Summertime Activities to Keep Kids Engaged and Learning

August in the North State sees summer camps winding down, but the dog days of summer are still with us. In these sizzling temperatures, besides going to the movies, what is there to do to keep active AND stay cool?

Here are some great suggestions for summer activities you and your kids can do to beat the heat and get the wiggles out.

Summer Activities for kids who love science

The Butte Environmental Council offers instructions on how children can make a simple and inexpensive worm bin to boost your garden for fall and keep the soil turning and rich during the winter.

Speaking of gardens, when wildflowers start going to seed it’s a good time to make seed balls. Roll clay and compost together, adding a little water as needed. Once the ball is formed, roll in loose seed. Once dry, store in a bag in a dark place until the appropriate season for planting. Often November is a good season for scattering wildflower seeds in our area.

An important part of STEM education is learning about our bodies. Get this Skeleton Puzzle and let your kids put it together and then compare their body to the puzzle and memorize the names of major bones in their body. Guess the names of bones, then turn the skeleton over to see if you were right!

Area museums are great places for your budding scientist or history buff to keep cool and revel in their passion. Check local museum websites for their latest exhibits. Of special interest is the Kelly-Griggs Museum House in Red Bluff, a beautiful mansion that tells the history of Tehama County. They have special activities and exhibits year-round, including an ice cream social and live music in September.

A super cool destination, the Honeybee Discovery Center in Orland is pollenating young minds in the “Queen Bee Capitol of North America.” This fascinating center, where children can see honeybees in action, taste different flavors of honey and explore the world of honeybees, teaches the most important lesson of all: You’re never too small to make a big difference! Check their website for open days and hours. Make your visit to Orland a special occasion by having dinner at The Hive restaurant, where children can watch an observation honeybee hive in the lobby.

Other not-to-be-missed cool museums for “STEMish” kids are Gateway Science Museum in Chico and Mt. Shasta Sisson Museum in beautiful Mount Shasta. Both have fascinating exhibits and fun events throughout the summer and fall. Check their websites for open dates and times and upcoming classes, exhibits and events for children. Of special note is Mt. Shasta Sisson Museum’s Science Saturdays, packed with science activities for kids of all ages. Call the museum for the next Science Saturday dates. (530)926-5508.

Learn about even more North State area museums here and check the North State Parent Magazine Community Calendar regularly for special museum events.

Summer activities for creative kids

Get your kids exploring for and collecting natural materials right in your backyard, then let their imaginations go wild by making their own seed paper which can be made indoors or outdoors.

Kids can create lasting memories in clay at the Clay Club with Natalie at the Shasta Arts Council. Clay Club classes are held several times each month. Check the Shasta Arts Council website or Helping Hands Pottery website for class schedules and to register.

Bella Art Works and Ice Cream in Yreka is the perfect place for kids who love to paint and decorate. Drop in anytime, Tues-Sat 11am-5:30pm and Sun & Mon, 12-4pm and choose a ceramic piece to decorate. Paint, firing and personal instruction are all included in the price of the ceramic piece. Learn more about this unique business in the Siskiyou County News column on page XX

Art galleries throughout the North State hold juried art competitions and exhibits at various times of the year. August is the perfect time for creative teens and tweens to keep cool while getting their cool new artistic creation ready to debut.

Make it a messy, arty day and combine nature with paint! Take an early morning trip to a local river or stream, before the heat of the day, and hunt for smooth stones. Take your treasures home, break out the paints and spend the day decorating rocks. Great ideas for rock designs can be found on Pinterest. Wait for your painted creations to dry overnight. The next day, your little artists transform into “rock fairies” as they go around the neighborhood placing their rocks in nooks and crannies where they will be seen and brighten your neighbors’ day. No trespassing, just placing a rock here and there along the public paths will do the good-deed trick!

Ilanna Greenfield from Regenerative Arts Development and Learning Center in Mount Shasta suggests ice painting as the coolest summertime activity. You can make the ice paints food safe by using food coloring instead of acrylic paints. Partially fill an ice cube tray with water, then fill with food coloring. If you use gel coloring, fill the trays almost full of water. Mix in the food coloring with a small stick or toothpick. Wrap the ice tray tightly with foil, then poke popsicle sticks in each tray cube and freeze tray for eight hours. Sprinkle salt on paper to cause the paint ice to melt more easily, then paint colorful designs by rubbing the paper with the paint ice cubes, let dry and voile! Cool art!!

Summer activities for kids who love playing outside

Spending the day at the local pool is always a great way to beat the heat. But kids can also keep cool outside at the Fantasy Fountain or The Waterworks Park in Redding or the Anderson Splash Pad.

Kids love to camp, but if there isn’t enough time on the weekends to pack up and travel to a campground, why not set up a backyard camp site? Enjoy a picnic dinner, sleep out under the stars or snuggle up in a tent lit by string lights. This is a great time to pass on family legacies by telling your kids stories about them when they were younger or about you when you were young, or about their grandparents or great grandparents, or even stories about famous female and male historical figures.

Indoor summer fun for active kids

For bouncy fun for all ages, Rare Air Trampoline Park  in Redding or Chico, fits the bill. Are your kids scaling the furniture? Take them to Shasta Rock Club in Redding or Terrain Park Climbing Center in Chico, where they can climb in safety to their heart’s content.

Think your little one might be a budding gymnast? Let them dip their toe in the gymnastic waters at Athletic Horizons in Chico where children can participate in a free trial class. For a small fee, preschoolers and their parents can come to Fantastic Fridays, the first and third Friday of every month, 10am-12pm, to enjoy physical activities like playing with balls, skipping rope, bouncing on the trampoline and climbing. Kids 6 and over can come to Open Gym the second and fourth Saturdays of every month, 10-11am, to get a taste of gymnastics.

Bowling may seem like an activity from the 1950’s – but for kids, bowling never goes out of style! Bumper lanes for little ones help them feel like winners while building strong muscles and having a blast. Special effects at Clutch Bowl, Rock-n-Bowl nights and Rollin’ After Dark provide fun, safe activities year-round for teens. Find links and information for all the best bowling venues in the North State on the North State Parent website.

Want to find some new books to read to your little ones? Drop by the one and only children’s bookstore in the North State: The Reading Basket in Redding, or independent bookstore Turn The Page Books.  Then curl up on the couch for quiet, keep cool, bonding reading with your little one, or even with your tween or teen.

For a more social experience for your child, North State county libraries have story time several days a week, where kids can meet other kids and share in the excitement of a tale well-told. Find dates and times of story time on your local library website or on the North State Parent Community Calendar.

Barnes and Noble sponsors a terrific reading program where kids can earn free books by reading a set number of books, (borrowed from a library or a friend, or purchased), and writing about their favorite part of each book. Book program details are on the B&N website. The Redding  Barnes and Noble has story time Weds and Saturdays. The Barnes and Noble in Chico has story times at 11am and 2pm on Saturdays.

In this sizzlin’ hot summer, there is no need for cooped up kids to lament “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do,” or spend the rest of the summer on their devices. Whatever your child’s interest, there are plenty of activities in the North State to keep cool and keep on truckin’.

Writer’s bio: As a mom of two active boys, Stacey kept her wiggle monsters happy during the summer and on weekends during the school year with plenty of outdoor activities including camping in the backyard, making “forts” indoors, swimming at the local YMCA, picnics in the park and lots of free play inside and out.