Summer break camps

Summer vacation is quickly coming upon us and I've been looking into several places to send my almost 5 year old son for classes. We are going to start homeschooling him this fall and I want to supplement my teachings with outside classes so he can have regular social interaction in a class form. In doing so, I've found several programs that run year round and would be nice for the summer time.

Did you know there's a Lego Learning Center in Southlake? It's the only one in North America and according to my son, it's super cool. They have several spring, summer, and winter camps. They also have regular sessions throughout the year and camps specifically for homeschoolers. They learn several skills including math, engineering, and fair play.

The Fort Worth Zoo has camps meant for homeschoolers, but anyone can attend. The children are in groups according to age and learn about various animals and their habits, etc. The Heard Natural Museum offers a similar course, but seems to focus more on local flora and fauna. How cool for a 5 year old to get a zoology class?

There are several local gymnasiums that have weekly drop in classes for under a couple bucks per child. These free play classes are always super fun and non competitive. You might also look into local music schools for summer programs and there are now cooking classes for children as well. I know that Whole Foods, Central Market, and Market Street offer cooking classes for children ages 5 and up. They also offer parent and child classes for ages 3 and up.

We're trying really hard to get our kids out more, but I find it difficult to motivate myself to go farther than the local park or the mall. It's often too hot or too cold outside for the kids and to be honest it's hard for me to get all three kids ready and out the door. So this year we have made the resolution to get our children more involved in activities outside of regular playdates or the play area at the mall. I hope I've given you a few ideas for your own kids and maybe we'll even see each other there!