Day Trips in the Waning Days of Summer Vacation
Usually in August, the kids begin to get bored with summer vacation. Rather than giving in to boredom, families can take advantage of these last few weeks before school begins by using this precious time for day long trips. These trips don’t have to be costly like a vacation. Here are a few of the day trips I take with my children and grandchildren.
Nature Hikes
We are so blessed to have a multitude of county, state and national parks close by. As my grandchildren have gotten older, we increasingly enjoy spending time together on day long hikes. Our special place is Yosemite. We wake up very early so that we can leave home by 5:00 a.m. and arrive at Yosemite by 9:00 a.m. That gives us a full day to enjoy the phenomenal beauty of the park. We walk through Yosemite Valley or take a trail up to one of the falls. After a full day and a long drive home, we get home quite exhausted, but grateful for the experience.
A Trip to the City
Another treat for my grandkids is spending the day in San Francisco. Since our family immigrated to the city in the 1920s and the 1940s, and many of us grew up there, it is a special place for us. We may spend the whole day in one of our favorite areas in the city: the downtown shopping area, Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, or the Mission District. We also enjoy driving by the places where our family used to live, work and play. While my grandchildren enjoy the activities in San Francisco, they learn a little family history as well.
How about you?
Where are the places that hold special meaning for your family? What beautiful places would you like to share with your children or grandchildren? You can take day long trips to these special places without spending a lot of money. These trips can become memorable time together. You’ll also beat the end of summer vacation boredom.
With love and affection,
Rosemarie
Copyright (c) 2017 by GenParenting
Rosemarie Pérez has worked with English learners and their families in public education for more than twenty years. She has served as a bilingual teacher, professional developer, and district administrator. Administrative roles included serving as the Director of English Learners for an elementary school district and as a Coordinator of Reading and Language for the San Mateo County Office of Education. Rosemarie continues to work with families as she leads the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Parent Engagement Initiative during the past three years. Ms. Pérez provides expert guidance to teachers, school site staff, and school administrators in creating culturally sensitive parent training modules and academic curricular units. She facilitates parent education and Common Core Standards workshops. Engaged parents are further trained to become parent leaders and advocates. Rosemarie is the mother of five adult children and three grandchildren.
We just spent a wonderful weekend vacation with our grandchildren as tourists in San Francisco. Noteworthy sights included visiting the batteries at Baker Beach, walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting Fort Point, walking through China Town and eating Chinese food, riding a cable car, and visiting the historical ships located near Fisherman’s Wharf. Most of our activities were free as we used a senior national parks membership card!
That’s wonderful! What a great memory you created for your grandchildren. What a great benefit we have when we reach 62 years of age, that we can get lifetime card to enter into national parks for free.