Roseville ca kid’s activities and fun things to do

Summer is right around the corner, in fact Memorial Day is May 26, which is the unofficial start.

Most kids are out from school in the beginning of June.  This marks a fun time for your kids but it can also be stressful on the parents if there aren’t sufficient activities to keep them busy.

This year, in particular, will be different for many parents due to the economy.  The reality is that most families will either not be traveling at all or will at least reduce their amount of travel.  The cost of necessities (food and fuel) is way up.  This is pinching the budgets of Summer travelers and forcing them to stay home this year.

So you’ve canceled that 1-2 week beach vacation and now the kids need some fun things to do or at least some activities to look forward to.  There are many fun things for your kids you just have to research a bit.

One obvious option is Disneyland.  We’ve held season passes for a number of years but a 6 hour drive from Roseville to Anaheim plus the cost of a single admission will really start to add up particularly when gas is hovering around $4/gallon.  This makes for a very expensive trip when packing up 3 kids and cargo in the SUV.

There are other options.  We’ve signed up our children for activities ranging from basketball camp to local art classes.  These types of activities typically run 1-2 weeks and are on a set schedule.  This is nice because you can plan your day around it.

But there are other days when there are no scheduled activities.  This is a great time to hit the swimming pool if you or one of your friends have one, particularly when it gets hot.  If you don’t have access to a pool there are other fun indoor activities for kids that are more open-play meaning you don’t have to schedule them to attend.

We’ve been to a number of indoor playgrounds from bounce houses to climbing centers.  They’re all great and work perfectly when you and your kids need a break for a couple of hours.  If you’re looking for something more along the lines of a half-a-day then try John’s incredible pizza company.

If you haven’t taken your kid’s to John’s it’s a must-try.  Our “picky eaters” like it because they have an all-you-can-eat buffet of pizzas, pasta and salad.  Beyond that, the biggest attraction will be the indoor rides.  They actually have the best bumper cars I’ve been in and believe it or not, an indoor roller coaster.

They also have new video games that your kids can handle and some retro video games (galaga is my childhood favorite) for the parents.

Our first visit to John’s was for a birthday party.  Our daughters friend had invited about 20 people.  It’s nice how they set it up because the facility is huge but the birthday party rooms are private.  It creates a nice, brief getaway from the action to cut the cake and open presents.  Plus, the varying tastes of 20 children were met with their extensive buffet.

Be prepared this Summer, particularly if you plan to skip the expensive vacation.  Come up with a variety of ideas.  Consider signing up your kids for a 1-2 week scheduled activity like arts and crafts or a camp of some sort then remember to fill that in with on-the-fly activities like swimming or a visit to John’s pizza company.