Today's topic is planning for the summer.
Last year was the first year where I realized we needed childcare for the entire summer. Previously, of course, E was in daycare, so there was no change when summer came around. Fortunately there are a lot of options for summer camps in Toronto but it does require some coordination. This year although I am on maternity leave we are still planning for some camps and holiday weeks.
(First day of summer camp last year)
So, to get ready for this, I print off a calendar for the months of July and August so I can start making some notes. We decide which weeks we would like to use as holidays from work when we won't need a camp. Then I start looking at the Toronto Recreation Fun Guide to see what camps are offered and when. There are fewer choices for 4 and 5 year olds but our choices will only expand as E gets older. This year we are doing a couple of camps that are not through the city; one is a Jack of Sports camp and the other is Tamarack West camp. I also plan for E to go to camp with a friend for at least one week. Deciding what camps you want to do is just step one, the next step is successfully registering for the camps on sign up day. This year I was not able to get the High Park camps that I wanted, but we did get something at a community centre. There are no camps offered for the very last week of August so E will go down to Dave's parents house to stay with them. Conveniently we are camping at a campground near their house for the Labour Day weekend and they can bring him over to meet up with us.
For our holiday weeks, we may travel to the East Coast, we may go camping, we may rent a cottage, or just stay around Toronto. Last year one of our holiday weeks was just spent in Toronto and we visited lots of parks and had lots of fun. In order to plan that week, I wrote down everything that we could possibly do and then plotted them out by day based on location, time for the activity and other stuff on our schedule.
We have two camping trips planned to bookend the summer, like we did last year. Canada Day and Labour Day weekends will be spent camping with our friends.
I don't really do a bucket list for summer but things that we try to fit in are:
- Watching TV before heading out for the morning (this is usually reserved for weekends but in the summer we can watch the Tour de France, Wimbledon, and last year the Olympics)
- Swimming at the public pool after supper (such a nice reprieve from the humidity)
- Ice cream cones
- Eating supper outside (as long as the wasps stay away)
- Splash pads and playgrounds
- Afternoon Blue Jays games
- All the iced tea and iced coffee
- French fries and hot dogs from the snack bar in High Park and catching some Little Leagues names
We love Blue Jays games too!!!
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