That Parent Place » Cheap Summer Activities: Going to the Beach

Jul 16 2008

Cheap Summer Activities: Going to the Beach

Published by sirenavs at 12:53 am under Summer Outings

This is probably an easy summer activity to figure out and I probably don’t need to go too much into it but I will anyway.

I guess the main point before I launch into this cheap summer activity is that you need to have a beach near you to make this work. Whether this is an ocean beach or a lake front beach doesn’t matter, you simply need some nice place to prop a blanket, some cool water to play in and a nice warm day to make the whole package enjoyable.

This is actually a common activity for me and my family every summer. We start as soon as the days are warm enough and try to get out to the beach two or three times a month. We find that it is rather inexpensive and you can enjoy a full day of activities.

Generally, I like to mix in some hiking with this activity since I’m not a big fan of sitting on a beach and tanning. The hike works up a sweat and then the afternoon is spent frolicking in the cool waves and enjoying a nice picnic that always seems to evolve into a feeding frenzy and photo opp with the gulls.

If you are planning a day at the beach, here are a few suggestions of things to bring along:

Sun Screen: Don’t forget to bring some good sunscreen and to reapply every time you get out of the water. For more on sunscreen safety read this post.
A Great Picnic: Good food, sunshine, great conversations, laughter, sand, angry sea gulls screeching at you because you didn’t toss them a cheesy…ah, heaven. Okay, maybe not the sea gulls but everything else is great. Pack foods that don’t have a lot of packaging and something that can be eaten easily without too much worry over sand. Also, never pack anything with mayonnaise since it can spoil very quickly in a picnic basket and cause food poisoning.
Handy Wet Naps: Never leave home without them, especially when you are at the beach. Clean off little fingers before they are licking chips and whatever else they have picked up at the beach.
Sand Toys: I have forgotten these several times and although we made due with exploring, we missed out on the all important sand castle building during the trip.

And bring whatever else that you feel you need. We have a beach umbrella but find it more of a hindrance than anything and we occasionally bring a wagon to pull our gear down to the beach (something that’s seemed to multiply with each child).

Lastly, enjoy the spontaneity that a beach trip can create. Explore the tidal pools, dig up clams, and climb up sand dunes to simply see what was on the other side. One of the best trips to the beach for me was a spontaneous trip after a hiking trip. I hadn’t brought any swimsuits but that didn’t stop the kids and my husband from going in with only their shorts on. After watching them from the shore for about a half hour, I had finally had enough, threw off my running shoes, socks and then waded into the cool water to dive beneath the waves. Others on the beach looked at me like I was a lunatic but my kid’s laughed, splashed me with water and said, “You are so cool, Mom.”

Definitely a memory worth keeping.

Sirena Van Schaik

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