The well-worn phrase, "Ima, I have nothing to do," spurs each
mother to a fun recreational site with her vacationing
children. And the task isn't always easy.
A wealth of possibilities for keeping children occupied
beckons to us: Colorful announcements in the stairwells
promising "amazing" attractions; magazines stuffed with all
kinds of activities, day camps of all sizes filled to
capacity, etc. We can't provide you with an up-to-the-minute
update. There isn't one. It varies from city to city,
neighborhood to neighborhood, according to population,
demand, cost, professionals available and their popularity.
The variety boggles the minds of parents who try to sift
through the possibilities to find the right choice for their
children. From my first impressions, I gather that most
mothers like to register their children for day camp for at
least the first two weeks of vacation. After that, there's
much room for all kinds of activities within and without the
home.
Home and Hearth
"I enjoyed the vacation with my children. They never wanted
to go to day camp; they preferred remaining with me at home,"
recalls Rebbetzin Nechama with 13 children, who has married
off most of them. "On the first day of vacation, I enjoyed
gathering my children around at dinner to discuss how to
break the routine. It was like a family staff meeting.
'Vacation could be wasted on nothing,' I would tell them,
'and it's a shame. And in a chaotic house, one can't live
without food, nor meals. When you're very tired, you can't
enjoy yourselves. Therefore, if we do things right, together
we'll accomplish something.'
"Initially, we divided up chores according to the age and
ability of the children: First, to make the beds when we get
up. Second, cleaning the house two days a week. Preparing for
Shabbos at the end of the week, with the baking planned by
the children. And there was also the important task of
babysitting. We noted each job on the calendar and who was
responsible for it and I emphasized that the more we stick to
our schedules, the more we'd succeed in having creative and
fulfilling activities the rest of the week. The recipe for
success was being strict about going to sleep and getting up
on time. `This way,' I promised, 'there will be plenty of
time left for the many games, trips and creative pursuits I
planned for you.'
"We're a Torah-dik family blessed with many children and our
financial situation didn't permit expensive trips of several
hundred shekels. Even the arts and crafts were made with
cheap and accessible materials. But all this didn't
overshadow the enjoyment and pleasure of creating that my
children had on vacation," Nechama says. Their creative
mother regales us with 'A home vacation plan' sans frequent
trips to the beach, without pools, but with much meaning and
experiences:
"Park Day — Before leaving, I did my homework regarding
what I wanted to do with my children in the park. From my
point of view, the focus would be the best use of quality
time with them. I asked each child to equip himself with a
few items: A towel to sit on the grass, a sandwich for supper
and a snack, like a small bag of Bamba and a drink (so that
time wouldn't be wasted eating sweets or playing exhausting
games on familiar equipment.) I took a tape recorder with me
and a tape of songs and I played it as background music until
we found a spot and formed a circle. Each child got a picture
and had to tell a story about it. At the end, we put all the
little stories together to make one big story. During another
outing to the park, I read them an amusing story. Together we
analyzed the characters, the meaning and the moral. Each
outing like this was a wonderful opportunity for
togetherness.
"Another activity which I frequently initiated was arts and
crafts: I planned ahead. I bought supplies, I spread a
disposable tablecloth on the table and I divided up the
materials. When they started the project, everything was
ready. Once, we made a chest of drawers out of three
matchboxes with one stuck on top of the other and afterwards
the little ones decorated them with stickers. The bigger ones
stuck on matches. Another project was made out of popsicle
sticks (3 NIS for 150 sticks). Three children made a desk set
for their room which featured a notebook holder, a penholder
and a list holder.
"At the same time, they learned the lesson that they're
making a beautiful yet fragile piece of art that can break
and it's important to take care of it. In general, it's
important to take care of things so that they don't get
destroyed or spoil, especially when they're the product of
your hard work, and how pleasant it is to live in a house
that's well cared for.
"Another togetherness activity — a party game like
`Invisible': You pick a person or object and try to guess who
or what it is, according to the level and age of the
children. In general, we played this game in the afternoons
while sitting on the carpet when the room got a bit dusky. In
general, I chose a person from my childhood and after they
guessed, I spun a tale about them while bursting with
nostalgia about my childhood and enriching my children with a
story about the greatness of people from the past.
"We also enjoyed board games. Every child had a turn for
which they patiently waited. They also learned the lesson
that in life, if you wait patiently, everything's nicer. I
also made the point that it's forbidden to cheat because then
it isn't a true victory. Together we learned to lose
gracefully and that it isn't necessary to win, and that every
win and every loss is from Heaven. That was a character-
building experience.
"Together, we built castles out of blocks. Building took a
long time, while taking it apart took a fraction of a second.
I taught them that that's how it is in life, to build one's
character takes a long time and requires great effort but to
destroy it can take a second.
"While playing, of course, we had to deal with a range of
ages, among them two and three years olds who where always
extending a "helping" hand. I prepared an age-appropriate
game for them and if they were bored, the one whose turn it
was to be in charge helped out.
"Something I enjoyed very much with the older ones was
arranging photo albums. My children got to know my friends,
teachers and principals. They were fascinated. We also had a
cooking day, a getting-ready-for-school by cleaning our desks
and wrapping our books day, etc. Sometimes I asked them what
they preferred and they chose what to do.
"I managed a Goals Chart and each child received a point for
something he did well. We also had a "compliment box" that
had a place of honor in our home. Each child inserted a
compliment for his or her brother or sister and once a week
we read out the encouraging statements.
"From my experience, children don't need special attractions
during vacation. They need the attention of their mother and
of course, something to do. My motto was to see vacation as a
challenge, to plan what I would do with my children and to
feel how giving to them, even if it was a bit physically
strenuous, gave me much pleasure and emotional energy."
