That’s it, summer. We’re going to the beach! We’re going to bury our feet in the sand. Build sandcastles. Toss rocks into the water. Chase the waves. Body surf. Swim. Float. Throw mud. Dive under water like we’re a dolphin. We’re going to play all day!

Are you with us?

Share your favourite thing to do at the beach in the comment section.

[divider]

When Old is New Again: Medieval Reenactments

Know what’s cool? There are adults out there who dress up in medieval garb and reenact battles, fights, and events from medieval times. They fight for the honour and hand of young fair maidens. They poke, slash, prod, and defeat their enemy. Knee to the ground and they are “dead.” Up they pop again to battle another opponent moments later.

Tournaments. Demonstrations. Lessons. Entertainment!

Swords. Arrows. Horses. Dancing. Feasts. Stories. Banquets. Fun.

Know what else is cool? Sometimes on days like today–Independence Day in the US–folks perform these medieval reenactments for crowds at festivals and fairs for free. And sometimes they set up HUGE events complete with medieval food. It’s a whole medieval world that will draw in your kids and amaze them. Dazzle them. Boost their curiosity about the past. Their imagination about what life used to be like. And entertain them to no end.

So what are you doing today? Will you see any Medieval Reenactments on your Fourth of July adventures?

P.S. Medieval Times anyone? It’s a regular tournament and banquet in many North American cities. Enjoy!

Have you ever been to the horse races? Last year they started a horse race track near where we live. So of course I had to check it out and take the kids to the horse races!

And yes, some of you might be aghast and thinking: You took your kids to the track!!??

Yes. Yes, I did. And it rocked.

Here’s Why The Track Rocked

Taking the kids to the horse races was a one of a kind experience. Not only was it free to watch the races, we toured the barns to see all the horses, jockeys, and the “bikes.” (I’m not a 100% sure we were allowed to do that, but we acted like we were supposed to be there and stayed out of the way and nobody said anything. So maybe?)

We sat in the front row. We sat in the back row. We sat way up in the air conditioned building where the announcer was. (Well, not in his booth, but up in the building where we could see him through a window.)

Not only that–they gave us free ice cream! What could be better than that?

Pretty much nothing.

We people watched. We hung out. We took in everything. It was all a new experience.

It was a great way to spend an hour. And no, we didn’t place any bets. But we did try to guess which horse was going to be the fastest. We weren’t very accurate. But it was a fun challenge for us and a nice little game to play.

So what are you doing today? Maybe there is something you would never consider doing with the kids that might just turn out to be an awesome family activity. Like taking the kids to the horse races.

Give it a shot and…

Enjoy!

Over to you: Share a story of somewhere you went that didn’t seem like a “family” place or was “backstage” that ended up being a pile of fun. I love hearing about stories of the unexpected!

[divider]