Summer camps offer supervision while giving kids many other benefits as well. There are so many camps to choose from it’s hard to tell you about them all, but here are some worth putting in the spotlight.

Long View Ranch

This camp is located in the foothills of East Tennessee. Long View Ranch is for rising 4^th-12^th graders. The camp offers water shining, canoeing, horses, paintball, and arts and crafts just to name a few.  Their goal is “to build relationships with friends and with the Lord that will last for the “long view of eternity.”

Circle F Dude Ranch

After 61 years of summer camp experience, this Florida camp is for kids’ ages 6-16 and/or family adventures. They keep their guests entertained with over 25 different activities including excursions to major theme parks like SeaWorld  and Magic Kingdom. They submit a natural setting on 500 acres of land with three endangered species and 65 horses. A special note, after six years of being a camper there a camper owns their own horse.

iD Programming Academy

Got a teenager between the ages of 13-18 who loves technology? iD Programming Academy has camps located in various states throughout the US that is perfect for the young inventor because the instructors focus on teaching code, app development, and robotics engineering. Students who plan to go into this field of study gain accredited continuing education units for attending. This would be a solid camp for education and fun for your young adult.

Falcon Camp

This camp for kids ages 6-15 is located in Northeast Ohio. This adventure has something for various types of kids. It offers archery, riflery, drama, sailing, woods lore and more. They keep the ratio of campers to adults 1:4. The atmosphere of this camp is what makes it stand out against the rest.

Emagination Computer Camps

Emagination is a camp like none other. It offers kids ages 8-17 the chance to spend their summers learning new technology things, but still enjoy loads of summer activities. They have locations in Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Their camp sessions also include weekends.

Camp Hilltop

Camp Hilltop is located in the Catskill region of New York. There are sixty fun activities for the campers to stay entertained. They focus on team building skills primarily. They even offer first time campers a discount for attending their summer camp.

Camp Cody

Camp Cody has been in New Hampshire since 1926. They take care of kids ages 7-15. They offer team and individual sports. They also cover the performing arts, waterfront activities, and special trips.

Relativity School

This summer program in Beverly Hills, CA for teens is all about gaining knowledge on all things media. For a future movie producer, this program would help them see what the life would truly be like. They learn how to create original content, shoot on Hollywood sets, and even learn sports photography with a Sports Illustrated pro.

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp

If you have a kid ages 9-15 who is a science lover, then Aquatic Science Adventure Camp located in Texas is for them. They will get to experiment with many factors of the marine life. The campers will also learn how to scuba and snorkel. The best part may be the glass-bottom boat ride.

Camp Highlander

Camp Highlander is your traditional summer camp based in North Carolina. Their motto is they want campers to leave their camp having “learned life lessons such as courage, honesty, integrity, and faith.” They want their campers to have built lifelong relationships and memories. They even offer family trips.

This is just a few short snippets of information about some of the most interesting summer camps I came across while doing research.

Care to share about your favorite camp memory?

 

As the days get cooler there are so many fun ways to spend time as a family.  Although your schedules might get a little tighter in the fall with school and work, it is a great time to turn off your television and get outside.  The fall is a beautiful time of year that inspires many memories, with its cool days and scenery.

Apple Picking

I have so many amazing memories picking apples with my family.  I have even taken my daughter to the same apple trees that I picked apples off of as a child.  Julie of The Naptime Review shared her apple picking adventure that she had recently with her family and came away with some beautiful photographs and a yummy apple pie too!

Hiking

What better way to see the beautiful scenery than a fall hike.  You can even make hiking into confidence booster like Dakotapam did with her family.  Hiking builds teamwork and it fosters a healthy challenge.  Hiking doesn’t only have to be for your older children you can bring along your little one’s too like Michele at Dodging Acorns did recently did with her 2 and 4 year old on a hike to Kakiat Park.

Have a Picnic

The fall is a great time to bring out the blankets and pack up your picnic basket.  There are so many trees blanketed in beautiful colors and the air is crisp and cool.  You don’t even have to leave your backyard to have a picnic.  Valerie at Inner Child Fun came up with a picnic idea that I absolutely love, a pj breakfast picnic!  How fun is that and you don’t even have to change out of your pajamas.

Leaf Pile Fun

I must say that jumping in a leaf pile can really make for some fond childhood memories.  It can also help make raking the leaves and cleaning up your lawn into a fun family time.  There are many different ways you can make your leaf piles into a fun experience and Marnie at Carrots are Orange did just that by making a leaf maze.  What a great spin on a fall family activity.

Festivals

Once September rolls around there are so many different fall festivals around that you can go and enjoy as a family.  I remember there was one my family and I would go to every year.  There was an old train that we could ride, fabulous food and cute crafts to look at.  Candice from Nothing Good Comes Easy just went to a Fall Fest at her local church, where they enjoyed food, a petting zoo and games.  It looks like they had so much fun and took some great pictures for their memory book too!

Enjoying the Fall

Growing up in the Northeast I got to experience all of the above with my family and I have so many wonderful memories etched into my mind.  I remember the smell of the apple trees and the cool wind on my face as I walked through the corn maze at the local pumpkin patch.  Now that I am older and have my own children it is important to me to share such experiences with them.  Since I live where it is warm all year around I do miss all of the smells, sights and tastes that the cooler weather brings, so I try to get up North once a year with my children for them to experience all of the fun that the Fall has to offer.

 

I chose these with my toddlers because, they are fun and educational and really help them to use their imagination. It’s also a wide variety of characters, which helps me and the kids want to watch them over and over. I like that the movies can bring us together as a family. I personally watched Fraggle Rock as a kid, and to see them enjoy it the way I use to is priceless.  – Brandy Roberts

Individual Videos for Kids Under 5 on Amazon Prime

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Thomas & Friends: Track Stars: The Island of Sodor is always bustling with trainloads of work to be done, and keeping it all on track are the engine heroes! Meet our track stars, Thomas, Emily, Percy and James, and join them on exciting journeys to great destinations!

Rango: A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.

VeggieTales: King George And The Ducky: It’s a lesson about selfishness and the story of a King named George! Unlike other kings, King George spends most of his time … in the bathtub! That’s where he plays with his favorite toy: his rubber ducky. But one ducky isn’t enough for King George.

Bob The Builder On Site: Trains And Treehouses: Bob and his ‘Can-Do’ crew are back on site with a brand new adventure! Join Bob as he builds a train set for Mr. Bentley as a birthday surprise and helps find a family of squirrels a new treehouse home.

Barney: Sing & Dance With Barney: Come celebrate with Barney(tm) as he plans a very special sing-along party and invites many of his friends, old and new! The group enjoys singing their all-time favorites while being transported to Tee-riffic places such as a farm, a campsite in the woods and a storybook land. This is a celebration no Barney fan will want to miss!

The Tangerine Bear: Tangie, a teddy bear, does his level best over the coming year to become a part of some family. He spends his time in Winkle’s front window with Jack, a Jack-in-the-box with claustrophobia and Bird, a cuckoo clock bird with agoraphobia.

Angelina Ballerina: Love To Dance: Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to take center stage with Angelina Ballerina!

Television Series for Kids Under 5 are on Amazon Prime too.

Dora the Exlorer, Season One:  Along with her friend Monkey Boots, Dora goes on adventures.

Fraggle Rock, Season One: Gobo’s Uncle Traveling Matt discovers a way to leave Fraggle Rock and venture out into a new land he calls “Outer Space.” This new discovery begins the fraggley fun and adventures of Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober and Red – but will it lead to trouble?

Little Bear, Season One: Little Bear would like to play in the snow. He asks Mother Bear to make him a hat, pants and coat to keep him warm. He finally decides what he needs is his fur coat.

Why Amazon Prime over sites like Netflix, and BlockBuster?

Simple. I trust Amazon. Also the benefits of a Amazon Prime membership were ideal for me.  They offer:

1. Free Two Day Shipping, this is huge for me cause I’m a book lover and I wasn’t born with a lot of patience. Speed is the key!
2. Instant streaming of Movies & T.V. Shows – This is pretty much a common, but their selection is HUGE.
3. Instant Access to Kindle Books – There are over 1,000 Kindle Books for me to read online. That completed my decision.

I can safely say Amazon Prime is definitely worth your time. They also offer a free trial, so take it for a ride. If your not thrilled, simply cancel before the 30 days.

Brrr! Winter is approaching quickly, at least where I live. Although we had a pile of snow earlier this month, and are not very eager for more, we know it will soon arrive. When it does, it’ll force most
people inside and probably under the cover of blankets.

Yet there is plenty to do during the wintertime and a lot of options for family-friendly activities. Here are just a few ideas.

Sing Carols

‘Tis the season for this type of thing, after all. You can find a group that goes around caroling, or just get your family together by itself, and go at it! Have stage fright? Then just keep it inside; there doesn’t have to be a big audience in order to sing. There are plenty of winter and holiday-themed songs to choose from, of course, but why limit the options to that? Find some other
kind of music that your family likes and mix it in. That should help keep things interesting.

Exercise

Whenever winter comes, it always seems like people shut out activities like exercise, especially if they live in a region where it gets really cold. It’s understandable. I myself find it difficult to stay out in really cold temperatures for more than ten minutes at a time. After all, who wants to make their face freeze? I sure don’t.

However, there is plenty you and the family can do to stay healthy, and they don’t have to be the usual suspects. You can still bundle up and take a walk around the block together. If you and the family are feeling a little braver, and there is no ice, you can run instead. Then, after you go back in, dance! That’s right, dance. Not only will it warm everybody up after that walk, it’s great for exercising the legs, the arms, and even the hands. Find or borrow some fun music CDs and get going!

Cook

The holidays are, of course, a great time to cook, but you can certainly do so during the rest of the winter as well. You can get the whole family involved – just make them each responsible for a step in the process.

The raw materials to create a platter of cookies do not cost much, and especially during the holidays, making cookies and other sweets can be a fun thing to do. Don’t limit yourselves to sweets, though. You can use the time stuck inside to involve everybody in cooking a healthy dish that’s traditional to your family.

If the kids are younger, they can assume a smaller role, like mixing something or gathering ingredients before the cooking begins. If they’re older they can be taught to fully prepare a meal.

Volunteer Your Time and/or Donate Food

Winter, especially when it’s cold, is a very harsh time, but even more so for the homeless. People readily line up to volunteer and donate their time for the holidays, but the needy don’t stop being needy, and pantries don’t stop needing food, after the holidays are over. On the contrary, this often ends up being the time pantries and shelters need help and donations the most because many of the food drives stop and donations dry up.

So contact your local shelter or volunteer organization and find out what they need. Then get the entire family involved to gather up food to donate, or to head down to a shelter and volunteer. The  shelters and pantries will appreciate the help and donations, the homeless will be able to find a warm place to eat during the hardest months of the year, and you and your family will be able to make a contribution together.

Find a Show

Between singing, running, cooking, and volunteering, your batteries will eventually run down, so you need to recharge. Instead of slouching in front of the TV, why not patronize your local arts scene? Where you live depends on what options are near you, but most towns have some kind of community theater organization or performances at a local school. If you live in or near a major city you might be able to find a symphony orchestra or band. Take the whole family and see a good play or musical, or listen to some classical music.

Museums are another option for shows, as they often have some kind of theater inside them. It is a video-based activity, but one in which you and your family are much more likely to learn something than on most TV shows. Then once you’re done you can still get some exercise and see the other exhibits. What more is there to ask for?

Michael is the concert specialist for TicketNetwork, an online exchange listing event tickets. Check out their blog for articles about live events and pop culture.