Summer is upon us. Like most parents we are saddled with a heat wave, work and trying to survive having your kids not in school. This leads parents to look for great staycation ideas to not only survive, but enjoy summer with our kids. After all, as they say we only have 18 summers with our kids right.
What is a Staycation?
A staycation basically means taking a vacation or break from work where you stay at home and explore your area rather than going abroad or long distances. A lot of staycations involve daytrips, home renovation projects and trips to local attractions. Basically, anywhere you can go to in a day trip, or if your inclined a short drive and you can stay overnight.
The reality is for the vast majority of parents we didn’t grow up with a fancy term like ‘staycation’. For us it was just a vacation. We didn’t have the finances available to go on trips to the next town over, let alone abroad. We picked berries, hiked, went to the beach, did all the things that now people are too busy to do and must plan to do.
For this summer, I decided to take advantage of living in a great city and explore with my family.
Staycation Ideas for the Whole Family
There is no limit to where you can go. Start with the ideas of things your family likes to do, and go from there.
Once you get thinking there is no limit to what you can do. Hop online or visit your local tourism office for an endless supply of staycation ideas. Looking for a few easy ones?
- Unplug. This is my favorite staycation idea. The tradition started after we once lost electricity. We enjoyed it so much we try to ‘unplug’ more. That means not being online or using electronic devices. If you want you can even go so far as to not use any electricity at all and enjoy time with flashlights or campfires. One of the best places to unplug is in Montreal walking around the Old Port.
- Explore new cultures. Why not visit Montreal’s china town and have some dim sum?
- Be spontaneous. Everything is so scheduled, especially if you have kids and they play sports. It can be nice to not know exactly what you are doing every minute. Open a map and drop a pin. Put ideas in a hat and pick one. Or our favorite, let everyone have a turn picking an activity for a day. It will be one of your greatest adventures.
- Try something new. Whether it’s something you have always wanted to try or something you never knew about but discover close to home, give it a try. Meditation in the park? Check out Mont Royal activities.
- Take a cooking class. Vacations are a great time to take a class. Metropolitan areas will have tons of options. If you are more remote, check with local grocery stores, restaurants and community centres. We love to take a cooking class and then invite people over the following week and make what we learned. For Montreal check out the Presidents Choice cooking classes which are great for all ages. If you want something a little higher end, check out Christian Faure classes.
- Take an art class. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts offers great art classes for teens and for kids too including 2 to 5 year olds.
Summer Activities for Kids
It’s hard to be a kid these days. Just because you aren’t going far away on vacation doesn’t mean they can’t have a fun summer staycation. Summer activities for kids can range to include whatever fits their interests, something educational or trying something new. Give them a wide range of possibilities to peak their interests. Even better offer them a few things they wouldn’t normally do and something getting out of the house might encourage them to try something new.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Give Back. Teaching your children to be kind and generous is always a great idea. During your staycation you can help out at a local community garden or local farm or other not-for-profit projects who may be seeking volunteers. The Concordia community garden is always looking for volunteers and it doesn’t matter if you have a lot or no experience.
- Get crafty. This doesn’t mean grabbing the glue and construction paper. Think bigger. A Staycation is a great time to do a family renovation project. Last summer my daughter helped me refinish table and chairs. She loved the time we spent together and learning that she can’t wait to create something else this summer. Michaels offers a wide variety of crafty classes for a lot of ages and interests.
- Get outside. Kids spend so much time on electronics and indoors, they sometimes forget to get active outside. Staycations are a great way to get your kids off the couch and in nature. Adventure farther than your local neighborhood park and perhaps try going for a hike or a bike ride in a Provincial or National park. Depending on your child’s age and skill level this may also be a great opportunity to let your children read the maps or try their hand at orienteering. Don’t forget water, sunscreen and bug spray! Why not rent a bixi bike and go for a ride? Or take a zipline in old port of Montreal? You can always get some fresh air while climbing a rope course above a Pirate Ship in downtown Montreal with Voiles en Voiles.
- Go Camping. This one doesn’t even require you to leave your backyard. If you do choose to leave your backyard there are a lot of parks and campsites offering everything from a basic campsite to glamping. An added bonus is that many also offer daily planned activities, swimming pools, running water and important for my son… toilets! Never been camping? Parks Canada can show you how to camp in downtown Montreal
- Visit a farm. Feeding lamas? These are all great ideas, as long as you haven’t done it before. One of our favorites is the bee farm of Intermiel.
- Play boardgames. We love games but sometimes it’s nice to get out too. More suited for older kids, but Le Colonel Moutarde for a fun night out or Randolph in the latin quarter. Just remember these are pubs so you can have a drink, but your kids have to be of age too.
This can be a great opportunity to explore the area where you live. You will be surprised what you can find. There is no limit to what you can do! You can always add new staycation trips for spring break, thanksgiving, Christmas and more.
