condition is entirely treatable. Here are four tips to help you get through your diagnosis and ensure a healthy, happy pregnancy.

5 Tips for Navigating Your College Career

 Navigating college can be tricky, especially if it's your first time doing so. Don't worry — there are plenty of ways to make your academic career easier and more enjoyable. Here are five tips for getting through school.

Change Your Major If You Want To

You might start college thinking you want to pursue a certain career, but you could change your mind at any time. That's okay! If you're no longer happy with your major or want to try something different, go for it. College is a tool to help you prepare for the future, so change your major a hundred times if that's what it takes to find something you love. Talk to your academic advisor to learn about your options.

How to Choose the Right College

 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Are you getting ready to go to college? If so, you have probably realized that there are plenty of great schools out there. It can be difficult for you to decide what college to go to, and there is nothing wrong with taking your time and making this decision. For example, you need to think about the quality of the university’s leadership, as James F. Mellichamp is a prominent leader. At the same time, there are numerous other factors you need to think about as well. What are some of the most important things you need to think about when you are trying to find the right college to meet your needs?

Consider the Size of the Program

One of the first things you need to think about is the size of the program. How big of a school are you looking for? There are plenty of colleges and universities out there that have fewer than 1,000 students. On the other hand, there are also major universities that have tens of thousands of students. What size school is right for you? Do you want to get to know just about everybody on campus? Or, do you want to go to a school where there are always new people to meet? How big do you want your classes to be? All of this is important when you are trying to decide what college is right for you.

75 (and Counting) Clean Movies with Minimal Sex/Nudity (updated regularly)

*"Clean" means different things to different people. My kids are 12 and up, so violence and cussing are not things I worry about as much as others might need to. It's the visual sex and the messages sent that I am now trying to watch out for. Definitely watch out for some of the PG-13 movies and make sure to read what others have posted.

I have to admit, we have watched some questionable movies. Sometimes we'll put on a movie for the family that we enjoyed once (pre-kids), and then we realize ... "Oh wow, I forgot about that inappropriate part." (examples: why does the guy have to be naked at the start of Die Hard 2, and why does there have to be a poster of a naked woman on the wall as Bruce Willis walks by in Die Hard?)

But it's never too late to turn things around! A quick trip to the IMDb website parent guide, which my best friend told me about now solves all that. (just go to IMDb site and search for the movie or show title, then scroll down to Parents Guide) If something is rated R, don't freak out. Sometimes movies are rated R for something like smoking ;-)

It goes further than Common Sense Media in that it explains specific instances and scenes. I'm okay with most language (hate when God's name is taken in vain though), and some violence is fine, but the sexual stuff that's inserted even in kid movies is just so unnecessary! There's a section at the top called Sex and Nudity and it shows instances and describes them so you can make an informed decision about watching the movie or not.

BONUS: Many of these movies are based on true stories and count as educational history!

Check out this list of movies, vetted by my girlfriend for her family of 7 boys and 2 girls 😀 plus a few of my own. And PLEASE leave your ideas in the Comments section or email them to me at mommykerrie@yahoo.com so I can check them out and add them!

All the Marvel movies (except for the Iron Man movies)

Captain Phillips

Courageous

Dunkirk

Godzilla movies (newer ones, 1998 and 2014)

Goosebumps

Hunger Games series (four movies)

In the Heart of the Sea

Inception

Interstellar

Lincoln

Night at the Museum (and 2 sequels) — We've seen this many times and I didn't realize how clean it was! Sam requested it for his 12th-birthday night movie after his homemade sushi dinner. 

Pacific Rim and sequel

Pursuit of Happyness

          Quiet Place 1 and 2 

Source Code

The Bourne Identity (and sequels)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (we read the book first as a family for homeschooling, then watched the movie ... be prepared to be depressed afterward)

The Eagle

The Giver

The Greatest Showman (one of our family's favorites!)

The Impossible

The Maze Runner

There be Dragons

True Grit (the newer one)

Vantage Point

Walk the Line (Johnny Cash)

My Family's Recommendations (movies we have seen or want to see again or for the first time):

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Because of Winn-Dixie Just started this book with 12-year-old Sam (November 2021), then we'll watch the movie.

Cast Away (male butt cheek)

Cheaper by the Dozen (how could I forget this one?!) but NOT the second one

Chef (read the sex/nudity stuff before watching with your kids, depending on their ages)

Cinderella Man

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Evan Almighty

Good Will Hunting

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Little Women (2019) We've read the Junior Classics version of this book, and need to watch the movie!

McFarland USA (it says 7 instances, but one instance says "there is absolutely no sex or nudity" and then it goes on to talk about things like a married couple kissing or a brief shot of a shirtless man, so you do need to read it!)

Me Before You (fantastic date night at home movie, but the message about self-euthanasia is something to watch out for and discuss)

Moneyball

RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) (my aunt recommended this one forever ago, so I recently checked it out and was shocked that it had zero sex/nudity and only 1 instance of profanity) (Update: if anyone in your household is triggered by being tied up or women with duct tape on their mouth and a bit of cleavage showing at the same time, skip this one. Keep an eye on the "violence" category in IMDB as well, because something like this was not in the "sex/nudity" category and also I didn't realize that people just like you and I are the ones leaving these notes.)

The Princess Diaries (2001) *Cheerleaders and bathing suits at a beach party*

That Thing You Do

The Terminal

Twister (I was typing up some Science stuff for homeschooling and this movie came into my mind, so I looked it up and it's clean!)

Wall-E

Walt before Mickey

Yes Day

Recommendations Found Online:

A Boy Called Po

A Little Game

All is Lost

Arrival

August Rush

Cool Runnings

Finding Neverland

Glengarry Glen Ross

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

Heart of the Country

High Strung

Locke

Major Payne

Martian Child

Mr. Church

National Treasure (cleavage)

Storm Rider

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Intouchables (subtitles)

The King's Speech

The Truman Show

Waffle Street

Your Recommendations: 

Have seen but won't watch again with the kids:

Bedtime Stories (or anything by Adam Sandler, sadly)

Pixels

Image by Devon Breen from Pixabay 

Burnout in Students: Spotting the Signs and Avoiding the Dangers

 

Pixabay (CC0 Licence)

We sometimes forget it as adults, but being a child is hard. It’s easy to look at the life kids have, or the one you had when you were younger, and think that you’d trade places in a heartbeat, but don’t forget - you have years’ worth of knowledge and experience that means you can see their problems as being minor. They are facing those problems for the first time, and it’s scary. So while a grown-up may hear of kids or teens experiencing burnout and react with cynicism, it’s important to recognize that it’s a real problem - and to know how to handle it.

What is burnout?

In the simplest sense, burnout is a form of acute exhaustion that results from excessive levels of demand placed on a person. In a younger person, this will most often be related to education and is particularly common around the time of exams and college applications.

What does burnout look like in a child or teen?

As the explanation above states, burnout is a form of exhaustion, primarily emotional, and if you are looking for warning signs then the most recognizable one will be a child who is more than usually withdrawn around the time of specific educational milestones. The signs are often analogous to depression and anxiety - so a lack of motivation in the things that they are normally enthusiastic about is a common sign, as are mood swings and tension.

Who is most likely to experience burnout?

Burnout can affect anyone; it is a particularly situational condition, so it is more a case of “when” and “how” than “who.” However, it is fair to say that kids who are educationally driven are more at risk. Teachers working for Teach for America might be particularly likely to see signs in kids who are particularly gifted and who feel they have to succeed for the sake of their families. In more exclusive schools, it may be particularly prominent in kids with high-achieving siblings or parents.

What can you do to prevent burnout?

Kids who are prone to burnout, and who show early signs of it such as excessive tiredness, loss of focus, or reporting physical ailments, need to be treated with care. Commonly, they will be subjecting themselves to excess pressure out of a desire to please adults who have high expectations of them - so make it clear that grades are not the be-all and end-all. Also, try to communicate to them that too much work can actually detrimentally affect their results, so scheduling in some relaxation, self-care, and simple fun is essential.

What should you do if it’s already gone too far?

While it is important to recognize that adolescent stresses are every bit as real as adult ones, there is a benefit to the younger age of kids with burnout. If the condition hits and affects them at school or at home, the fact is that they are still young, and they have plenty more chances to get things right. This can mean sitting make-up tests or doing other work for extra credit, or it can simply mean impressing upon them what’s really important - which is that a balanced, healthy life will always matter more than grades, and success in life comes from more than educational attainment.

Burnout can affect anyone at any age, and it’s essential to take the signs seriously. Try to keep kids focused on realistic goals and don’t let them define their entire lives by test scores.

#WorldsofFun — the Perfect Family/Fun Day! Find Your Amazing!

So I initially titled this post "Perfect Summer Day" ... but we've been to WinterFest and it was a Perfect Winter Evening. How about The Haunt? That would be a Perfect Autumn Evening! Carnivale? The Perfect Summer Night! We are so fortunate to have Worlds of Fun here in Kansas City, and it's no wonder people come from all over the country in all seasons and in all types of weather to enjoy it!

All photographs you see in this post that are of my family on a ride were taken while others were still loading onto the rides. We did NOT take any photos while a ride was being operated. You are not allowed to do this, and we did not do it!

*I need to start by sharing how great the Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun park app is. It stored all of our tickets and passes, including meal and drink passes. It showed wait times of rides and had a map of the park. It also made it quick and easy to get into the park.

Should Parents Care About What Their Kids Are Doing Online?

 When it comes to technology, there is often an asymmetry between what parents and kids know. 

Being older, parents are much less likely to be the first to hop on the latest apps, while children tend to use them much earlier. And that means that adults usually only discover the dangers of various platforms well after their kids have begun using them. 

Pexels - CC0 License

The reasons for this are sociological. For kids, social status is everything. They want to be the most popular person in school. And modern technology provides a route for doing just that. Kids are jumping on whatever platforms they can so that they don’t miss out. 

These developments, however, are worrying for parents. Many simply can’t keep up with the changing online environment. And the vast majority have no control over the type of content that their kids view. 

The strangest part of the entire process is how the digital world is fragmenting identities. Teenagers can often wind up with multiple personas, depending on the platforms that they use. That’s leading to a range of unexpected behaviors that parents might struggle to manage. 

For parents, concerns usually fall into the following categories: 

• Reputational: Parents are concerned about how their children’s behavior will affect their prospects in the future. They already know that many companies trawl people’s social media accounts, looking for more information on the type of person they are. If they find something they don’t like, they’ll flat it up, potentially denying that person a job.

• Criminal: Enticing a minor by computer might be illegal, but that doesn’t stop thousands of people from trying to do it every year. Parents worry that criminals will use new apps and platforms to hoodwink their kids into meeting up with them. 

• Search risk: Once something is on the internet, it appears to stay there for life. Thus, once you say something, it can potentially follow you around for decades to come, potentially impacting everything you do in the future. 

In general, parents understand the risks that the internet poses. Things hang around for a long time, anything you post is highly visible, and messages can often go viral. We’ve seen dozens of examples of young people’s lives being destroyed by mistakes that they made online, and we don’t want it to happen to our own offspring. 

Pexels - CC0 License

The good news is that most teenagers are managing all of this rather well. Most understand the risks of posting with reckless abandon. They know that it’ll likely follow them around for years to come if they do something controversial. And it could land them in serious trouble at their school. 

If they do post something contentious, they need to go into it with a full understanding of the drawbacks. Sometimes they might want to say something they think is true but other people will not like. 

Parents need to bear this in mind too. The internet is a forum to act disgracefully and heroically. And young people need the opportunity to do both when exploring their characters. 

Living History

 

Image by Tim Hill from Pixabay 

If you’ve ever tried to interest teenagers in exploring a school subject on a day off from school, you know it can be harder than trying to pry their phones out of their hands. That said, adults shouldn’t give up trying to engage our youth in the world around them. Whether taking kids to plays to experience literature in action, encouraging math skills through music, getting hands-on with science or trying to make history come alive, we need to ensure that our children understand that their school subjects translate to their everyday lives. For so many of us, history is a subject which bored us when we were in school. Consequently, it’s hard for us to get excited about it and harder still to make that excitement contagious to our offspring.

Museums

Remember the boring museum tours of your school field trips? They’re history – no pun intended. Consider a hands-on museum for your extracurricular activity. You can work on a replica 17^th century schooner after practicing the skills you’ll need in their visitor’s center. When you visit holocaust museum, you help youth learn compassion and empathy through the testimonies of those who suffered. Some learning centers combine history and science by letting kids explore a paleontology dig or walk through the scientific discovery process of the light bulb or a Tesla coil.

Outdoor Spaces

Battlefields look boring unless you’re looking through the lens of history. Acres of grass, some trees and a fence or two aren’t interesting unless you have a tour guide who can help you envision what happened in that space. Live or pre-recorded tours are available at most sites these days. You could also immerse yourself in a specific time period through a living history museum complete with period costume, manners and speech.

With a little help, both you and the kids in your life can spark your imagination and interest in history.

Make Memories with Your Kids!!!!

 It is a Friday in September. 

Homeschooling during coronavirus is going better than most years and we have a rhythm going and I don't want to interrupt it. Just kidding. We are like 2 weeks in and already a little bit "behind."

It is kinda chilly. Maybe rain is coming.

It isn't my husband's Friday off, so he can't come with us, but it had to be THIS DAY ONLY (you know when your schedule is so full as a parent and there is NO OTHER DAY to do something?).

We already had the budget done and I forgot to put this as a line item (when we go to this place like once a year, we have to eat at a heavenly spot called Burrito King). What if we could not live without something from The General Store or The Nature Center Shop?

I am swamped with proofreading projects.

The Rona is rampant on the college campus, where we are heading to see Julia, who lived with us for five months this year.

My wonderful and talented husband had the big van torn up, working on the timing system, so the 6 of us will cram into the truck and drive an hour each way.

My daughter has a sleepover later today to be dropped off at, so also crammed in the truck with 6 decent-sized people would be a pillow, blanket and suitcase. Oh, and the plans changed as far as drop-off time turning into LATER, so I had to pivot.

It's the time of the Rona, and unexpected things happen, which sometimes make me nervous, but mostly make me surly. I don't like to be surly. For instance, we are going to avoid the Natural History Museum this time because of all the mask stuff (the potential for workers and volunteers to bark at us for having them below our nose or whatever). I'm not getting into a debate about masks with anyone, but just know that I do not want to kill anyone with my germy breath, but we are not pro-mask for various reasons that I will not go into here (although, hey, I do have a pretty good platform for a blog post on that someday). That is all.

I've done this a lot over the years, where I waffled on going somewhere, packing up all the diapers, snacks, juice pouches and sippie cups, keep a trash bag in the car at all times, stop by the side of the highway to nurse a baby or toddler. There were other things we needed to be doing, other things we wanted to be doing, but we did this thing anyway.

You know what? My kids are now 10, 12, 15, 17, and 19, and the things they talk about fondly are some of those very things I had to force myself out of the house to do.

Loading up a bunch of bikes and snacks and sunscreen and waters back at the end of March for eight people and taking two vehicles to drive 30-plus minutes to ride one of the most beautiful trails in the city was a pain. Especially since the entire world had our same idea because there was nowhere else to go but OUTSIDE back in the spring of 2020 so even finding parking at the parks was difficult. But we did it ... twice. And the kids still talk about it fondly. We will probably do it again next year.

So there are a bunch of reasons why I wanted to just cancel today. Just forget it. Let's try another day (although we'd been doing that for a year and it never worked out).

Be we are going anyway. Because there is never a PERFECT DAY. There is today. So just jump. Just go.

Come back for an update on our day!

Fun Ways to Spend Your Summer Vacation

 

Callie at the new shave ice place in town

While it is nice to have a break during the summer months, it can be monotonous to stay busy and active. If you are wondering how you can make for a fun summer bucket list, you have come to the right place. Here are a few ideas that can bring you the summer of your dreams.

Travel When You Can

You don't have to spend a fortune to have a summer full of travel by booking ahead earlier in the year. This way, you can find deals when they are hot. It may be more time consuming to be checking flights and travel websites so frequently, but it will be worth your while when it is time to enjoy your trips.

Stay Active

Not only is it good for your health to stay active, but it can also be a fun time if you are creative. Winning a few golf tournament trophies (and maybe some prize money, too) or joining a softball league is a great way to get some steps in and enjoy some time with friends and family. If none of these things sound appealing, you may be surprised by how going for a daily walk can improve your mood.

Appreciate the Little Things

Taking the time to appreciate the little things like a rainbow after a storm or a nice dinner with loved ones is a fabulous way to make the best out of the warmer months. Sometimes, all you need is a weekend snuggled on the couch, watching your favorite show to feel re-energized and ready to tackle anything.

There is no one size fit all instruction manual to the perfect summer, but you can always try out a few different things to see if anything sticks. Above all else, taking the time to relish in the warm weather will mean a much more productive school year.

How to Teach Teens About Smart Money Moves

 

https://unsplash.com/photos/6WXbPWhT8c8

The first time your kids earn their very own money, their first instinct is to rush out and spend it on fast food, candy, the latest video game, or maybe a new pair of shoes that they need before school starts. However, while it’s fine for them to treat themselves, this isn’t a habit they should get into, so it’s vital to teach your teenagers how to make smart money moves. 

Give Them a Budget 

Budgets may not be fun, but they are something that everyone should get used to if they want to manage their money effectively. It can be challenging to set a budget later in life, so it’s useful to teach your kids how to budget while they are first starting their learning journey. Have them outline what they can earn and what they need to pay each month to determine how much fun money they have, which will aid them once they start paying for things like rent, utilities, and weekly grocery shopping. 

Help Them Develop Savings

Similarly, it’s important to teach them how to save money. This is arguably the most difficult part of learning to manage money, and kids will see the nice big number in their account and feel a sting of disappointment when they transfer it to a savings account. However, these savings are vital for offering some stability and security. They can help pay for emergencies, or your kids can use them to treat themselves after several months of sensible saving. Rather than deposit the money manually, encourage them to use automatic transfers, so they won’t even need to see the money leave their account. 

Warn Them About Credit Cards 

Credit cards can be useful, and there is nothing wrong with having one. However, many kids fall victim to the shadow of credit card debt, especially as they often do not get the education required to prevent reckless spending and a total misunderstanding of why it is so important to pay the balance off. Furthermore, the banks can be predatory for this type of spending, and DTSS shines the light on banker’s scam agenda, which can severely impact your child’s life before it gets started. While it’s okay for your kids to have a credit card, make sure to warn them about the potential hazards, such as interest and defaulting on payments.

Be a Good Example

Your kids will look to you for inspiration on how to manage their money, and one of the best ways you can teach them how to be smart with their finances is to be a positive role model. If you are frivolous with your spending, they will think this is normal behavior. So, while you may want to treat yourself often, you must practice what you preach and show discipline. 

Get Them Ready 

Being good with money is not something that comes naturally. It takes training and discipline. Because of this, you can’t expect your kids to be good with money immediately, and they will need to learn a few lessons about how to manage their money. They shouldn’t have to do this alone, though, and you can support them along the way to ensure they can handle their finances with confidence. 

Easy Ways To Keep The Kids Entertained This Summer

Now that summer has arrived, parents are faced with the summer holidays. It can sometimes be
challenging to know how to keep the kids busy through the summer. You don’t want to risk not
organising anything, by the time the end of the summer arrives, you’ll be sure to be pulling your
hair out. 

Photo by Mac DeStroir from Pexels

Things of things to do, however, doesn’t have to mean you are going out and about. You can stay at
home and have just as much fun. Parents often get confused into thinking they need to go out all the
time and fill the summer with expensive activities; this isn’t the case. 

If you’re finding it hard to think of some ways to keep the kids entertained this summer, have a look at
some of the ideas below: 

Out And About 

Ok, so we will start with a few days out, but inexpensive ideas. There is a load of fun activities that
you can get involved with over the summer when the weather is perfect.

Visit The Beach -  A trip to the beach is often a great success for the kids. It’s something that the
whole family can get involved with, with water sports, sandcastle competitions, picnics, and much
more the beach is a winning, cheap day out for the whole family. 

Theme Parks - You may think that this is an expensive option; however, if you shop around and find
coupons, you can often find a great deal for these kinds of days out. 

A Trip To A Park - Whether you choose a play park or a national park, they are both brilliant. Ride
your bikes, playing ball games, have a picnic, relax in the summer sun, or enjoy a box of
pretzels delivered (order them in advance).

There is plenty that a park can offer you and the kids, and it’s a popular go-to for many parents in
the summer holidays. 

Days In 

Days in can be just as entertaining as days out in the summer. They are also a great way to keep
the costs down if you have spent some savings on trips or week away already. Being at home also
enables your children to free play and choose some activities they would like to do in their own space. 

Home Cinema - An enjoyable day at home is a home cinema. Recreate a cinema feeling in your
lounge. Pick out some favourite movies and munch on some hotdogs and popcorn. You could even
set the living room up as a den that surrounds the TV with comfy seating and blankets. 

Back Yard Camping - Who said you have to travel to camp? Camping in the back yard can be a
brilliant way to introduce your kids to nature without worrying if they’ll enjoy it, they will automatically
feel safer because they are in their back yard. Why not go the whole way and create a mini-camp
site complete with a seating area, fake fire (or real under supervision), lanterns, and chairs. 

These ideas should get the creative juices flowing and give you a good starting position with
your summer holiday plans. Is there anything that you are planning for this summer? Please
share your ideas in the comments below.