Summer isn’t that far away and for many families, that means vacation!
Vacations are good. Not only do they give us a time to rest, but they are also an opportunity to make some great family memories.
But they do take time and money and often that’s not something that families have in excess. Or maybe you’ve been doing the same thing for the past six years (camping at the mosquito-infested lake) and you’d like to do something different.
Some thoughts to get your creativity going …
1. The Picture Vacation. Most everyone has cameras these days whether it’s an actual camera or a smart phone. This summer, as you drive through that National Park or take the scenic route to Grandmas, challenge your kids to take pictures. Choose the most interesting ones to put together in a book (many websites will do this for you fairly inexpensively). Or, take video and edit the videos together in a DVD. A keepsake of the family fun.
2. The Volunteer Vacation. Many Christian camps and conference grounds have summer serving opportunities for cooks, carpenters, electricians, etc. Sometimes the camps allow you to bring your families along. (Some allow volunteer families to camp out on the grounds.) Not only will you be filling a need, but you can take advantage of speakers/musicians and give your kids opportunity to take part in fun activities and meet new friends.
3. The Family Camp Vacation. Ok, you would rather relax than cook eggs for 200 people or fix a broken pipe – sign up for family camp. Again, you’ll hear a variety of speakers and your kids will have lots of fun activities to keep them busy – all in a Christian atmosphere.
4. The Community Service Vacation. Do a service project right in your hometown. Pass out water bottles at a parade, buy gift cards and pass out to the homeless, pick-up litter from a park.
5. Mini-Cruise Vacation. You’ve lived in town, next to the river all your life. You know there’s a boat ride down the river for tourists … but your family hasn’t done it. You’ve never seen the river from the water side! Why not plan to do so?
6. Educational Vacation. What could your family learn to do this summer? Could you paint pottery? Learn archery? Learn to cook a special dish? Find out what your community has to offer … and then do it (instead of saying you’ll do it someday).
7. The Memory Vacation. Before you go wherever it is you’re going, ask your child to go through next year’s Awana handbook and pick out the most challenging-looking verse. (Or choose two or three of them) Learn them together on vacation until you all can say them quickly and without mistakes. Your child will be ready for that difficult section next fall.
8. The Do-Something-Different Stay-cation. What could you do in your town that you’ve never done before? Could you get up early and watch the sunrise over the lake (and maybe eat a picnic breakfast while you’re waiting)? Could you take a walk through an area of town you’ve never been before? Could you go swimming at the Y? Could you have a picnic in a park you haven’t visited? Could you get the kids up at midnight and take a surprise trip to the all-night pancake house? Do the out-of-the-ordinary.
9. The Mission Trip. Many churches have missions trips and many have family trips where kids and parents can serve together. Yes, missions trips cost money, but so does Disney World.
10. The Letter Day Vacation. Put all the letters of the alphabet on separate pieces of paper and put into a container. Choose a letter. Say for instance, the letter is “H.” Everything you do that day must start with H. For instance, you could hike, eat hamburgers and hash browns, go horseback riding, help a neighbor, etc. In fact, why not do this two or three times this summer? Even older kids have fun thinking up activities that start with a specific letter.
Family trips don’t need to be overly expensive or even out of town. Be creative. What kind of memories can you make with your family?
