“Moooooom!” It’s been 16 years and the only thing that has changed this summer is that now I hear that in tandem. My boys are teenagers and smart enough to know that it is better to be the one calling for help when they don’t get along. So now I just hear it twice as loud. We’ve had exactly 12 days of no school and the fun has begun.

I’m an ardent proponent of not over-scheduling kids. During the school year I keep their extra-curricular activities in check. However, during the summer I have the opposite problem. So this year, to keep the boys busy, I have them both enrolled in virtual school to accomplish a nutrition and physical education credit needed to graduate. Since being plugged into an electronic device doesn’t count toward their workout log, participating in this class has generated swim laps, pool cleaning, lawn work, and weight lifting. For me, the best part of virtual summer school is that there are no lunches to pack!

If you are looking for ideas to entertain, check out our Healthy Kids department this month which features, The Beauty of Summer Boredom. “The gifts of less-structured summer days are precious, allowing time and space for the possibility of magical activities,” states early childhood educator Lisa Gromicko. Experts assert that downtime leads to creativity and I have to agree. Compared to today's kids, we only had a few toys to play with, there were no cell phones or laptops and in my generation, Atari Pac-Man was the height of technology. However, I feel the lack of access to constant mental stimulation led us to be more creative in our games and play whether we were building forts or pretending we were flying to the moon.

Fit Body, doesn’t forget the adults’ need for play and fitness with our feature on Stand Up Paddling (SUP). This fun-for-all water sport is described as a total mind-body workout which tones muscles and builds upper body strength. Everyone, from Olympic athletes to stay-at-home-moms, is trying it and coming back for more! Call the SUP local resources published alongside the article for details on events and area groups. We hope you enjoy our Living Simply issue and find your own version of peace and tranquility this summer. Thank you to all of our advertisers who make Natural Awakenings free to our community each month! Please visit them often. And thank you to our avid readers as well.

Here’s to living simply!

Kris Urquhart, Publisher