Kori touched on something in “Summer and the Single Parent” that I think needs to have more information added to it. She of course mentioned tapping you support system in the summer, which I completely agree with. She also mentioned community. Community to me is important, though it isn’t important for everyone in my community, nor is it important to a lot of communities now a days. Communities are growing further and further apart for a lot of reasons, but I digress.
Most, if not all, communities offer activities for their community members to be a part of. There are even smaller communities within the larger communities that do this. As a single parent, can you afford not to be a part of any of them? My small community alone is offering seven different opportunities over the summer including golf, tee ball, soccer, swimming lessons, and so many more, not to mention the day camps. That’s also not including the other small communities in the surrounding area. Check out what your community has to offer, get connected, and take advantage of it.
Then there is the local colleges and schools that offer activities for children during the summer as well. I homeschool, but that doesn’t mean that Jonathan can’t go to some of these activities, have fun and make new friends. If your child(ren) haven’t brought home papers with this type of information (or you homeschool as well), call around and get the information for yourself.
Churches are another great opportunity for children. Most of them have day camps in the summer. They get to go and do arts and crafts, sing songs, listen to stories, make friends, have lunch or a snack, and make new friends. You don’t necessarily have to be a member of the church for your children to join in either. Call around and find out what they have to offer.
This doesn’t even include one or two day events that are usually held on weekends, such as an all horse expo that just happened here last weekend. A lot of these are free to go to, so pack a lunch and some drinks, and bring a little money for an extra treat if you have it, and go have fun. Keep your eye on local papers to find out about these, usually listed in the local section. You could also look in the “events” listings in the classifieds.
The more you connect with you community, the bigger your support network becomes, and the bigger your support network becomes, the easier your life becomes. Don’t make it harder on yourself because you are shy, or you truly think you don’t have the time. Get involved and get you children involved and you’ll both be better in the long run.
Also take a look at A-Z Summer Activities for Homeschoolers. They can be used for non-homeschoolers just as easily.