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How to survive summer with kids

Make a Calendar The summer is hot, long and exhausting. There’s no way you can go to the zoo, the aquarium or Six Flags every day. Save your energy—and your sanity—by creating an activity calendar. Here’s a basic template to get you started.
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By Stephanie Tann

Make a Calendar
The summer is hot, long and exhausting. There’s no way you can go to the zoo, the aquarium or Six Flags every day. Save your energy—and your sanity—by creating an activity calendar. Here’s a basic template to get you started. The kids will always have something to look forward to and perhaps the dreaded “I’m bored” mantra will pop up less often. Maybe.

Eat & Play

Check out these restaurants with play areas!

  • Central Market Cafe, Plano
  • Dream Cafe, Addison
  • Joe’s Crab Shack, Plano
  • Nico’s Cocina, Carrollton
  • The String Bean, Richardson
  • The Lot, Dallas
  • Super Chix, Richardson

Do it for FREE

  • Texas Sculpture Garden at Hall Park in Frisco. A stroll through this business park reveals the largest private collection of contemporary Texas sculpture ever assembled. Get there early to beat the heat.
  • Call your local fire station and schedule a tour. Bake some cookies or brownies for our local heros too.  
  • Donate food to Minnie’s Food Pantry and learn how this nonprofit is helping our community. Your kids will get a certification of donation.
  • DIY workshops at Home Depot. Every first Saturday of the month there are free kids workshops such as “build a flowerpot” or “create your own Tic Tac Toe game.”
  • Plano Parks & Recreation (planoparks.org) has an almost endless list of classes, camps and activities for kids of all ages, and even adults too. Archery. Insects. Nordic Walking. You name it, you can do it. Many are free, others are reasonably priced.
  • Go to the beach at Little Elm Park, Little Elm. There’s a playground, swim beach, beach volleyball and more!

Summer Savings

  • Throughout August, entry to the Dallas Arboretum is just $1 and entry to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is just an additional $3. (Tip: pay for parking online to save $7.)
  • Cinemark, LOOK Cinemas, the Alamo Drafthouse and Studio Movie Grill all have a summer movie series for kids. Most tickets are $1. If you’re lucky, you can take a catnap.
  • Get a Pogo Pass. For less than $100 per person, you get passes to a variety of local attractions including Hawaiian Falls, Fort Worth Zoo, the Texas Discovery Gardens, Kid Mania and many, many more!
  • KidsBowlFree.com gets you two free games per day (weekends excluded) at Plano Super Bowl.
  • All tickets are half-price on Wednesdays at Fort Worth Zoo.  

Go to Klyde Warren Park

Klyde Warren Park in Dallas is a great mini day trip! There’s a splash pad, food trucks, great restaurants, and at the DMA around the corner they have two fun and free creative areas for kids.

Go to the library

Most local libraries have a schedule of activities for kids (and adults too!), some even have small play areas.

Go to Jurassic Park

Less than a two-hour drive from DFW, Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose is the perfect destination for a mini-break with the kids. Hike, bike, swim, fish—and find real dinosaur tracks and fossils!

Crayola Experience

Crayola Experience Plano is Texas’s newest and most colorful family destination. This 60,000 square-foot concept has the world’s largest selection of Crayola products and unique souvenirs, such as plush and apparel, and there is plenty of fun to be had!