What are your 12 yo DDs doing this summer?

My 13 yo just got hone from sleep away camp. It was not cheap, but I am glad we sent her. The camp she goes to has no electronic devices for any of the campers. So no tablets, phones, tvs, computer, XBox, etc etc. In addition to all the fun stuff they get to do, I see value in the opportunity to learn to relate to her peer group without social media. Working through a bit of homesickness will be a plus when she goes off to college - “I’ve done it before, I can do it again.” She was really worried her first year about not having her phone .. I asked her about it before she left “What do you think about not having your phone?” The response .. “Actually I’m looking forward to it”.

In years past with my older DD, I made the mistake of having her stay home by herself, and I do think she got terribly lonesome. This year they were both signed up for something most (but not all) weeks.

DD13 likes art, so I make sure to have the kind of media (canvases and paint in her case) that she enjoys using.

I like the idea upthread of science experiments and may look into that for the few weeks we have left. They go back the first week of August 😭. I love summer break!!

At that age our girls lived for summer camp. They waited all year for it and couldn’t wait to go back. They’d do a week or two at each of two different Girl Scout camps in our area (within 2-3 hours) and loved it much more than staying home. They’d share camp stories all year long. Scout camps are often much less expensive than other private camps if that’s a concern. They also spent time planning and helping run a day camp for younger girls, again with Girl Scouts, which took a lot of time and they enjoyed. As they got to be 13 they volunteered as CITs at a local nature center day camp for a few weeks each summer. They didn’t get paid, but it didn’t cost us anything and they were supervised and having fun and learning some skills. Sometimes they’d sign up with a friend. Either way they made friends they’ve had now for the past 5 years or so My kids recently graduated and lament that they’ve aged out...they’re too old for the CIT position but too young to be a paid counselor.

Our local community college has day camp programs for all ages through HS. They call it Kids on Campus. They have some really cool programs in underwater robotics, theater and dance, ecology, computers, music and forensics. Something to appeal to everyone. Check if your CC has something like that.

My DD’s friend loves horses. She volunteered at a local farm a couple of days a week where she helped muck stalls and do other chores and in exchange they taught her to ride and work with horses. She’s now working with rehabilitating rescued horses and studying to be a vet tech.

Figure out what’s available in your community and see what appeals to your DD. Art, theater? A local college near DH’s work offers art and theater programs for middle school and HS students in summer. DD rode the train to /from the college with her dad each day for 2 weeks a few years ago and had a great time. She still talks about her adventures in the city. Maybe there’s something like that near you.

When I was 12 I worked as a mother’s helper. I’d advertise at the local pool and moms would hire me to play with their kids at the pool for a day or a few hours so they could swim or hang with their friends. The parents were nearby if there was a problem.

Good luck. 12 is a tough age. Hopefully you’ll find something she’ll enjoy.

Well my teen(16) has a volunteer job at the ranch she rides at this summer. Every other week is camp so she is there for about 1.5 hour getting horses out of their stalls and grooming them. Then 3 to 4x a week on off camp weeks she works with a horse that was sick and is ready to be exercised again. She also has 1 to 2 lessons a week.

But it is something she wanted to do.

She also has private speech therapy 2x a week.