Spring break is right around the corner and can present a scheduling issue for parents who need to work.  The kids suddenly have loads of free time, but it's business-as-usual for parents.  So what easy things can we squeeze in?

If you've got more than one child you know it's hard to please them all at the same time.  They don't crave pizza in unison, and they rarely want to go bowling on the same day, so somebody is always upset about having to endure an activity that they didn't choose.  And that leads to the dreaded whine that a sibling "alwaaaays gets her way."  Yes, maybe because she's not a complainer.  Ha.

If you're staying in town for Spring Break, you'll find a bunch of activities that only take an hour or two, and this might make it easy for busy parents to work in a different outing every day with the kids.  And if the kids take turns picking the activity, everybody's happy.  In a perfect world anyway.

Spring Break Ideas If You're Not Traveling

1.  Utilize the library.  If you've got younger kids the storytimes are a win, and you can hang out afterward and look for books.  Older kids can launch into the newest popular book series, play games, or do a made-up internet scavenger hunt for fun facts and report back.

2.  Go bowling.  It's not the cheapest activity, but it's more active than some alternatives, and there's usually laughter involved.  The kids are off the couch and they're in a good mood, at least until there's a gutter ball.  Work that as long as you can.

3.  If the weather is nice, hit the park or the Greenbelt.  Fresh air cuts down on grouchiness and sibling fights, and again, it's active and gets their heart rates up for a few minutes.

The Intentional Mom has some ideas on her blog too.

--  Build car tracks on the floor with painters' tape.  The kids are part of the track design, and they can change it up daily if they want.  And then send the Matchbox cars through.

--  Make an indoor obstacle course.  Use chairs, bean bags, pillow, and anything else you have around the house to get the kids climbing on things in a semi-organized way.

--  Have a scavenger hunt.  Hide pens, stamps, socks, and toys around the house and the kids can come back to home base in the kitchen once they've collected all of the items.  This might be a good house-cleaning tactic too.

-- Pillow fight!  This will stress out the dogs because they'll think you're really hurting each other, but it will be fun for everyone else.

Carving out a little bit of time each day for Spring Break fun breaks up the routine and gives us something to look forward to.  And it might be even better if we team up with another family and have double playdates.  Bowling one day and the park the next.

Spring break for Boise Schools will be the week of March 23rd.  Two weeks left to plan!

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