Oklahoma City family fun is here for the summer.
This is the week where pretty much every year I look at our schedules and think “Wow, this school year went fast. So this summer thing is really happening. Next week. Gosh, that’s soon. So, after Friday, the kids will be here all day. Oh my. We need sidewalk chalk and bug spray and day camps. I have to worry about ticks and snow cones and things to do. Where are we enrolled? What’s happening now? Our routine is dying. It’s practically gone. Must find new routine.”
I don’t do well with uncertainty. 
I’ve steadily prepared for this year’s gap by enrolling for Vacation Bible School and some camps. Cue the “One Hundred and Four Days of Summer Vacation” song from “Phineas and Ferb.”
Some unscheduled time is important to have too. I understand that but it’s not what I’m good at. I have four items left on our summer to-do list: sign up each family member for the Metropolitan Library System’s annual reading program, finish my oldest son’s middle school enrollment, renew all the passports and find one more summer camp they can all attend that isn’t too far away/expensive and can accommodate all ages in our family: 11, 6 and 3.
That last item is no small task.
Whether you just started your summer planning or you’ve been anticipating these 12 weeks, give or take, of unstructured time since last year, there are ways to make this year the best break ever.
Here are six summer resources that bring you the best of all things local:
- 100 Days of Summer Fun: Click here to sign up for a PDF download that will give you all 100 days in one place.
- Camps and activities: The variety of camps available for niche interests and just something to do during long summer days surprises me every year. Click here for our Summer Camps & Activities Directory. Need consistent childcare this summer? Check it out for that too. We’ll also publish a “camps that still have room” list in a couple weeks. Click here to get it by email, along with all our other upcoming summer-related content.
- Vacation Bible School: VBS can be an ideal thing for kids and they can be a good way to try out a new church community as well. Click here for this year’s listing.
- Water fun: The first time I saw a thermometer register 120 was in Oklahoma City. We’ll be spending a fair amount of our summer evenings at the pool. Click here for our Guide to Splash Pads, Pools & Lakes in OKC.
- Family Favorites: Each year, our readers choose the best of the best in local schools, restaurants, businesses and services. If you need something this summer and aren’t sure what rises to the top, click here for the annual list.
- 50 summer things to do under $5: You need this list. Even if you think your summer is totally planned out, you know there’s that ordinary Wednesday when no one is happy. That’s when you find all the sandals, throw everyone in the car and go beat the heat with something unexpected but that isn’t going to break the bank.
The six lists above are only some of what’s covered right here in our season’s best list. Click and you’ll find way more than I could possibly talk about today, from local snow cone vendors to road trip ideas and street festivals.
I wish you a happy end of the school year. May your floors stay clean, your sunscreen stay smooth and your iced coffee remain stronger than your children.
Wish me luck too! We’ve added an infant this year and it’s going to be memorable with four under 12. I’ll need to step out where everyone can run wild and free, maybe even me. See you at the park!
