Summer ’16 Part 1

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It was a busy summer with camps but we also found some time for family fun too.

img_4366York Beach is our favorite place- whether we go with friends or just the four of us. There’s nothing like sitting on a beach chair on a hot summer day with your feet in the sand, sound of the waves and watching the kids splash and have fun. And then there’s ice cream. Or, rather, cookie dough with a side of ice cream. I would go every weekend if I could.

img_3958Great Wolff Lodge was on our to do list for a while. It’s a great indoor water park that includes lots of family activities like bowling, and arcade, mini-golf and games. We were able to go for a night and squeeze in two fun days. The kids had fun on the slides but seeing them in a setting with a lot of activities for younger kids made me realize how old they are getting. They weren’t into the characters or the character themed things. But they certainly loved exploring on their own!

img_4240On a perfect Saturday that was not too hot we went to Canobie Lake. Unfortunately it happened to be the day after Chris hit his head at work and had a concussion so he wasn’t able to go on the rides. But he was a good sport and hung out with us. Brendan was tall enough to go on some rides including sitting in the first car of the Yankee Cannonball. Aidan went on the Star Blaster with me. It was a pretty great day!

img_4490We wrapped up summer by going to the Cape Codder for a couple of days. We started out at the Cape Cod Inflatable Park. I took a complete dive on the zip line but the kids loved it. We spent the day at the new indoor park at Great Wolf Lodge and visited the Cape Cod Potato Chip Company. We finished our visit with a trip to Water Wizz- on my birthday! I love that the kids still like going there with us. And I love that we had some time to relax as a family before school starts.

August with Brendan

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img_4164Last summer Brendan was very busy- with summer camp, an extra show, a short movie and then starting a new professional show just before school started. It was a lot but he loved every minute. That show was the first of three professional shows Brendan was part of during the school year, in addition to five shows with 4th Church. Bren asked that after Studio 3 ended if he could not have anything planned so that he could do auditions (including going to New York). So August was dubbed “camp Mom.”

img_4100In addition to the audition trips to New York (which were very fun!) we spent a bunch of time hanging out. Mostly Brendan really wanted to play in his room, create shows, design costumes, work on hair styles on me and just generally be creative. Occasionally I got him go out to lunch with me (99 is a fave) a few times. It was very chill and fun to hang out. He loves to shop too! And a favorite outing…pedicures!

Aidan’s Summer Camps

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Aidan had a summer full of learning and interesting things. Some programs were new and others were places he had been before. Some he really enjoyed, others not as much. But like Aidan always does, he made the best of each opportunity.

IMG_3727IMG_3721Aidan started his summer at MIT. He loved last summer’s classes there and this year chose Mobile Game Design. He had a great teacher and created some fun games!

 

IMG_3814Then he went to Northeastern for two weeks. He was chosen to participate in a middle school program through the Center for STEM education. He had to apply, write and essay and have his teachers send recommendations. 32 students were chosen from 500 applications! The focus of the two weeks was building a sustainable city. At the end of the two weeks the groups presented their cities to family and friends both through presentations and posters. The topics included solar power, wind, water, optimal transportation methods and more. ThIMG_3809ere will be opportunities for the students to work with Northeastern in the future too.

At BC High Aidan took a Scratch course. He had worked on the program before and really enjoyed it. Having a week to focus on coding and building projects was a real highlight. As was playing Pokemon Go during breaks!

The last camp Aidan participated in was at the Museum of Science. He has gone to camps there in the past but this year was his most disappointing. The class focused on designing projects and experiments like they do in the museum, which he found interesting. Unfortunately not all the participants were as engaged as Aidan was and that frustrated him.

Overall it was a pretty good summer of learning and lots of time mixed in for some fun too!