Welcome to the Idaho Mountain Express' annual guide to summer activities for children. Skilled instructors always work hard to offer the best environments for kids to enjoy themselves and learn. And living in the mountains adds to the fun for kids in the summer.
Express reporters Tony Evans, Jon Duval, Sabina Dana Plasse, Terry Smith, Robin Sias, Trevon Milliard and Jeff Cordes have been busy finding out how kids can fill their days.
You'll find plenty of opportunities in today's special section. We're grateful advertisers keep offering a wide variety of programs to keep kids busy.
It's also important for kids to have unscheduled time during the summer—to be kids.
So, what is it that kids really want to do in the summer? Providing some answers were local fifth-grade students taught by Beverly McNeal at The Community School and Matt Nelson at Hailey Elementary. Here are some of their musings on ideal summers:
By CLAIRE YAGER
Community School, 5th grade
Imagine millions of birds chirping, all different sounds enveloping you in a sweet symphony of notes. The trumpeting of elephants in the distance add to the choir, the tigers volunteer their voices as well, along with the hippos roaring out loud bringing more to the band. Finally, the frogs singing the song of the wild make an end to the orchestra of the rainforest.
Imagine climbing to the highest tree in the forest, looking down at the canopy, at the birds that welcomed you with their beautiful song.
Gazing down at the shining flowers covered with the morning dew, awaiting the sun to arise and start the day in the jungle anew. And as you sit in the old tree and watch that orb of pink and golden light come over the mountains to the east, and as you watch, you can feel the jungle waking from its deep slumber of the night.
That would be my dream vacation.
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By CALEB MORGAN
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
The second I get out of the torture they call school all the worries I held in the year disintegrate. Over the three months of peace I have many plans to get through.
One of my favorites is a camp called Mountain School. It's not really a school, but anyway anyone under the age of 13 can go. I'd recommend it because you're basically living on a farm. They have cows, chickens, horses and everything else on a farm. I love when they bake zucchini bread mmmmm.... At the end of the day they go to the river and swim in the rapids. That's my favorite—it's AWESOME!
I also have sleepovers with my friends. We get up early in the morning and play computer games every hour. We go to the pool and stay there for a while and then go back home on the bike. Well now that you know about my great three months I guess its back to the torture.
Goodbye great life!
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By COOPER DART
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
Hallelujah! School is out and I'm starting my dream vacation to Nepal by driving to Salt Lake City! Because I'm at the five-star hotels I've always dreamed about, I'm going to swim....In the Great Salt Lake! It's pretty cold so I don't stay in long but I have fun while it lasts!
After the fun night of swimming I catch a plane to Florida then jump on a cruise ship to the Bahamas just a minute before it sails! After I get to the island, I take scuba diving lessons. When all the diving and underwater sightseeing is done I crash on my bed and quickly fall asleep.
Next, I take a 24-hour flight to Nepal where I see Mt. Everest! The mountain seems a mile tall compared to all of the surroundings. I see people preparing to climb Mt. Everest and get to meet them and see all the equipment. It is so cool!
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By KAI CURTIS
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
This summer I want to have more fun than last summer.
This summer I want to make a new business and make a million dollars to live life at its fullest. I would like to go to New York. I would also like to have a party and invite everyone in the sixth grade, and ignore my mom for three fun days at least.
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By CLAIRE STICKNEY
Community School, 5th grade
Don't you love the feeling on a summer night when you don't have to shower, do home work, or go to bed early? This is what I would do when I finally wake up for the day.
I get up and get dressed. Before you know it we are out of the house, and on our way to Boise. As I get on the plane I find my seat, sit down and fall asleep. I wake to the sound of "thank you for flying with us." My family calls a taxi and we arrive in Rome. I have the best dinner I have ever had, my favorite Italian pasta dish. I feel like I am in heaven and I realize I don't have to cherish every bite because I am going to be here for two more weeks!
But I realize it was all a dream. The best part of summer vacation is not having to take a shower or doing homework. And I don't have to go to bed early.
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By GRACE CHERP
Community School, 5th grade
I would swoop through the air like a bird looking for its prey. The wind would slap me in the face as I tried to go faster. I would fly over chairlifts frozen in time as I paraglide over the sleeping mountain, Baldy.
For my summer vacation I would like to go paragliding on Baldy. I would paraglide over the deserted mountain looking for any sign of wildlife. I look at the green pine trees, as they wait for their snowy blankets of winter to hug their prickly branches.
I would fly over the bowls with the sun warming my face giving me a sunburn. I start my descent spiraling into the parking lot. Clouds of dust puff up from the ground as I land in the lonely lot. A car pulls up next to me. As I hop into the front seat, I smile as the car drives away from the mountain.
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By DAINA MOTZKIN
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
In June I'd like to ride my bike to the park, to my friend's house and around my neighborhood. All summer long I'd like to play at my friend's house, swim and do Taekwondo with Mr. Petersen my teacher. Taekwondo is self defense.
In July I'd like to go to the Fourth of July parade. I'll play on my swing set in my back yard. I'll go to the water park in town, it's so much fun! In July I go to summer camp for a week, we do games and dance.
In August it's my birthday and also my mom's. I'm going to have a birthday sleepover with my friends. I'll take swim lessons with my sister and have dinner with my mom. Also, I'll go to the movies.
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By LANE LETOURNEAU
Community School, 5th grade
In my dream vacation, I would be listening to the galloping of zebras and the chirping and honking of the birds and the sounds of all of the other wildlife in Africa.
We would see baby giraffes, with their golden yellow coats and their beautiful spots, trying to stand up on wobbly legs in the African savannah. We would pass a pack of lions hunting down a herd of gazelles. The pack runs down two gazelles. You feel the African breeze blowing through your hair as you pass over the savannah.
On our drive we would see a herd of hippos bathing in a watering hole. They are all slippery and wet and look like you would fall off if you tried to sit on them. Their coloring is like a rain cloud mixed with dirt. One of them comes out of the water and rolls around in the mud. Another hippo in the water opens its mouth really wide and shows you its massive menacing teeth.
When the Safari is over we sit in our tent and watch the African sun go down while the birds fly home to their trees and all the animals go to sleep waiting for a new day to come in the morning.
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By NICK SWIFT
Community School, 5th grade
Playing paintball all around Sun Valley with only your friends and no one else around is how I'd like to spend my summer vacation. With 18 of my friends we would go around town shooting each other with paintballs. This whole game would last about a week. We would stay in buildings, cars, stores and tents.
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By TARA WARE
Community School, 5th grade
Imagine snorkeling in the Caribbean, swimming through all of those fish and seeing all of the colors on the fish and all of those different shapes. You see a huge sea turtle with algae and a little suckerfish attached to the sea turtle's shell.
You swim down to the sea turtle, try to touch it but you are too scared to because you are too afraid of scaring it away. You wonder what the sea turtle has seen in its long life.
I swim out into the ocean and I look down and I see starfish. There are big and little ones. I swim down and gently touch a starfish. It is very squishy to the touch and I leave it alone. I see beautiful coral and remember that it is alive.
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By OWEN GIFFORD
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
There is always one problem on summer vacation and that is, of course figuring out what to do. So here it is. In July I want to go on the TV show "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" In the game show people answer questions. The more questions you answer right the more money you get. Usually people who have a college education go on the show. Usually the grand prize is $100,000 but this is a special edition. It's a special show because I'm in fifth grade and the grand prize is $1 million dollars. Since this is what I want to happen, of course I'll win and get $1 million dollars.
With the money I'm going to design a wonderful and absolutely green city called New Seattle. I'll hire builders to build the city of New Seattle. When the city is done with a month to spare I'll create a Little League baseball team named the New Seattle Crush. I'm hoping to play pitcher on the New Seattle Crush.
See you on the diamond!
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By TRAVIS FLYNT
Community School, 5th grade
On the boat, I feel exhilarated by the images and sounds going through my head. Sitting in the sun, rocking back and forth, still sticky from the salt water on my skin, hearing the waves crashing on the boat.
On shore I spend my time listening to the chirping of birds, watching bananas and coconuts falling from the trees and feeling the sand in my toes while watching children run in and out of the waves.
I gaze at the beautiful last rays of the sunset, slowly descending over the horizon of the salty sea. I get back on the boat and I get into my bed and slowly get rocked to sleep by the subtle rocking of the waves.
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By KATE RATHFON
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
I really want to go camping with my family and friends this summer at Redfish Lake and play with the dogs in the water.
I want to rent one of those tractors that you peddle and they float on the water. And then I want to swim out to the dock area and jump off the edge into deep water. Then I will go on the boat and get on the water skis and ski across the lake!
After that I'll go back to camp and get my pajamas on and eat the ribs my dad made and the salad my mom made. After I will play hide-and-go seek with my cousins and sister. I want to roast marshmallows and tell scary stories.
When I get home I want to hang out with my friends and play soccer and walk around town and look at all the shops. I want to make a really cool fort so we can sleep in it and watch movies on my DVD player and have popcorn and an ice cream sundae with cookies. We will have my mom's homemade coffeecake and milk and get ready for swimming at the Hailey pool. I want to ride my bike around the street and race my friends up and down the hill on the street to my house.
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By KENZIE GARDIPE
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
I'm going to Atlantis in June. I'm so excited I'll get to meet Ariel, Substation, and Flounder. When I was little, Flounder was my favorite character on Ariel.
I was hoping to get a tan. But there's no sun underwater. I wish I could get a tan, but I guess that will have to wait.
I wonder if I will be crowned princess of Atlantis and bump Ariel out of the picture. Then I can go there whenever I want, and still go up to surface. The only problem is, is that I'm not a mermaid, and I can't breathe underwater. I guess the King will turn me to into one. I'm sort of scared of the octopus Ursula. I was wondering if they had a talk show and I could get a lot of money! When I come back I can tell everyone how I became a princess and how beautiful it was. I hope they don't get jealous.
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By LOGAN SMITH
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
I'd like to have something called "Battle Flag," which is capture the flag with fake swords in the forest and at parks. My team wins, so I'll go to the store to buy snacks for the party. I'll see a sign that says "Children Can Buy Lottery Tickets for One Day Only."
I'll buy a lottery ticket and win $10,000,000! With that money I'll buy a maroon Corvette, a silver Bugatti Veyron (fastest legal car on the road), a Peregrine Falcon, and then after buying gas, I'll buy a child license to drive to San Diego to visit my great-grandma. In July, I'll train my falcon to hunt. My falcon will find a weird red rock that happens to be a dragon egg on the verge of hatching. Three days later it will hatch into a red dragon. Scientists will come from all over to study my new companion. They'll give me more money. One will give me a pocketknife.
After all that, in August, I'll go surfing at Tamarack Beach. The world's biggest great white shark will attack me. I'll pull out my pocketknife and when it catches sight of the blade, it will shy away.
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By MATT GALGANO
Hailey Elementary School, 5th grade
Finally school is out and I can do whatever I want to do. I want to go to Colorado where my cousins live. I want to go to the indoor skateboard park. I want to play Knee Hockey and Sardines at night. I watch a movie and stay up till midnight. When I wake up I go skiing, then get back at 5 p.m. and just hang and play Xbox. For dinner I have pasta, Zucchini, garlic bread, and soda. After dinner I watch another movie and go to bed late.
In the morning I sleep until 10 a.m. and eat pancakes, cereal, eggs, muffins and orange juice. I go skateboarding in the driveway. I jump on the tramp and run around like crazy. After lunch I chill downstairs. For dinner I have lasagna, bread, broccoli, meatballs and water. I go to bed at 9:30 because I'm very tired. When I wake up it's going to be all a dream, but the dream is going to be the night before the first day, and I'm going to do exactly what I dreamed about.
Raring to go for summer vacation are, from left, Bailey Holter, Davis Olson, Anik Zarkos and Emmy McCune. Photo by Willy Cook
