10 Exciting Family Weekend Activities

10 Exciting Family Weekend Activities

Whether you’re basking in the summer sun, raking leaves in the fall, holing up for the winter or stopping to smell the roses in the spring, family weekend activities can offer rewarding experiences for every member of your household. And as it turns out, bonding time can even produce positive outcomes for your children later in life.

But if you’re running out of creative ideas for weekend excursions (and things to do while staying home), you’ve come to the right place.

At Camp Galileo, we’re passionate about encouraging play-based learning, creativity and downright fun for kids—and we want the same for the grownups in the room, too. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of eleven family weekend activities that are sure to be a hit no matter your age.

Exploring Local Attractions Together

First, let’s touch on some potential attractions that could host your next weekend trip. While you might not find opportunities like these in every town, you’d be surprised at what you can find right in your own community.

#1 Wildlife Sanctuaries

Local wildlife sanctuaries, rehabilitation centers or rescue facilities often offer exhibits, events and more for visitors. To find one near you, consider searching for “wildlife rehab [city name]”.

What should you know before you go?

  • Many wildlife sanctuaries accept cash donations instead of charging entry fees.
  • Check your local facility’s events calendar for special shows or story time readings.
  • Bring a lunch—not all of these facilities serve food like a traditional zoo would.

#2 Local Factory Tour

If your town is known for a unique production operation, consider calling the factory and asking for a tour—even if they don’t advertise tours, you might just unlock a special opportunity for your family!

Depending on where you live, you might be familiar with engaging factory tours in your area. A few examples include:

  • The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA
  • Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco, CA
  • Boeing in Everett, WA

Don’t be afraid to get creative when looking for family weekend activities– the worst your local factory can say is “No!”

#3 Power Plants and Science Facilities

Like manufacturing facilities or factories, power plants and scientific facilities may offer activities like:

  • Kid-friendly seminars or presentations
  • Tours
  • Career days

For example, Florida Power and Light’s Manatee Lagoon offers kids and their families the chance to see manatees up close; the sea cows gather next to the warm water outflows of FPL’s clean energy power plant, giving viewers a unique opportunity to observe these protected mammals.

Again, all you need to do is call up your local facility to discover the special opportunities near you.

Outdoor Excursions for Adventure

If your family loves spending time in nature, consider some of the family weekend activities below—you might just find a new favorite spot for a picnic or birdwatching session!

#4 Hiking and Biking Trails

No matter where you live, there are probablytrails or bike paths in your area; all you have to do is find them, hop in the car (or onto your bikes) and head out!

These days, finding out about trails in your area is relatively simple. Many mobile apps (like AllTrails) give users the chance to filter trails by distance, difficulty and amenities (like public restrooms).

If you’re looking to extend your trail time, consider giving your kids a challenge. For instance, to spot as many different insects, birds or animals as possible.

#5 Geocaching

Like hiking and trail riding, geocaching is available worldwide—and it’s simple:

  1. Explore the Geocaching.com site or use their mobile app to find the approximate locations of caches (small treasure boxes) near you. Some of them require visitors to hike or bike to them; some are very well-hidden.
  2. Grab a few knick-knacks from around the house that you can bear to part with: fast food toys, fridge magnets and keychains are all popular options.
  3. Use your smartphone’s map app (or a handheld GPS device) to navigate to your chosen cache’s coordinates. Once you find the cache, you can sign its logbook, place your items in the cache and exchange them for a souvenir that someone else left in the box.

And, if you can’t find a geocache in your area, you can make one! All you’ll need is a secure, watertight container (like a coffee can), a pen, a few pieces of paper and some starter trinkets. Just hide your cache, log its coordinates on the Geocaching website and come back to visit the logbook to see who found your cache.

#6 Canoeing, Kayaking or Tubing

If you live near a body of water, consider putting together a canoeing, kayaking or tubing trip for your family. All you’ll need for this activity are:

  • Snacks and reusable water bottles
  • Sun Screen
  • Canoes, kayaks or inner tubes (and many public water bodies offer rentals)
  • Life jackets for any non-swimmers in your family

With just a few supplies and a sunny afternoon, you can hit the water and float to your heart’s content.

Family-Friendly Events and Festivals

What kinds of events should you keep an eye out for as you build your weekend agenda? The following events can be enriching for adults and kids alike.

#7 Farmers Markets

Farmers markets aren’t just the perfect place to pick up this week’s produce or peruse handmade products; they also offer parents an opportunity to talk to their kids about how the foods we eat (especially fruits and vegetables) are made.

In addition, a trip to the farmer’s market could spark conversations about:

  • Sustainability – Bringing your own bags and reusable water bottles to the market could lead to a chat about limiting plastic use.
  • Technology – Curious kids might want to know which fruits and vegetables are picked by hand vs. harvested with machines—and farmer’s markets give them direct access to ask those questions to farmers themselves.
  • Money management – Offering kids a budget and challenging them to pick out foods for an entire meal could serve as a lesson in financial responsibility and the value of the dollar.

#8 Art Fairs

Art fairs are also an exceptional weekend activity for kids and grown-ups alike. Many offer both:

  1. Kids activities – Craft tables at art fairs give kids a chance to create something of their own (after getting inspired by the artists’ booths around them).
  2. Lessons geared toward adults – Some art festivals offer mini-classes and craft opportunities for adults, too—the kids aren’t the only ones who might take home a new creation from an art fair.

Plus, vendors at art fairs can answer your kids’ most pressing questions about their art; like the materials they use, their techniques and their creative inspirations.

Creative Indoor Weekend Projects

Whether the forecast is calling for rain or you just feel like staying home, you can still plan an engaging weekend activity for your family without leaving the house.

#9 Room Redecoration

Looking to spark your kids’ creativity, challenge their spatial awareness skills and give them a chance to customize their space? Consider challenging them to “redecorate” their rooms.

While this might sound labor-intensive, it doesn’t have to be—there’s no need to head to the hardware store for paint or new flooring. Instead, suggest kid-friendly “renovations” like:

  • Finding creative ways to rearrange their furniture
  • Hanging their own artwork or photos on the walls
  • Moving lamps to different locations to experiment with new lighting styles

You can even browse the internet for inspiration before you get started.

#10 Making a Flag

If you have a medium or large piece of poster board, butcher paper or even plain fabric, you can make a flag with your family—make one flag as a group or, if you have enough materials, challenge everyone to make their own individual flag.

To kickstart the creative process, take a look at some flags online. If they’re still not sure what to put in their flag, suggest:

  • Their favorite colors
  • A picture of their favorite animal, plant or food
  • A background pattern (e.g., stripes or polka dots)
  • Their name or an inspiring motto

Depending on what they’re made of, you can display your flags indoors or outdoors.

Camp Galileo: Discover Fun for Kids K-8

Putting together family weekend activities isn’t just a chance to spend time with your nearest and dearest—it’s also an opportunity to spark conversations about science, the environment and how the world around us works.

These are just a few of the concepts that inspire us at Camp Galileo— From kindergarten to 8th grade, Camp Galileo provides kids with hands-on, educator-led STEAM activities, outdoor adventures and more. We also provide a Counselor In Training program for 8th-10th graders at select locations.

Ready to unlock an entire week of summer fun? Enroll at Camp Galileo now.

 

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