Things to do in and around NYC
- Walk around the Lullwater at Prospect Park
- Get water squirters and have a water fight
- Visit a playground with a water feature (Imagination Playground, 3rd Street or Harmony Playground)
- Look for bats at dusk by the Prospect Park baseball fields
- Head to one of the Farmer’s Markets around the hood and make dinner
- Watch the sunset together as a family (Red Hook, Bear Mountain and Coney Island all have great views)
- Swim at one of the local pools or take a trip to Bear Mountain pool
Things to do anywhere
- Blow bubbles or make giant bubbles (find the recipe for giant bubbles below)
- Get the kids out of bed early in the morning and go to the beach to watch the sunrise (Coney Island works!).
- Go through your photos. Print out great ones to put up on the walls. Create an online album and print one out for each of your kids so they all have their own copy.
- Have an End of Summer Celebration and come up with some lifelong traditions (using some of the ideas above).
- Start a gratitude routine. Go around the room (dining table, campfire, etc.) and say what you are thankful for. You can start with “I’m grateful,” “I’m thankful” or “I appreciate” and choose anything about your life, family, friends, or summer highlights. Put these in a jar and read them at the end of the year.
- Have an "I’m excited for" routine where you can express what things you are looking forward to in the future.
OH! And square up with Summer Camp Counselors if you want to thank them for their hard work!
With school on the horizon
Talk about the upcoming school year to make the transition easier. Discuss with your kids how they'll make new friends, go to fun playdates, and have a great school year. If you have a PreK or Kindergartener there are dedicated groups on PSP with meetups by school. See our Tips for the First Day of School (including preparations!)
*Giant Bubble Recipe
1 cup Simply Dawn (not concentrated- very important!). some of the bodegas have this as does Home Depot (a big one cheap!)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp powered J Lube (maybe something you have on hand will work?) You can order this on Amazon (I don’t know of a local resource)
Giant Bubble Wand
Wooden dowels (our local hardware stores have these but so do Lowe’s and Home Depot)
String- baker’s twine works, but cotton clothe’s line works really well if you take out the center.
Rubber bands to attach string to the end of the dowels.
There are 3 basic types of wands on THIS page.
HAPPY END OF SUMMER!