15 Fun Ways to Celebrate Summer with Kids

Are you ready for summer?

I bet you are!

As June steps in and school will soon be over, I guess everyone is excited to welcome summer break. Particularly the kids. And the parents as well.

So, what are your kids doing this Summer? 
For many of us,  summer time with the kids is a time to enjoy the outdoors, the sunshine and if you're lucky the ocean.

My family loves that!

As much as kids love Summer holidays, keeping them busy can be a real chore! 
If you've not got the luxury of a Summer camp then it's up to you as parent to find things for the youngsters to keep busy with.

Failing that, your kids might spend all their time in front of a computer, tablet, phone or other screen and research has shown that spending too much time in front of a screen can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of children.

Studies have shown that taking part in nature-based activities helps people who are suffering from mental ill-health and can contribute to a reduction in levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. In fact, a daily walk in nature has showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression.

One in four people are estimated to experience bouts of mental ill health and it's on the rise. Prescription medication of antidepressants are also at a record high level and the demand for more invasive treatments are also on the rise. Health and social care commissioners are examining and commissioning different options for cost effective services for mental health and one of these options is a daily walk of 90 minutes or more. We need to learn from the past when kids got excited to spend their time climbing trees and building dens rather than spending hours inside.

Joe at Nature Rated understands this all too well and has put together an infographic on 15 Summer activities to help your kids appreciate nature.

This is what it looks like and enjoy...

From baking a blackberry pie to constructing a pond or insect hotel, there's plenty for the youngsters to get up to. Head on over to his site for step by step instructions to get your kids out and about enjoying nature.

Hope that works!
Happy summer, everyone..

About the author:

An outdoor enthusiast, Joe Black is the lead editor at Nature Rated; a website which rates and reviews the best outdoor gear for people who quickly want to know what to get. He believes in no fluff, to the point reviews, which help you choose the right gear for your next adventure.

Whenever daily life gets him down he heads to the nearest lake or river with his kayak and camera spending time recharging his batteries.

WW: Summer is On

Already at the 3rd week of June and summer is on!
NYC is getting warmer and warmer these days.
After experiencing 12 degrees C last week, this week we have a blasting sun at 34 degrees C, almost 3 time hotter than last week!

As we continue to observe the Holy Month of Ramadhan, we have quite some time to spare before we can have ifthar and enjoy food and drinks again at 8.30 PM.

We have been visiting the Factory Outlet at Woodbury, enjoying some early sales for Father's day. 

Then I took the time to declutter my beauty products at home.

Apparently, I am a beauty junkie >_<

And finally, I took some time during my break to smell the rosees.
As I have posted before, the UN Rose Garden is one of my favorite spots to unwind amidst the never-ending meetings and negotiations at the UN.

What do you think, it's wonderful, isn't it?

Happy summer, everyone

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Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girl

Such a lovely week we have at the end of the school summer break.
As the Labour Day weekend is here, the weather gets nicer here in New York City.
Not too hot, not too cold.

But the most important thing is that we spent some quality time strolling around SoHo and enjoyed a leisure afternoon with a cup of yummy gelato and delicious Italian pastry in Little Italy.

cheers from Little Italy :)

We went shopping during the labour day and those crazy discounts were really tempting.
I love shopping so much we went back to the Factory Outlet twice during this weekend >_<.
Happy to get some new supplies for the kids for the upcoming school as well as winter. And some new colorful bags as well for mama :).

Happy shopping :)

And again, joining the Pokemon stampede in Central Park.
I know, I know...
It was crazy but I have to honestly say that my kids and I are really enjoying this crazy chase.

It was crazy but super fun :)

We walk a lot, have so much fun together, read more books (about Pokemon and more) more and feel happy. Now that we have caught many rare ones like Lapras, Pikachu, Dragonite, Snorlax and more.

And that's the end of summer break, kiddos.
This Thursday, they will go back to school and I bet they will have more fun there!

Meanwhile, let's party!

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Jones Beach, New York, in Pictures

We have been enjoying beautiful beaches  in NYC and the surrounding cities.

One of the latest one we visited was Jones Beach. Located in Wantagh, New York, it took us around 40 minutes by car to here.

Jones Beach is one of the state parks of the New York state and it's beautifully facing the Atlantic Ocean. Its wide open ocean and deep sea is pretty tempting to those who enjoy a good swimming session.

welcome to Jone Beach

Its soft, white sand beach streching around 6.5 miles or approximately 10.5 km in length certainly makes Jones Beach a popular destination in summer. There are six spots where you can get the parking spots and beautiful lines of beaches.
Jones Beach is also famous for its swimming pool at West Bath House pool. Too bad when we were there it was almost close, so we didn't to get a chance to try the pool.

care to swim with me?

Apparently, around 6 million people visit this lovely spot every year. When we were there on one sunny Saturday, it was quite packed with visitors enjoying beautiful day with the family and loved ones. Happy kids were running around and screams of joy were heard as people welcomed the cold waves of the ocean.

enjoying the wave

My kids truly enjoyed our time on this beach. Running and swimming around, taking pictures here and there, eating snacks and fruits, and even rolling down on the sand were parts of our itinerary that day. It was awesome!

Bo enjoying the beach

Bo et Obi at Jones Beach

mango time :)

Near the beach, there are a few cute wooden houses.

read the rules...

At the end of the day, we just sat down and enjoyed the sunset.

Glorious sky will always be fascinating to see. Always.

welcoming sunset

Join us on Skywatch Friday and enjoy beautiful skies from every corner of the world.

Strolling around Plumb Beach, Brooklyn

#summerisON in New York City.
And while trying to enjoy summer break which will soon end, indeed we need to look for places where the heat is not that painfully scorching.
The beach can be one of the alternatives for that. 
Of course timing is important as well, because if you are heading to the beach in the middle of the way while the sun is burning, then we might not enjoy it at all.

Last weekend, we were escaping the heat by strolling around Plumb beach, Brooklyn, right before sunset. 

We were thinking about playing in Rockaway Beach but since we went there last summer, we stopped at Plumb Beach instead.

welcome...

As we arrived just moments before sunset, we didn't swim but rather played on the beach. Bo et obi were simply running around with their water gun and pails.
I have to admit that the beach is not a typical white-sandy one and rather dirty with all those debris, but being out by the sea with beautiful sunset and the kids are the perks.

enjoying the beach

Here's a few snaps form our last stroll along the Plumb beach.

the shell...

in my purple batik :)

look what we found..

busy checking their pails :)

So, are you ready to join me strolling around Plumb Beach. Brooklyn?

Come down here :)

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