Scanning the summer calendars for fun activities for the kids?
There are many - playground programs, swimming lessons, sports camps, theater clubs, outdoor adventures, family vacations and spending time with friends.
If you offer an opportunity to the kids and meet with resistance you’re not willing to accept, the answer is here.
It’s Garbage Camp.
Garbage Camp is a place for the kids that don’t want to do anything suggested by an adult. Those with no interest in structured activities, and those that are just plain obstinate.
Contact your local landfill to get the Garbage Camp schedule for the summer. Be sure to ask about special programs like electronics day, yard waste week, scrap metal and appliance sessions and arts & crafts with cast-offs.
As often occurs on this blog, Garbage Camp is a bit of fiction. The value is in the discussion. Presented with authority, as a possible option, Garbage Camp is likely to encourage even the most reluctant offspring to consider virtually any other activity.
For working parents, especially those that have a few extra moments in the day, spending some time with a word processor or brochure maker can be a valuable investment. Nothing validates fiction like a printed flyer. Be sure to include some ‘TextArt’ (fancy text), a phone number (better be local, even better if it’s to the local sanitation department), tuition costs, dates and times, and some programs - invent them or derive them from those listed above. If you have a lot of time, you could even create registration forms! Bring the papers home and leave them on the kitchen table. Wait for the kids to find them.
Collaborating with other families can create monumental momentum. Imagine if the kids say to each other, “Mom says if I don’t choose a camp, she’s sending me to Garbage Camp.” Or, if you hang up the phone and say, “Mrs. Hankerchief just signed little Billy up for Garbage Camp, would you like to go, too?”
Trust me, by the time summer arrives, your kids will have gladly accepted your offers of fun stuff to do for a week or two of summer.