Are You Afraid of the Fall?
I have a confession to make, though when I come clean, I’m sure many of you will silently agree. I used to fear the fall season, not because it meant that the long days of summer were over and I had to rake leaves. No, I lived in fear because it meant that I had to turn into an uber-planner and organize after-school activities for my three children – one a toddler, another in elementary school, and a tweenager. The toddler has boundless energy so physical activity is a must, the middle child loves anything sports, while the tween is mostly non-participative unless her four friends bless an activity as “cool”.
So when fall rolls around and we finish negotiating school outfits and shoes and backpacks, then my job as a logistics provider kicks in. Discerning what activities would interest my kids is an exercise that would stump even a business school graduate. By mid-summer, I start to collect calendars and information flyers sent out by local organizations offering after-school classes and programs. I ask each child to provide me with a short-list of preferred activities – the shorter the better! – and I try (stress “try”) to coordinate times, days and places for three distinct age groups and personalities. Needless to say, one child always came up short when I tried to register after standing in line for three hours: sorry, nothing available at that location for 8-year olds until the second session begins in January!
One day while surfing the Internet for ideas on acceptable tween activities, I found The Kid Scoop, a website which provides families with a single source of information on activities for children, local deals with participating businesses, and most importantly, help in planning. Like the proverbial beacon of light, the site’s virtual personal assistant weeded through thousands of activity picks and sent me a report that matched my kids’ ages, interests and the area where we live. And all of it for free! Take cooking for kids, art and crafts for kids or improv. Ever considered photography? All of the information was delivered to my inbox on the wings of an activity angel working 24/7 to keep my kids (and by extension, me!) happy. Even better, I was able to register and pay on-line for many of the activities, such as the baseball lessons for my sporty #2 child.
My fear of the fall season dissipated in a flash of the computer screen. By becoming a Kid Scoop member (did I mention it is free?), I also began to receive the Scoop Update newsletter, a monthly email with activity suggestions (in real time) personalized just for my kids and their interests. I don’t have to sift through brochures and I don’t have to visit dozens of other websites to seek out the latest events or activities.
The fall has become my fave time of year. The Scoop Update saves me time, reduces my stress levels and it keeps me current on activities and events in my area. All of which gives me loads of time to rake the leaves.
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