I spend a lot of time in my minivan driving four kids here and there, there and here. It’s one of the few places where I can actually think, sometimes. These are my thoughts, scribbled on napkins and receipts—a look into raising kids and living in Lake County.
Note: all opinions belong to me and only me and do not reflect those of our advertisers, partners, or other writers.
Enrichment. Hobby. Extracurricular. Just for fun. Socialization (for mom or tot!)
Whatever your reasoning, more and more parents are looking for classes and activities to sign their kids up for. There are so many options out there these days, from private groups and clubs to national chains and private tutors. Too many parents overlook that some of the best and most affordable classes are right under their noses!
Your local Forest Preserve, Park District and Library.
All of these offer classes and activities for multiple age groups from mom and tot to grade school. They also tend to be more affordable than the private or national chains because you have already partially paid for them through your tax dollars. I genuinely don’t know why more parents don’t use them.
When I moved to Lake County 2 years ago this fall, I was excited to have a local park district finally and to have such a great Forest Preserve District. I moved from an urban area with a Great library program, but the parks and recreation were lacking. We eagerly signed up for programs every session since moving here. One class, or in some cases multiple classes, have either been very small or been canceled; Every. Single. Season.
Now it could be luck or what we chose. For the most part, we stay away from team sports; my kids lean towards academics (science, cooking, nature). However, we started with a soccer clinic this summer that we loved, and the fall version is threatened due to under-enrollment.
What you may not know about Park District programs is that many have instructors who are professionals in their field or are outsourced from national chains. Our soccer clinic, for example, is outsourced from a group that runs soccer clinics all over the region. All of the instructors play semi-professionally. I played soccer from high school through college, and I even taught clinics for toddlers through kindergarten. I could not have been more impressed with the coach we had for this program. Not only was he teaching actual skills (dribbling, stopping, kicking, etc.). He made the skills easy to understand with games and characters they would know. He made it fun and non-competitive and really connected with the kids. The fall program for residents is $60, and your child comes home with a soccer ball! The class is 7 weeks, which makes it less than $10 per class! Yet when I registered, there were only 2 people registered, TWO! Currently, we are at 5 and are waiting to see if they will cancel or combine the ages.
With a tight economy, this is the perfect time to check out your local park district or library for programs.
Have you/Do you use your local park district/library for classes? What are some of your favorites?
I just read this article in the Trib Local newspaper and am so grateful! I am always looking for classes or activities to do with my two year old and never even realized the Forest Preserve had classes available. Thank you so much for the information. I also became a fan of your blog very quickly. Thanks for all the tips!