There’s no denying that summer camps provide important experiences and skill-building opportunities for children of all ages – and provide much needed childcare during the school break. However, with many families across Canada feeling the pinch of inflation, you may be faced with reducing the number of programs you enroll your child in. So, how can parents give their children some of the benefits of summer camp programming on their own, or as a team with their social group?
One great strategy for the summer (and year-round) is extending a single outing into a day or two’s worth of themed activities to engage our children in skill practice while having fun! The basic idea is to choose a single activity – which can be low to no cost – and using it as the foundation to create conversations and activities to explore as a family. Read on for an example of what extending an outing can look like this summer!
Step 1: Pick a theme
Anything can be a theme! Talk to your children about their interests and go from there. You can choose to be general or specific (emperor penguins vs. birds), focus on media or real life (Paw Patrol vs. actual rescue animals), or even pick a question your kids have (how do planes fly?).
Step 2: Pick an outing that fits your budget
Calgary has so many fun opportunities for families! Looking at your theme, choose an outing that works within your budget and schedule when to take the family. It can be a visit to the Wilder Institute – Calgary Zoo, a walk around one of our great parks like Ralph Klein Park, a visit to the Calgary Public Library or the Little Red Reading House, or any of the great events featured in our calendar (pg.16 or online at calgaryschild.com).
Step 3: Extend the experience
Before and after going on your outing, you can enhance the experience by adding in smaller activities to your schedule. Before the trip, brainstorm questions you want to answer, read books, watch informational videos, role play, create art, play games, prepare food, and more. The idea is to use your theme and the outing as the launch for focusing your other activities, while targeting specific skills your child(ren) can benefit from. Major areas for building skills includes reading, numeracy, sensory exposure, physical activity, and artistic activity. Generally, I would recommend three or four planned activities each day to provide enough guidance to avoid the “I’m bored” argument, but still allow for flexibility and self-directed play.
Theme Idea - Birds
Outing: Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Cost: Free
Skills: Physical activity, observation, writing/drawing, reading, numeracy, local history, Indigenous content
Explore Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, which is part of the Calgary Parks system and free to visit. On Tuesdays, there is a free drop-in program, Birding Breaks, which happens at 10:30am to 12pm, as well as 1 to 3pm. No pre-registration is required, just register on site when you arrive. There are optional binoculars available to borrow or you can bring your own from home.
You can also choose to explore the sanctuary before or after joining the free program. Another awesome experience to take part in at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is the IndigiTRAILS: Winged Wisdom interactive exhibit. Using your smartphone and the free IndigiTRAILS app, your family will hear about the birds of Treaty 7 and hear the wisdom of local Elders. You can spend as much or as little time on this outing as makes sense for your family. Pack a lunch to enjoy outside of the sanctuary in the picnic area and make it a full day of exploration.
Activity Ideas
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the types of activities you could use to match an outing to explore birds at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, but here are some ideas to get you started.
Trista is a stay-at-home mom and loves to share her discoveries about how to make life in Calgary work for families of all kinds.
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