Summer Solutions

Schools are out for the summer. Parents and caregivers are putting together plans for the kids. There are vacations, summer camps, some have older kids lined up to watch the younger children, visits with relatives, and some are still trying to figure it out. Summer vacation is both wonderful and challenging if you are the parent or caregiver for young children.

Despite your best laid plans there remains the age-old issue of how to deal with straight-up boredom. Which isn’t the worst thing- more on that later.

​The River Center has some ideas for you. Once again, we will have Family Forests and Farms, which meets Wednesdays at 10:00 in various locations throughout our region. Outings this summer include Smith’s for blueberry picking, Friendly Farm, Crotched Mountain accessible trail, Mayfair Farm and Rhododendron State Park and more. To join the fun, simply register at rivercenter.org/register or call 924-6800.  After registering, the facilitator will send you weekly emails letting you know where to meet the group that week.
For pre-teens, we have three fun mini camps for middle schoolers. Again, the registration link is the same for all our programs: rivercenternh.org/register.
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The Safe Sitter Camp runs from July 10-14, from 9:00-12:00am. This camp is for 11-13 year-olds and is focused on how to be a successful babysitter. It is a big responsibility to care for young children. In this camp participants will learn how to change diapers, get ideas for fun age-appropriate games and activities, prepare simple and healthy snack, and understand the basics of the child development stages. They will learn what to do when a child is choking or falls off the bike. One of my favorite topics is how to talk to an adult about the job, figure out how much to charge per hour, and basically be someone who they can trust to leave in charge of their children!
July 17-21 from 9:00-12:00, middle schoolers can attend Hidden Hikes camp, specifically designed for 6th to 8th graders. They will be exploring various hikes in our region such as Thumb Mt. and Crotched Mt. They can expect to have fun, get some fresh air, make some discoveries, and get exercise. You can expect them to come home and suggest the whole family take a hike!

Summer Sisters runs from July 24-28, again from 9:00-12:00. This camp is for middle school girls to develop strong and supportive friendships, learn leadership and advocacy skills, and more. Girls supporting girls is a powerful tool in building confidence.

Now, let’s talk about boredom. As parents and caregivers we can feel personally responsible for fixing a child’s boredom problem. Well, it is not entirely our problem. Boredom can be a creative opportunity.
Here are some things that happen when we are bored. We go in search of something to do that is interesting to us. I find an interesting book, I decide to dig out my Legos and build something. I go look for bugs under rocks in the backyard. Yes, I might explore the back of the garage and get into some interesting things that aren’t child-friendly, and yes, we do need to keep an eye on those who were bored and now are getting dangerously curious.
We all need to figure out the solution to boredom. Letting our children work it out is good for them. The solution is not filling every single minute of the summer with activities. We all, including our children, need a chance to breathe. To just lay on the hammock and look at the clouds. To sit with a good book for hours. To just be.
Wow. Where’s my hammock? I think I need to get me some boring moments…..

Happy summer! We hope to see you or someone you know at our summer programs. Please tell friends, neighbors, family about these opportunities.  To register at rivercenternh.org/register or call us at 924-6800.
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Margaret Nelson, Executive Director
mnelson@rivercenternh.org      
The River Center Family and Community Resource Center