Can you believe that summer is just a few months away? I know if you’re in the Puget Sound area it is hard to imagine with all this rain, but the countdown for summer has definitely begun. It may seem crazy, but if you haven’t already, it is time to start making your summer plans. Minimally, this will give you something to look forward to as we get through our (ahem) “Spring”.
Will you go on any vacations? Will your kids go to camp? Will you plan any day trips in the area? What activities will you and your family do this summer? If you are planning to sign your kids up for summer camp, now is the perfect time to start this process! Registration for a lot of camps has already begun and some registrations are already closed. If you aren’t on top of it, your kids may miss the camp they have been looking forward to all year. We would love to help ensure that this doesn’t happen to you by providing you with a few tips on how to start planning for your summer now:
1. Create a “Family Activity Calendar” where you can record where you will be each week this summer. You can use a different color pen or highlighter for each family member. (ie. Suzy at waterski camp in pink and Jordan at soccer camp in yellow). This way you can take a quick peek at the calendar and know who will be doing what. Be sure to include dates, times and locations.
2. Keep your “Family Activity Calendar” in a central area like your kitchen. This way everyone is able to see the calendar and Mom or Dad can add/make changes to it. If you prefer to go digital, be sure to sync calendars so everyone knows what’s going on.
3. Create a file for “Summer Activities” now that you can be placing notes, registration forms, packing lists, etc. in so you have it all organized and in one place. This way you won’t spend time searching for your packing list the night before camp.
4. Create a reference file for “Future Vacations,” “Future Activities,” “Summer Camps,” etc. This will provide you with a home for papers you get throughout the year that are of interest to you. Again this will save you time in the end so you aren’t searching for that Football Camp Registration form that your son brought home from school last month. Instead you can go straight to your “Summer Camp” file and pull out the form. How great would that be?
5. Need ideas for what to do with your kids this summer? Check out Extraordinary Mama – a great new subscription service that for pennies a day will deliver customized, targeted emails to you each week with specific, age appropriate ideas and links to great activities and summer camp alternatives in your geographic area.
We hope these 5 simple tips will help you and your family get more organized for the summer. If you would like ideas for a reference filing system for your family, please let us know. We would be happy to make a recommendation.
Do you have any great tips for summer planning? We’d love to hear your ideas! Feel free to share them with us.
