Uniquely Us: Finding Creative Ways to Make Summer Special and Fun

It’s that time of year when families are gearing up for various summer activities. Our beautiful part of the North State provides ample possibilities during these hot months for both enjoyable kid activities and an oftentimes much-needed respite for parents. Summer looks a little bit different for our family. Water activities, which are typically a staple of summer fun around here, are not an option for all of our family members at this point.

Our youngest son Chance has a tracheostomy tube. This means that if even a little water gets into the stoma (hole) in his neck, it goes directly into his lungs.  Even though his tube is capped during the day, there is still enough of an opening for water to sneak in there should his neck ever become submerged. To complicate things—he loves water. He is a fearless and energetic eight-year-old, so trying to keep him contained when everyone else is playing in a swimming pool or a lake is next to impossible. We have found a middle ground at home in the form of a water play table, sprinklers and a kiddie pool with a few inches of water. He can enjoy splashing around safely and doesn’t feel like he’s missing out.

Sending Chance and his sister Lilly to one of the many summer day camps offered locally isn’t a current possibility. Our children require care beyond what most typical camps can provide. Instead, we’ve found alternative ways for them to enjoy their time off from school without breaking the bank or losing our sanity. These activities involve lots of trips to the local parks so they can release some energy before it reaches the usual triple-digit temperatures. We’ve also found a new way to enjoy our trampoline. With some sidewalk chalk and a little water, the black trampoline mat becomes a blank canvas for our budding artists. Luckily chalk is washable, as Chance often likes to display his creations on the side of the house if we don’t catch him in time!

There are so many opportunities and different ways to make summer fun and memorable, even if your summer break doesn’t look like everyone else’s holiday. These are just a few of our family’s favorite things. What are yours?

Uniquely Us is a unique opportunity to address special needs issues and concerns and to celebrate life. If you have something in particular you would like to read about, please write to pn@northstateparent.com (please include UU in the subject line).