Summer fatigue can happen – your kids have all the time in the world and suddenly YOU have to fill it! Here are some fun ways to keep your child active, engaged and excited while school is out of session. In this blog post you’ll learn some fun summertime activities for various age groups, in addition to some activities we implement here at 9th Bridge summer camp.
Activities for toddlers－2 years old
Tie Dye Day－
Tie dye never goes out of style! Parents, hosting a tie dye day is a fun, hands on activity perfect for all ages and a good learning opportunity for younger kids who are still learning their colors! Stores like Amazon, Michaels Store, Walmart , JOANN Fabrics and Crafts have tie dye kits readily available to make the planning and doing process more streamlined.
To get started, purchase the following supplies:
- 100% Cotton Clothing
- Gallon-sized zip plastic bags
- Rubber Bands
- Rubber Gloves
- Paper Towels
- Water
- Squirt Bottles
- Tie dye kits
How to tie dye in 5 easy steps:
- Get set up－ Gather all of the supplies that are mentioned above along with whatever article of clothing you are going to tie-dye. Pro tip: Cover your work space with a plastic table cloth to avoid an extra mess!
- Prepare Your Ink－ Set up the tie dye kits according to the directions.
- Prepare Your Shirt－ Have the kids dampen each of their article of clothing with water and then have them choose a tie dye pattern. Let their individuality and creativity shine! You will need a multitude of rubber bands for this step. Click here to learn how to create different tie dye patterns.
- Ink the Shirt－ Once the pattern is picked, both children and parents can assist with squeezing ink onto the shirt. Once finished tie dying the whole article of clothing, place it in a plastic bag and seal for 24 hours to allow the ink to set into place.
- Rinse, Wash & Enjoy－ Parents, you’ll have to help with this step! Put on a pair of rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands and remove the shirt from the plastic bag. Rinse with cold water with the rubber bands still in place until the water runs clear of the dye. Remove all rubber bands, rinse again, then machine wash and dry the shirt on the hottest setting. Pro tip: Don’t combine this load with any valuables in case any dye bleeds! Once dry, your tie dye shirt is ready to wear and enjoy!
Attend an Event at Historic Fifth Street School －
Fifth Street School formally known as the Las Vegas Grammar School is located in downtown Las Vegas and offers galleries, public art, a plethora of performances and events. At 9th Bridge summer camp, we are taking a walking field trip to see the Lucky Band performance on 7/25, if you are interested in taking your child click here for showtimes and ticket prices. To discover more events held at Fifth Street School click here!
Watch a Movie －
Luckily, plenty of kid-friendly movies are coming out this summer. Check out alternative events like the dive-in movies at The Cosmopolitan or Sunset Cinema at Downtown Container Park if you’d prefer to enjoy your movies with some fresh air, even the Eclipse Theaters if you’re looking for a luxurious dinner-and-a-movie experience! Here are up and coming movie dates to mark on your calendars!
The Lion King － July 19
Dora and the Lost City of Gold － August 9
The Angry Birds Movie 2 － August 16
***9th Bridge Tip: Make movie time interactive by asking students to talk about their favorite part afterward. Here are some other writing prompts/discussions parents can use with their kids after movie time:
- Decide their own ending. Have kids discuss how they would end the movie if they could choose a different ending.
- Pretend they’re a character in the movie, what would their role be? Create the scene.
- Have your kids become a film critic. Would it get 5-stars why or why not?
Farmers Markets in Las Vegas －
At 9th Bridge, our school garden is a hit! Having access to fresh veggies and the people who grow them is a valuable asset for students to learn how things grow and about what they put into their bodies. This summer season try shopping at a farmers market to introduce your child to locally grown foods. Listed below are Farmer Markets available to the public across the valley, for more options click here. Encourage your child to ask the vendors about where their food comes from, or what their favorite thing to grow is and why.
- Downtown 3rd Farmers Market
Friday’s 9 a.m. － 3 p.m.
300 N. Casino Center Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 953- 4321
- Las Vegas Farmers Market @ Floyd Lamb Park
Hosted 10 a.m. － 2 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month
9200 Tule Springs Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89131
(702) 562- 2676
- Downtown Summerlin Farmers Market
Saturday’s 9 a.m. － 2 p.m. under the Pavilion
2025 Festival Plaza Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89135
(702) 832- 1000
- Farmers & Makers Market at Tivoli Village
Saturday’s 9 a.m. － 2 p.m.
302 S. Rampart
Las Vegas, NV 89145
(702) 900-2552
Activities for children 3－4 years old
DISCOVERY Children’s Museum －
If you couldn’t tell already, we at 9th Bridge School love hands-on learning. The Discovery Children’s Museum is the perfect type of interactive place to take your kid this summer! Their vision is to inspire every child to become an innovative thinker through the joy and wonder of hands-on DISCOVERY. General admission for all ages is $14.50 but NV residents get a discounted ticket price of $12.50 with valid photo ID! To learn more or buy your tickets now, click here.
Story Time at the Library －
Many libraries in the Clark County School District (CCSD) offer weekly story time events designed for children and parents to come and enjoy a group reading session. If your child is starting to learn how to read or is interesting in reading, this could be an ideal weekly summertime activity for you! Click here to watch our Founder Connie Yeh give tips on how to read WITH your child, not to them. A tip we use at 9th Bridge to keep our students engaged is having them read 75% of a story, then stopping a few pages short to have them write their own ending! Click here to view the library youth event calendars.
Take a trip to the Bellagio－
The Bellagio, located on the Las Vegas Strip, offers multiple free attractions available to the public that are perfect if you’re looking to get out of the house with the family.
Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden－
Each season, along with the Chinese New Year, the Bellagio Conservatory team redesigns their 14,000-square-foot floral showcase. Currently the summer display is titled “La Dolce Vita”, the floral statues and designs reminiscent of Da Paolino, the Lemon Tree Restaurant on the isle of Capri. Below are dates set for this summer season:
Summer Display － June 22, 2019 － September 7, 2019
This breathtaking (and world-renowned) water show is located on the Strip side of the Bellagio and has choreographed routines to more than 30 different songs. Weekly showtimes listed below:
Monday－Friday: Shows begin every half hour from 3 － 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. － midnight.
Saturdays/ Holidays: Shows begin every half hour from noon － 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. － midnight.
Sundays: Shows begin every half hour from 11 a.m. － 7 p.m. and every 15 minutes until midnight.
Activities for kids ages 5+
Visit Downtown Las Vegas’ Container Park－
Experience Downtown Container Park, the ideal environment for both parents and kids! At 9th Bridge we find it important to utilize the learning opportunities within your city. Since we’re located in Downtown Las Vegas we take many field trips to Container Park, our students especially love visiting the Pixel Sticker Room! Explore the open-air shopping center filled with boutique retail shops, unique restaurants and live entertainment while kids can play on the interactive playground, The Treehouse. Container Park hosts kid-friendly events all summer long including their Sunset Cinema in the Park and Kids Camp series.
Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N －
At 9th Bridge we are always looking for alternative activities to engage in STEAM education. Located at Treasure Island, the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N is an interactive attraction focused on the history, science, engineering, genetics, technology and profiles of Captain America, Hulk, Thor and Iron Man. The goal is to interactively assemble case files on each of the characters and move on to become qualified members of the AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Click here to purchase your tickets now, prices listed below:
Adults － $34
Children － $24
Take a Hike －
It’s important to us at 9th Bridge to emphasis the importance of physical activity at a young age and making it a habit. These local Vegas Red Rock hikes are kid-friendly and a great way to keep your child active. Make it interactive by recording all the bugs and animals you discover along the way!
Lost Creek- Children’s Discovery
Distance: 0.60 miles
Average Time: 1hr
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Willow Spring Loop
Distance: 1 mile
Average Time: 1.25hrs
Difficulty: Easy
Petroglyph Wall
Distance: 0.20 miles
Average Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
We hope you all have a great summer break and look forward to seeing you in August for the 2019-2020 school year!
