Some photos from our first night in the beach house (over Memorial Day weekend). 8 families. 36 people. So much fun!
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
6/26/17
Places to Go (Vacation) - One Day at the Beach in 15 Photos (Nags Head, NC)
Some photos from our first night in the beach house (over Memorial Day weekend). 8 families. 36 people. So much fun!
8/6/14
Places to Go - Searching for Shark Teeth & Swimming in the Chesapeake Bay at Flag Ponds Nature Park (Lusby, MD)
Even though we've lived in DC for almost 10 years, this was our first day trip to the beach. Originally, I didn't really know where to go and then once I learned, I never managed to find the right time. But now that we've made the trek, we will most definitely return.
Originally we planned on visiting Calvert Cliffs State Park, but my friend read that Flag Ponds has more shark teeth and a shorter hike to the beach (only half a mile), so we changed the plan.
After a quick walk through the forest, we arrived to several shallow tide pools containing lots of mini fish and even a few egrets. Absolutely beautiful. After the kids wet their feet, we walked just a little bit further to the uncrowded beach [note - we went on a Monday, so I'm not sure how busy Flag Ponds becomes on weekends]. The water was bathtub warm, shallow, and, sort of perfect if you can forget about pollution problems in the Chesapeake Bay. (I personally chose to forget).
The boys attempted to catch fish in a bucket (it didn't work) and build a pirate ship out of driftwood (also a failure), while the girls searched for shark teeth and fossils (we found one tooth, then lost it in the water). All in all, we spent about 3 or 4 hours relaxing in the sun. And though the drive is long(ish) at 1.5 hours, the roadside scenery makes for a very mellow trip - lots of farm stands and forest, almost no traffic.
If you're interested in a visit, click here for more info on Flag Ponds. Admission costs $6 per car. The park also contains several trails, which we couldn't manage while carrying bags of beach boys, blankets, towels, and picnic lunches. But maybe next time?
Labels:
beach,
Flag Ponds,
Lusby,
Places to Go
6/12/13
30 EASY Things to Make & Do On A Beach Vacation with Kids (Besides Make Sandcastles)
This is a VERY random list, full of things that worked for us, most of which involved very little parental involvement.
If you're feeling the heat, perhaps it will give you a few ideas. And in the comments, please include your own EASY ideas. I'm always looking for suggestions . . .
Happy Wednesday, and don't forget to enter the Lensbaby giveaway!
I. OUTSIDE
1. Set Up A "Clubhouse" (aka, Sun Tent) - Put various buckets and shovels inside. Let them think it's their own secret place.
2. Fly a Kite
3. Go Fishing
4. Look for Sand Crabs. For extra fun, bring a dog.
5. Fill a Baby Pool with Water - Have the kids fill the pool, which requires numerous trips back and forth to the ocean. All while you sit in a lawnchair. Lazy wonderfulness.
6. Check out the Sunset (or, If You're Motivated, the Sunrise)
7. Learn to Bodysurf - I use the term "learn" loosely
8. Fly a Paratrooper
9. Search for Mermaid's Purses - The beach is always full of these, but they didn't seem that cool until we learned that some of them contain shark's eggs. Then the kids couldn't stop trying to find more and more.
10. Make a "Bad Guy" Trap - I'm not sure how this works, but T spent over an hour putting it all together. Apparently the nets are key.
11. Sandcasting - Instructions here.
12. Cartwheels - P basically never stops doing cartwheels. Just watching her exhausts me.
II. INSIDE
13. Burpee Contests (or Yoga) - Don't know what a burpee is? Click here. Try for as many as you can do in 10 minutes. I promise this will EXHAUST most children. If you're feeling more Zen, then yoga also works. I like the easy-to-follow routines in Morning Yoga Workouts
14. Karaoke - Be careful, this becomes annoying fast.
15. Categorize Seashells - I checked out Smithsonian Handbooks: Shells
from the library. So when the kids became bored, we'd go through the bucket and try to figure out what we had.
16. Dance Party - Taylor Swift seems to have replaced Katie Perry. Poor Katie.
17. Swimming Pool/Pirate Boat - Sort of like a box. But better.
18. Tell Ghost Stories in the Closet - P informed me that this works best if NO ADULTS are present, so just hand them a flashlight and bolt.
19. Become Pirates - Watch for bad guys out the window, use poker chips for booty. Count your booty, defend your boat, repeat.
20. Read Books
21. Celebrate - Kids love a party. Buy a cake. If you don't have an occasion, then make one up.
22. Mad Libs - If you ever want to hear F laugh at the top of her lungs, this is the trick.
23. When At Your Wits End, Take Out the Electronic Devices - Laptops, Kindles, Ipads, Iphones, Roku . . . this is why you own them.
I. ARTS AND CRAFTS:
24. Paint Seashells - My friend set up this activity and all the kids LOVED it (aged 3-8). I thought it would bore them after awhile, but all week more and more seashells became technicolor. If you don't feel like setting up paint, markers also work.
25. Melissa & Doug Paint With Water Books
- The pages come with paint already on them. Just add water. Easy peasy.
26. Make Beach Art - We brought along Land of Nod's Everyday Art Kit (the gift that keeps on giving) and when the kids complained of boredom we asked them to create beach souvenirs for our walls.
27. Paint & Decorate Mini-Beach Chairs (or anything else three-dimensional) - My friend bought the beach chairs at a craft store. All of the kids loved decorating them.
28. Sticker Art Mosaics (similar to these
) - Always a sure thing.
29. Line Drawings - Take a blank piece of paper. Use one marker to draw a frame. And then, using only one marker and never lifting it from the paper, make a continuous line drawing. Color in the different spaces when you finish.
30. Rely on Various Other Store Bought Activities - Here are photos of some of our emergency supplies (all of which are also great for car trips). The invisible ink books were a huge hit, as were the Barbie paper dolls. For additional ideas, check out the Island Bookstore in Corolla, which has one of the best kids' sections I've ever seen - lots of wonderful stuff, including doodle books.
If you're feeling the heat, perhaps it will give you a few ideas. And in the comments, please include your own EASY ideas. I'm always looking for suggestions . . .
Happy Wednesday, and don't forget to enter the Lensbaby giveaway!
I. OUTSIDE
1. Set Up A "Clubhouse" (aka, Sun Tent) - Put various buckets and shovels inside. Let them think it's their own secret place.
2. Fly a Kite
3. Go Fishing
4. Look for Sand Crabs. For extra fun, bring a dog.
5. Fill a Baby Pool with Water - Have the kids fill the pool, which requires numerous trips back and forth to the ocean. All while you sit in a lawnchair. Lazy wonderfulness.
6. Check out the Sunset (or, If You're Motivated, the Sunrise)
7. Learn to Bodysurf - I use the term "learn" loosely
8. Fly a Paratrooper
9. Search for Mermaid's Purses - The beach is always full of these, but they didn't seem that cool until we learned that some of them contain shark's eggs. Then the kids couldn't stop trying to find more and more.
10. Make a "Bad Guy" Trap - I'm not sure how this works, but T spent over an hour putting it all together. Apparently the nets are key.
11. Sandcasting - Instructions here.
12. Cartwheels - P basically never stops doing cartwheels. Just watching her exhausts me.
II. INSIDE
13. Burpee Contests (or Yoga) - Don't know what a burpee is? Click here. Try for as many as you can do in 10 minutes. I promise this will EXHAUST most children. If you're feeling more Zen, then yoga also works. I like the easy-to-follow routines in Morning Yoga Workouts
14. Karaoke - Be careful, this becomes annoying fast.
15. Categorize Seashells - I checked out Smithsonian Handbooks: Shells
from the library. So when the kids became bored, we'd go through the bucket and try to figure out what we had. 16. Dance Party - Taylor Swift seems to have replaced Katie Perry. Poor Katie.
17. Swimming Pool/Pirate Boat - Sort of like a box. But better.
18. Tell Ghost Stories in the Closet - P informed me that this works best if NO ADULTS are present, so just hand them a flashlight and bolt.
19. Become Pirates - Watch for bad guys out the window, use poker chips for booty. Count your booty, defend your boat, repeat.
20. Read Books
21. Celebrate - Kids love a party. Buy a cake. If you don't have an occasion, then make one up.
22. Mad Libs - If you ever want to hear F laugh at the top of her lungs, this is the trick.
23. When At Your Wits End, Take Out the Electronic Devices - Laptops, Kindles, Ipads, Iphones, Roku . . . this is why you own them.
I. ARTS AND CRAFTS:
24. Paint Seashells - My friend set up this activity and all the kids LOVED it (aged 3-8). I thought it would bore them after awhile, but all week more and more seashells became technicolor. If you don't feel like setting up paint, markers also work.
25. Melissa & Doug Paint With Water Books
- The pages come with paint already on them. Just add water. Easy peasy. 26. Make Beach Art - We brought along Land of Nod's Everyday Art Kit (the gift that keeps on giving) and when the kids complained of boredom we asked them to create beach souvenirs for our walls.
27. Paint & Decorate Mini-Beach Chairs (or anything else three-dimensional) - My friend bought the beach chairs at a craft store. All of the kids loved decorating them.
28. Sticker Art Mosaics (similar to these
) - Always a sure thing. 29. Line Drawings - Take a blank piece of paper. Use one marker to draw a frame. And then, using only one marker and never lifting it from the paper, make a continuous line drawing. Color in the different spaces when you finish.
30. Rely on Various Other Store Bought Activities - Here are photos of some of our emergency supplies (all of which are also great for car trips). The invisible ink books were a huge hit, as were the Barbie paper dolls. For additional ideas, check out the Island Bookstore in Corolla, which has one of the best kids' sections I've ever seen - lots of wonderful stuff, including doodle books.
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