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I signed my kids up for a few days of fall break camp, aiming to be the mom with all the festive activities planned for school breaks. Last year, I aspired to be that mom, but reality often meant too much time cooped up at home, leading to excessive tablet use and frazzled nerves.

This year, I’m thrilled that our local YMCA offers day camps during school breaks, and the boys are excited to attend. While they might enjoy spending time at home with me—doing activities until we’re all burnt out and then retreating to electronics—they thrive on the social interaction these camps provide. They make new friends, play games, do crafts, and have an absolute blast. I’ve enrolled them for Monday and Tuesday of fall break and Thanksgiving week, giving me a couple of solid days to focus on work before enjoying the rest of the week off with them.

I also discovered some adorable activity placemats on the blog Homeschool Of 1. She offers them for various holidays, but I snagged the Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas ones. The boys already love activity placemats at restaurants, so having these at home will be a delightful surprise. I can’t wait to reveal the Thanksgiving placemats during fall break!

Although I may not achieve Pinterest-perfect status, I do love creating bucket lists for school breaks. They serve as a handy guide for when cabin fever hits and we need a fun distraction. Keep an eye out for a new tab featuring these seasonal bucket lists!

Photo from DepositPhotos artist: julijadm