With the school year starting, vacations and education are becoming one and the same. To take advantage of all the activities you and your child can do, think outside the box and try some of these fun and unusual mom and child activities!
Keep the adventure going, and don’t forget to make the most out of these educational trips.
1. Visit an Unusual Museum
From the Museum of Death in Hollywood, California to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, unusual museums are everywhere! Although some might find these museums off-putting or even creepy, this can be a fun museum for kids to visit to teach them about different topics.
Explore your child’s imagination and have them thinking outside the box by visiting a weird museum in your town today!
2. Go Fishing
Fishing is, unfortunately, seen as a father-child activity in today’s society, but why should it be? Take the kids out on a fishing trip to your local stream or lake.
You and your child can even go fishing off some famous piers, such as the Huntington Beach pier, or another local spot!
Make sure if you go out on the water to bring life jackets for you and your child, and ensure they remain safe while having fun in the water!
3. Go on an Outdoor Camping Trip in an RV
Camping is one of the greatest getaways and educational opportunities for both children and adults. What’s even better than camping under the stars in the wilderness? Camping inside a fun RV!
A used RV dealer is a great way to get an affordable RV to take camping with you and your child. Tell stories from the comfort of your RV, take long cross-country trips and explore all your state, or even country, has to offer you!
4. Explore for Creepy Crawly Insects
Who said insects have to be creepy? Take a look at your backyard, or take a day trip and explore insects with you and your child. It’s important for children to understand the difference between venomous and non-venemous insects, and even teach them early on that certain insects aren’t harmful at all.
Teaching your kids about insects can be done from the comfort of your backyard, or even from a zoo or museum!
5. Start Rock Collecting
Whether you’re looking for a new outdoor living design including huge boulders and gravel for your walkway, or are simply looking to collect small rocks for a tiny collection, rock collecting can be educational, fun, and purposeful!
Collecting rocks in your state might be allowed, but it’s important to get specific permission on the amount of weight you and your child can collect (usually 25 lbs a year).
After you get permission and know what rocks you want, take a trip to your local geology hot spot to explore different types of rocks you and your child can fall in love with!
6. Take a Segway Tour
Segway tours are more popular now than ever. The ease of use of a seaway makes it so that you can easily explore a city from the comfort of a hovering scooter!
If your child is old enough to stand upright on a Segway and not fall over, explore your city using a Segway tour! Better yet, take a vacation to a new city and see how using a Segway can help you explore every inch of the town.
7. Learn to Skateboard Together
It’s never too late to learn how to skateboard, or even ride a bike, and you’re never too old to try it out! Riding a skateboard has been shown to have great effects on your overall core strength, stamina, and even build up cardio stregnth.
If your child already knows how to skateboard, why not have them teach you some new tricks? In addition, skateboarding or longboarding together can be a great way to explore your local town or city.
While learning to skateboard or teaching your child how to skateboard, make sure to have the proper safety equipment such as helmets and knee and elbow pads. Practice in an open lot until you’re confident enough to hit the streets!
8. Volunteer to Help the Homeless
Teaching your child the importance of giving back is one of the best lessons you can instill in your children. It’s never too early to teach children to volunteer their time or even their belongings to give back.
If your child has outgrown clothes, or even has toys they are willing to donate, take the time to teach them about how these items will benefit other homeless children.
Better yet, take your child on a shopping trip and have them choose out items to donate to homeless shelters. This can include hygiene kits, canned food, bedding items such as comforters, or even baby gift baskets to donate to local women’s shelters.
You’ll be glad to bond with your child while also giving back to the community.
9. Do More Community Service
There are a variety of community service opportunities at any given time, all you have to do is look in your town! Consider taking a trip to the beach and doing a beach cleanup, or doing a lake cleanup.
You can even volunteer with your child at the local library, a local non-profit agency, or even an animal shelter. Whatever you choose to do, it’s important to let your child know that community service is all about giving back to others.
If you have elderly neighbors, community service can be as little as raking their leaves or taking out their trash! The possibilities to teach your children about giving back are endless.
10. Cook Foreign Cuisines Together
Everyone loves the movie Ratatouille, where a small rat learns to cook delectable French cuisine. Inspire your kids to explore other culinary wonders and start cooking with them!
Want to try out a new Mexican recipe besides tacos? What about helping your child cook the traditional dish Mole? Or how about making some spicy African-Inspired eggs for breakfast named Shakshuka?
There are so many different dishes to try out there, cooking with your child can be loaded with hours of education and fun!
11. Walk Some Dogs
If you have neighbors that are elderly, out of town, or simply need extra help around the house, teach your child the responsibilities of pet ownership by walking some dogs around the neighborhood with them!
Dogs are some of the best and most loving creatures, but they take a lot of work to keep happy and healthy. Walking some dogs around your neighborhood, including your own, will not only help your child get some exercise in, but also be more compassionate towards animals.
Dog walks can help them understand how important it is to take care of animals properly, and even give them a bonding opportunity.
12. Be a Tutor
It’s easy to find tutors for kids, and it’s even easier to become a tutor to help other children be successful in school. Volunteer with your child to tutor a child that’s in need of help in their classes, including math, science, or any other subject your child is interested in.
Research shows that one of the best ways to learn a subject is to teach it to another person, as this helps someone relay information in a clear and easy-to-understand way.
If your child is interested in tutoring, this is a great opportunity to give back to their community and help someone else, whether they get paid for their services or not!
13. Visit the Local YMCA
Whether it’s your local YMCA or a local health and wellness center, it’s important to teach your son or daughter early-on about physical and mental health. By visiting a local health and wellness center such as the YMCA, you can show your child ways to get physically active, such as swimming, biking, jogging, or playing sports.
A local health and wellness center can also offer health events such as health education, drug use prevention, and other youth services to help your child learn about health and wellness.
14. Volunteer at your Community Church
Local churches are excellent places for community gatherings, volunteer services, and also play an important role if your child or you are involved in religious practices.
Volunteering at your community church with your child can allow them to exercise those social skills while engaging with peers their age. Churches also offer different opportunities and church youth activities, even if you or your family aren’t active members.
This can include retreats and getaways, tutoring, choir, sports practice, and other extra-curricular activities.
15. Tour Colleges and Schools
If your child is getting close to graduating high school, it might be time to explore colleges both in and out of state by taking a trip to them. Exploring colleges not only gives you and your child an excuse to get away and take a vacation, but also provides valuable insight into the types of schools and cities your child would like to attend.
Even if you have a young child, it’s never too early to show them around different schools! For instance, there are many options and advantages of private preschool. If you’re interested in enrolling your child in a private preschool, middle school, or even high school, feel free to take them on a tour of different schools and campuses they might be attending!
16. Have an Outdoor Movie Projector Night
We’ve all heard of indoor movie nights, but if you have a garage or open wall in your home, try having a movie projector night! This can be a fun way to get out under the stars, and have the feel of a big-screen theater right outside your own home!
17. Go on a Test Drive
If your child is at the age where they can finally drive, it’s great to teach them about the basics of road safety. It’s also good to take them on a test drive if you plan on buying them a car. This can help ensure they’re being responsible drivers, and are comfortable in their future car.
18. Explore Open Houses
If you or your child are planning on moving, take a weekend to explore open houses! Not only is this a good exercise in seeing what you want, but it also allows your child to feel they have a say in their next home.
19. Make Art Together
Have you ever wanted to get your child’s creative juices flowing? Why not try making an art piece together with them? Whether it’s writing a story, making a painting, or even writing a musical piece, making art with your child is incredibly beneficial.
Once you and your child create an art piece, you can have something tangible that lasts forever, along with the memories between you and your child!
20. Learn to Play Chess
Chess might not be the most adventurous game in the world, but it is one that is full of strategies and techniques that take intelligence to master. What better way to introduce your child to the world of chess than teaching them yourself?
Chess is a great game for two players, making it ideal to sit down and teach your child. If you don’t know how to play chess, any board games can be a great getaway from TV and video games, and a great bonding experience for you and your child.
Making the Most of Fun and Education
Whether you’re teaching your child the importance of giving back, remaining healthy, being responsible, or even appreciating art, there are a plethora of ways to combine fun and education into one experience.
Take time out of your day to do one of these strange activities, and teach your child something new today! But more importantly, have fun while doing it!
