In our household, a Staycation is anytime off that we dont go outside of the state limits. So no matter if we are Cleveland or Columbus, we count it as a Staycation in our book! This Summer was a little different than past summers as in we didn’t take a vacation. Even if we go away for a couple of days, we usually have something planned. However, this year it just wasn’t in the budget! I must admit I was a little down about it initially, but my children are young and they dont care if we are in town or out of town as long as we are having fun together!
We did get away to Columbus for a weekend, and it was a MUCH needed getaway…I just wish it was a little longer than a weekend!
When talking to other families, we weren’t the only ones in the same boat! High gas prices and financial uncertainty has many families staying at home instead of traveling for their vacation. Staycations are a fun way to share time with your family. You can have a staycation in the middle of summer or any other season. Try one of these staycation ideas to provide a fun home vacation.
Themed Staycation
Choose a fun and educational theme for your staycation adventure. Have you always wanted to visit Hawaii? Make some construction paper palm trees with the kids.
Mix up your own tropical punch with pineapple and cranberry juice. Your family will enjoy coming up with ideas for your staycation theme.
Educational Staycation
Pick a topic you want your family to learn more about. Spend your staycation reading books and watching movies about the topic. You could explore space and set up a telescope outside each night. Your family could learn about a new planet every night of the week during your staycation. Or you could learn about gardening and let your children plant their own seeds in cups or a garden in the backyard.
We haven’t done an Educational Staycation but we did lots of reading, working numbers and letters, and crafts this summer! Prepping for another year of Pre-school for DJ and Kindergarten for Emma!
The Tourist Staycation
While the New Yorker who has never seen the Statue of Liberty is a cliche, there are many of us who have never taken advantage of all there is to do in our own hometown or surrounding cities. Go online and see what is available in your area. A short hour drive could bring you to a wonderful day vacation spot. You can visit a new spot every day of your staycation.
At the end of July, we took a family trip to Columbus to the Columbus Zoo and Zoombezi Bay. This is a trip that we do yearly, however, this year we only did the waterpark! However, if you have never been you have to do both parts, both the Zoo and Waterpark.
We usually stay overnight because once you have been in the water all day you are too tired to make the drive back, however, in our first years of doing this we came back the same day. The kids absolutely LOVE IT when we go to the Columbus Zoo! We arrived at 11am and left around 4pm, they had fun in the water, ate pizza and they were pooped…MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!
Columbus Zoo and Attraction Tickets
Use Your Staycation to Explore Other Cultures
Immerse yourself in another culture during your staycation. Check out library books about the culture of your choice. Your family can do their best to stay “in character” during the staycation. This will teach children to value people of other cultures. You can even find a multi-cultural cookbook so that your family can work together to prepare a special meal each night of your staycation.
Explore the Great Outdoors During Your Staycation
When we moved earlier this year, we now have access to a couple of outdoor pools and an indoor pool! This was one of the perks that helped us in making our decision to move to this location. And let me tell you we have taken full advantage of all the perks! I can’t count the number of times we have been swimming. Its free fun (well included in our monthly rent), but we have had a great time enjoying the water! Our development has themed events that we go to as well, late night swim was our favorite because we could swim until almost 10pm because the pool was open and it was still daylight outside!
By our pool there is a pond that they designate fishing days, you can visit area lakes and fish with your family. It is inexpensive to visit area campgrounds and use the trails for a family hiking or biking outing. Your children can learn about nature by taking along a bird watching guide.
