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Camp Ling

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Make Your Kids' Summer Something Unbearably Magnificent!!

Have you ever heard of Camp Ling?

Okay, well then....how 'bout....

Have you ever heard of


"MOM I'M BORRRRREEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDD, there's NOTHING to DOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"





Ah hah! I see you nodding your head - confess! :) Don't you wish you could have a summer filled with excitement and joy and spine-tingling adventure for your children, not to mention spiffy coolio science projects, exciting creative writing escapades, action-packed academics and more more more?

Okay, how about....

Do you want your kids' summer to really teach them as well as give them tons of fun?

If, this lens is for you, for this is the 5th year I have been running Camp Ling for my kids! And here I'll share with you some of my nifty neat experiences that have steamrolled me over given me a delightful spring to my step, a happy bounce to my personality, and 84 cups of coffee to maintain my sanity. :)

But first....

Want some summer camp kids projects?

I always make certain to include some nifty summer projects for my kids to enjoy, like the following!

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The 3 Critical Keys To A Successful Summer Camp

Over the past 5 years of running Camp Ling, I've learned the following 3 criteria are critical.

Kids are KIDS.

Meaning....while it's tempting to teach your 10 year Pre-calculus to give them that very special edge....stick instead with engaging academics. Compel them to learn to LOVE gaining knowledge...make it just plain fun. Here's one entry from 2006 when I planned out incorporating Runescape into the summer fun.

<<===========================>>

Kids don't automatically know what they'll like.

If you have a coolio idea for a fun summer project and your kids respond with less enthusiasm than Hulk Hogan taking aerobics from Richard Simmons (doesn't he look young there?), stay the path! As a parent, you probably have a far superior grasp on just what would be fun than your kids (as most kids' idea of fun is, super-glue me to the video game, please!)."

<<===========================>>

Be more fluid than a overflowing bathtub that was filled with 4,295,824 Transformers that blocked the drain when necessary!

Summer was meant to relax and recharge your kids from the stress of the school year. And while that DOESN'T mean, let your kid grow mold on their toenails from vegging out in front of the TV for 38 hours every day, it DOES mean, take it easy.

Set up your daily/weekly plans but don't fret your blood pressure to Mt. Vesuvius levels if things don't go according to schedule! Always be willing to turn on a dime.

And that brings me to:

What kind of summer will you offer your kids?

What excitement awaits your children?

What do YOU think summer should be for kids?

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Work, study, work, study, work....

lingstar says:

Life is tough, deal with it. Well, maybe not ALL the time.... :)

Posted June 10, 2009

Relax, play, relax, play, relax....

luvmyludwig says:

My 9 year old spends summers with his dad and they play, relax, repeat. I'll be spending the summer with my two year old having all kinds of fun and missing the 9 year old.

Posted June 11, 2009

 

Summer Camp Component #1 - Math!

Find X

Nerd that I am, I love math. Can't do it to save myself, mind you, but I adore math...and want to ensure that my kids do NOT have the problems with math I had myself when growing up!

Thus, I putter around various and sundry fun math sites and put together great activities for the family to do. Some of the sites I use are:

Beat the Calculator - This teaches kids how to do math in their heads.

Math Stories - Nice word problems you can give and change to help teach your children of the art of turning English into Math and then solving it.

Living Math - Great bridges built between math and history, math and science, math and living, math and life!

Want other ways to make math fun? Check out:

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Neat Math Tricks

There's an amazing amount of goodies you can do with math - just look at:

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Speaking about math, revel in:

Okay, perhaps I'm showing my age but I burst out laughing every single time I see this!!

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Summer Camp Component #2 - Dance Dance Revolution!

Dance Dance Revolution, or DDR, is an exergaming thingee in which you and your kids move their feet according to arrows on a TV screen. It's amazingly energetic and really gets the exercise in!

Here are some useful resources for that:

DDR Fit Club - Ignore the forums (they're all spam) but read everything else! It shows how parents can use DDR as well as their kids (and lose weight too!).

Get up And Move! - these are forums for DDR and exercise.

DDR Tips -nice collection of DDR guides and resources.

Does DDR sound interesting to you? Check out:

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Nifty neat Dance Dance Revolution Examples

Want to see how DDR really looks? Here are some DDR Extreme clips for your enjoyment.

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Think it's too tough? Check out this 5 year old doing DDR!

Obviously he's channeling the Ancient Deity of DDR. :)

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Summer Camp Component #3 - Science!

Science Diva

Science just plain rocks! There are soooo many things you can do with science and your kids...the mind just boggles. Some great science links include:

Fun Science Projects - Diet coke/mentos, Invisible Ink and more!

Steve Spangler Science - 'way cool categories!

Fun Science Projects - How to grow your own crystals

Alas, our crystal gardens never did take off (they looked more like crystalized mold) but hey, it was fun. :)

Here are some fun science projects you can get right now:

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Science fun videos!

It's really amazing what you can achieve with science projects. Take for example:

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Personally, this is what I want to do.....

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Summer Camp Component #4 - Kids Make Money Online!

kids make money online

Yes indeed, a HUGE component of this year's Camp Ling will be making money online.

Actually, that's secondary - my first priority is for my kids to start branding themselves online. You really can never start too soon! And since they are constantly craving thingees on which Mom will NOT waste HER OWN money...they have an added interest in making their own. :)

So! I'm starting them off first with building their own blog and then their own Squidoo pages. Here are some of the resources I'm showing to them:

How to Set Up a Blog for Beginners - Step by Step

bdkz's Best Squidoo Tips - Collection of the best how-to's for Squidoo

How kids can make money on the Internet - Lots of resources for further kids making money online

I'm current running a special Private Inner Circle on my Income Fitness forums entitled Kids Make Money Summer 2009. It costs only $10 for three months, and I'll be sharing all of my tricks and tips for parents to do the same thing with their children.

Summer Camp Component #5 - Creative Writing and Art!

I really belive that being able to hold one's attention and communicate critical ideas is crucial to success. Thus, a big part of Camp Ling is creative writing and art - the stories my kids write and the pictures they draw....I sometimes have to wonder just how my husband and I managed to create them!!

Need some creative writing goodies? Here are some available right now!

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Summer Camp Component #6 - Museums and Amusement Parks!

It's not a summer unless the kids enjoy their museums, their fun parks and lots more!

A great way to find neat happenings in your area is to search for

STATE "things to do"

ie,

TX "things to do"
FL "things to do"
CT "things to do"

Just substitute in your state abbreviation in the above links and away you go!

I've found mineral dumps, rivers that hide sharks teeth and much much more that way.

Of course, you can also look for discounts online, like the following!

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And that's Camp Ling - what do you think?

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And THAT'S a brief glimpse into Camp Ling!

Please feel free to share it with your network...I'll bet they'll get a kick out of it too. Oh, and if you get a chance, if you enjoyed reading this lens, might you rate it up top? I very much appreciate your time, thanks!

Share This! widget code was learned from the post: Squidoo Shameless Plug Widget. Credit - GreekGeek

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  • Reply
    shajo Jul 26, 2009 @ 7:41 pm | delete
    Sound like a fun camp! You can also incorporate learning into those fun park or field trips. One of the things they do here at school is go to Colonial Williamsburg, History, Yes! but Math? Yep...they take pictures of all the different angles and shapes of the historic buildings and come back and make a book labeling the shapes and angles. Great ideas to keep the kids busy and learning over the summer!!
  • Reply
    lingstar Jun 12, 2009 @ 4:51 am | in reply to luvmyludwig | delete
    Mine too! Math is one of the best things anyone can know.
  • Reply
    lingstar Jun 12, 2009 @ 4:50 am | in reply to a_willow | delete
    Thanks so much! I started my boys on Camp Ling when they were 2, so it will happen soon.... :)
  • Reply
    ulla_hennig Jun 12, 2009 @ 4:42 am | delete
    I haven't got children, but I think this is a great lense - regarding the content and the material and how you built all that together!
  • Reply
    luvmyludwig Jun 11, 2009 @ 12:36 pm | delete
    Love the idea of this. I wish I had my 9 year old through the summers, me and my 2 year old do activities like this as he gets older. I love the math section, it's my son's best and favorite subject.
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lingstar

Life...it's Character-Building! 
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