It’s almost summer time again, and swimming pools are opening their doors to the public. Most kids love going to the swimming pool and spending a few hours with their friends going down slides and jumping off the diving board.

Public swimming pools are great, but you want to take a few precautions if you take your kid to a public swimming pool. First, foot diseases spread very easily in places like this because nobody is wearing shoes, and water helps transmit foot diseases like athletes foot.

The water in a public swimming pool is filled with chlorine, but that doesn’t mean it’s not dirty. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask the pool owner or manager how often the pool water is changed, not just cleaned. This isn’t an issue with most public swimming pools, but still you’re better safe than sorry.

If you don’t feel comfortable taking your kids to a public swimming pool, or you don’t have the money to spend $30 – $50 every weekend to take them swimming and get snacks, then you can buy an inflatable swimming pool for your backyard. Depending on the size and quality, these pools can cost anywhere between $50 and $200, far less than taking your family to a public pool every weekend.

With the money you save, you could buy a Slip-And-Slide for your backyard too so your kids can not only swim, but have some fun slipping and sliding around too. This will not only save you money, but give you leverage with your kids as a reason not to visit the public swimming pool.

Just don’t buy a tiny swimming pool for yourself, because even though they’re very very cheap, they’re not fun and your kids will probably get bored with it quickly. So get a decent medium to large sized pool and keep your kids happy all summer.

There are many wonderful outdoor activities you can share with your children and a nature trail is a perfect example.

When the weather allows, children should get as much fresh air as possible, and running around outdoors is a perfect way for your kids to learn more about the world around them. It will also help them to appreciate nature and learn to respect the environment.

Pick a walk in a national park, that is specified to be an easy trail and suitable conditions for children. Try to stick to shorter walks, your kids won’t tire as easily and will absorb much more in shorter patches of time.

* Point out different objects to your children:

Talk about all the different things that you see, and allow your children to do the same. It will be very interesting what they observe and they might even notice things that you missed. You could encourage this by playing the old favorite “eye-spy” Don’t make it too hard for younger children, and there is no harm in giving them clues. This will help kids look more closely at their surroundings, and notice things they wouldn’t have noticed before. Ask your kids to name everything they see that is a particular color, or everything that flies, or breaths, for example.

* Make up a story:
Get creative with your child, and help them use their imagination. You can make up a story about what you have both observed in nature. Make it fun, by taking turns in telling what happens next. It doesn’t matter if the story makes not sense, or is funny, or silly. Your children will thrive on the experience.

* Listen to the sounds of nature:
Ask your child what they can hear, and see if they can guess what is making that sound. Encourage your child to be a quiet as a mouse for a short amount of time, and see how much they can hear that they couldn’t before.

Talk about the seasons with your child, and help him observe the changes that are happening in nature at that time of the year. Flowers might be in different stages of growth, animals might be hibernating if it is the right time of year. The leaves on the trees might be changing color depending on the season.

If the park you are in has an observation or information center, be sure to visit it with your child before you leave. This will be an excellent learning experience as well, as there might be maps, and further information on what you and your child have already observed during your walk. Many national parks also have exhibits that are very hand on learning for children, and an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Nature walks are a perfect outdoor activity, and better still there are so many different ones to go on, that your child will learn new things about nature and different landscapes and types of environments. For example a nature walk by the ocean will be a very different learning experience from one in a forest, but just as valuable to your child’s learning.