2015 Kentucky Kingdom
We are in the first full week of summertime at my house. I realize lots of moms hate summertime. They don’t know what to do with their children and can’t stand the lack of structure. They count down the days until school. Well, not in my house!
We love summertime. We have already gone to Kentucky Kingdom 3 full days, the zoo once, ice cream once, the library and grandpa’s house! I treasure the time I have with my children. Although when I am at Kentucky Kingdom I am reading about Vatican II for my Master’s program! But they are having a great time riding the rides and swimming in the wave pool!!
As a mom I encourage you to find things to do that your children enjoy and things you enjoy. Plan the week, make sure to have a few down days where they can just hang out at the house, read, and play in the backyard. If you plan some events ahead of time it helps to give some structure to your days. Here are a some of the activities I do with my children and friends with children, they are inexpensive and the majority are free:
- Library Visits: Storytime at the library, for older kids a trip to the library and pick up the summer reading program info and the cultural pass; it has free admission to tons of places in Louisville
- Louisville Parks are great there are lots of new ones – Beckley Station has a water area, Floyds Fork has great biking and hiking trails,
- Kentucky Kingdom the passes are cheap and it is a great place, we do this instead of paying to belong to a pool,
- Zoo – pack a lunch, there is also a playground at the Zoo as well as Joe Creason park across the street
- Louisville Science Museum; it is very interactive,
- Falls of the Ohio; pack a lunch and ask a friend with kids to go with you, the kids can explore for hours,
- Bernheim forest; excellent bike and hiking trails,
- Louisville Nature Reserve, great hiking trails,
- Tours of Graeter’s, or Papa John’s pizza were very interesting and kid friendly (be sure to call and set them up a day ahead,
- Cedar Ridge has canoes, archery, and team building,
- Picking strawberries or blueberries was fun.
- Volunteering to pet dogs at our local humane society, helping to serve food at an open hand kitchen, or stock shelves at a food pantry are also great things to do as a family to serve our community this summer; it teaches our children summer is not all about catering to their whims and to help others.
- There is so much to do in Louisville. Don’t let your kids become TV and video zombies because you can’t find anything to do. But don’t plan to do more than 2 things in a day. Choose 1 thing each day but leave a day or 2 open a week to sleep in and just chill out.
