A SAHM's Guide to Summer

This summer will be my ninth summer as a stay-at-home-mom (or SAHM). Woah. Writing that made me feel old, but it also made me stop to wonder whether I might have any good advice for other parents who are looking for ideas on how to have a fun, yet inexpensive summer or, in other words, survive all those weeks at home with the kids. Day in. And day out. On a typical tight family budget.

Being a SAHM isn’t particularly lucrative. Even now that I am also a work-at-home-mom, I still don’t have a large purse to draw from. Yet, for going on nine years now, I’ve managed to do quite a lot with my kids in the summer without breaking the bank. So, perhaps I do actually have some tips that the Me of nine years ago would have loved to have heard.

I hope these are of help to you and might also serve to inspire you to have some new ideas of your own, too. If so, I’d love to hear them!

1.  The Library is Your Friend

One of the best things about living in North Penn is that we are blessed with multiple fantastic libraries within our reach. Lansdale Public Library and North Wales Area Library are both lovely facilities with dedicated and creative staff who plan valuable children’s programming, nearly all of which is completely free! Beyond the expected (but still terrific!) story times, both libraries offer a wide variety of other programs and events to children in areas such as history, art, world cultures, and sciences from astronomy to zoology. In the past few years, my children have participated in events and programs that included lessons on seismology, a class held inside an inflatable planetarium, a visit with live zoo animals, and many more. You know what else? All of those programs…were free. Additionally, in the summertime, libraries typically offer even more programming for children including summer reading programs, the popular Science in the Summer program, and other special events related to summer reading. Get to know your library if you haven’t already. You’ll thank me later.

2.  Stock up and Save!

It’s a phrase grocery chains love to shout, but it applies well to this next tip. Now, depending upon what time of year you’re reading this post, say if summer is already upon you, it won’t be as helpful. But, one of the things I like to do is to keep an eye out for those great deals from discount sites like Groupon and LivingSocial for area attractions. Make note of the expiration dates on those deals because often they are valid for several months if not longer. Last summer alone, my kids and I visited The Crayola Experience, The Franklin Institute, The Please Touch Museum (twice!), and the Academy of Natural Sciences – all at half price or better – simply because I sought out and saved up those deals throughout the year! It pays to keep an eye out for them year-round and read the fine print. We also scored a great deal on an annual family membership to the Elmwood Park Zoo which has provided us with several fun (and paid for!) trips already.

3.  Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

While coordinating the North Penn Under Ten Summer Fun Fair, and stuffing hundreds of goody bags with brochures and flyers on the topic, I encountered, and read with interest, quite a bit of literature regarding the summer camps in our area. In doing so, I noticed some trends…

Many of the summer-long camps tend to celebrate a particular theme for each week. One week, all of the events may revolve around space, the next could be focused on sports of all kinds, and a third week might center on Pennsylvania’s history, or be all about animals. Now, I’m not suggesting that you need to create themed lesson plans with Pinterest-worthy snacks to match, though that would be awesome! But what if one week you pick up a couple of history books at the library, maybe rent something like Night at the Museum, and then pay a visit to the Morgan Log House or Peter Wentz Farmstead? Then, the next week you could read about kings and queens, visit Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, and Upper Gwynedd’s “Castle” park. Borrow some Thomas the Trian books then plan a week where you visit Whistlestop Park one day and ride Septa to Ambler for lunch on another. You get the idea.

Another trend I noticed is that often times similar events are planned for a particular day of the week, say field trips are always on Tuesdays, or Fridays always involve a lot of physical play or are heavy on the arts and crafts. If you wish to keep a little rhythm going, or dare I say “structure”, it is nice, especially with younger kids who like their routines, to set up something like this yourself. A frugal version of a calendar like this might include:

Day one: Library day! Stock up on new books for the week including some related to this week’s theme

Day two: Field trip day! Asher’s Chocolates tour is a favorite (free if you can resist the gift shop!)

Day three: Hands on at home day! Simple science experiments, arts & crafts, baking, etc. Catch your breath after field trip day. ;-) Share something you made with friends or neighbors.

Day four: Visit a new park today! Don’t repeat for at least a few weeks if possible. See the NPUT parks map for ideas.

Day five: Family Favorite day! An extra day built-in for what you like best. Visit your favorite play place, head to the pool, have a picnic, read on a blanket in the grass…

If your child will be getting used to attending preschool on certain days of the week, maybe plan to be away from home on those same days in the final weeks of summer… Or, adapt the order depending upon what community events are on the calendar that week, which brings me to my final point, and shameless plug…

4.  Keep an eye on NorthPennUnderTen.com

Yes, it is unabashed self-promotion, but hear me out. We are all in this together. When its August and your children are tattling, whining, arguing and driving you mad, remember: you are not alone. I, too, will be home with my three kids, feeling the same way. This is precisely why North Penn Under Ten exists. Like you, I wanted to find things to do with my children. Quality things. Inexpensive things. Convenient things. This summer, our local townships, libraries, churches, community centers, small businesses and schools will be offering countless enriching experiences for our children. That’s what they do. We are so fortunate here in North Penn. So, even though my shoulders tighten at the thought of two and a half months with the kids at home with no official summer plans (read: opportunities to ship them off even for just a little while), I relax at the thought that there is a place I can go for ideas and inspiration. I’ll be checking the calendar for those free summer concerts, flick ‘n floats, and festivals just like you. I’ll also probably be sharing last-minute additions to the calendar, new discoveries and ideas for summer fun, and my own joys and frustrations throughout the summer. I hope you’ll join me!