With the summer winding down, many parents, caretakers, and even siblings are probably already tired of hearing the familiar whine, “There’s nothing to do!” For some it will come as no surprise that July is National Anti-Boredom Month. Since school doesn’t start until the end of the month here are some ideas to fight off the cries of “I’m bored to death.”
The Phoenix Public Library is a great source. Their Summer Reading Game may have started in June, but it continues through August 1st and is still taking sign-ups online at maricopacountyreads.org. And if you have a budding artist at home, then their El Amor the Frida exhibition might be more up your alley. In the second floor gallery of the Burton Barr Central Library, members of Las Phoenix Fridas and local artists are sharing their art work inspired by Frida Kahlo. You can check out their calendar online, or at your local branch.
This month the Desert Botanical Garden is conducting Flashlight Tours to allow visitors to experience the plants, animals, sights and sounds of the desert at night. You could do the same thing in your own backyard with the kids, but mind those monsoon storms.
Looking for a way to cool down in the summer heat? Take a page out of the Phoenix Zoo’s book and have your own Winter in July. One Saturday every July the zoo ‘freezes over’—chilling out with tons of snow, water play areas, snowball targets, and even icy treats for the animals. Even if you have to skip the snow, you can still treat your family to a snow day, complete with frozen treats and ice water activities outside. Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Of course, sometimes our tight schedules are already full. How about going old school? Game nights at home can be as popular as days out, and just as much fun. Break out the classic board games like Monopoly or Yahtzee and challenge the kids to a family championship game. You could even make an event of it and create a family trophy that the winner gets to display in their room until the next game night…when it goes back up for grabs. Game night can also go high tech—play video games with the kids in cooperative mode. It’s a great way to spend time with them doing things they enjoy.
Or you could all gather around the table with snapshots from the summer and put together a scrapbook to commemorate special events and travels. If you’re lacking photos, why not plan a daytrip where you can take lots of photos? Then you’ll have the perfect event to fill the pages of a mini memory book. Plus it will be fresh in your mind when you all gather to build your adventure book.
