Ohmystinkinheck

At Kenny’s Circus Day at school I looked around at all the Pre-K kids dressed in their handmade circus garb and smiled. They were so proud of their paper cuffs decorated with glue and glitter. Marching in synchronization around the cafeteria, they showed off various skills they learned - like balancing on a beam, skipping, somersaults, rolling large balls in a pattern while making seal noises (yeah okay, I agree…the seal noises were kinda strange).

Thing is, they had fun. There wasn’t any big disc-jockey rocking out the joint. They didn’t have a huge blow-out feast. They didn’t each have their individual animal outfits. Nope, everything was very basic–very simple–and their imaginations embraced it fully.

After the performance was a free-style dance (I think they were pretending to be clowns at this point.) and then, lemonade and popcorn. They were so excited, giddy even. Except for that one girl in the middle who stared at her mom and cried the whole time–there is always one child in each production that has to be “rescued” from what is obviously a torturous experience.

I have given a great deal of thought to what I want to do with the kids this summer. In case you aren’t aware, summer crept up on us while we weren’t looking. At first I was getting a bit out of hand, collecting local “things” to take my kids to–activities that cost too much money for too little time and value. Then, I realized that I was losing perspective - that much like the handmade cuffs of Kenny’s Pre-K, the best things in life are simple.

So, I’ve been bookmarking a lot of fun craft ideas for us, this will be a summer for handmade things and quality time together. We’ll go to the pool in my parent’s neighborhood, we’ll pop popcorn and watch movies on rainy days, we’ll ride bikes and play in sprinklers. We’ll cut and paste; glue and stick; mix and match. For the most part, we’re gonna keep it simple.

I have a feeling it’ll be the best summer yet.

12 Responses to “Keeping it Simple”

1. laura

   may i bring my circus act?
   both your son’s circus day and the summer plans sound like a lot of fun.
   sometimes the simple things are the absolute best things. i know that my older kids (young adult and teens) tend to have the fondest memories of the simple stuff.

2. bethany actually

   Hooray for the unscheduled fun of summer, I say. A little VBS here, a week of sleepaway camp there…but there’s nothing better than having days stretch ahead of you, full of the promise of having nothing in particular to do.

3. Elizabeth

   Simple is the way to go!!

4. karey m.

   keep it simple…at first, i thought this was another post about kenny’s chicken {which i would welcome!}.

   you’re beyond right. i somehow feel removed from all the summer camp brou-ha-ha over here. we have the luxury of just chilling, as i did when i was little. but i like that you’re in the midst of it all, and you’re choosing simple anyway. that’s a nice mom.

5. lorimo

   It sounds like you have a great summer ahead of you!

6. Kelly G.

   you need to check out http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/
   it a collection of some of the coolest kids crafts around. We have been using it tons!

7. Shannon

   I have done 3 camps for girl scouts and I have been to my fair share. The kids always have the best time when it is simple and they are allowed to be creative. I love that you are thinking outside the box. Try Familyfun.com and bhg.com for fun ideas!

8. Natalie

   Smart, smart mommy. Sounds like you guys are going to have an awesome summer. My boys made an early jump on a summer activity last night: They slept in a tent… it’s our family tent and too big for our pathetic yard, so half of the tent just droops against the fence…lol.

9. Mandy

   I am right with ya sister! Mostly because I’m poor, but nonetheless, I am with ya! Last year I took the girls to a small little airport we have here where there is a huge track you can ride your bikes on. Then we had a picnic complete with a basket I borrowed from my mom. We made a whole day of it and it was totally free. I went to the grocery for a few special things we don’t usually have on hand, like juiceboxes, but other than that, free. And we had a blast! And we all got great exercise and the girls were exhausted when we got home! I can’t wait to see the crafts ya’ll create.

10. Capturing Today

    We do very similar things over the summer - because the costs can get way out of hand trying to “entertain”. I’d love to see some of the links you’ve found for craft ideas - perhaps you could share some with us!

11. KYouell

    We are looking for free stuff too. Since we are in an area that is new to us I’ve signed up for a couple of Mom Meetup groups and found out about a program at the library — they have Cultural Passes to get into things like the local Children’s Museum for free. Very nice.

12. Stefani

    Oh Amen, sister! I’m forever making things more complicated than they have to be.