Spring Break is just around the corner. Make this a one they’ll really remember. Educate and engage them in some of these offbeat activities.
PLANT A PINEAPPLE GARDEN
The keys were once home to vast pineapple plantations, hence the name, Plantation Key. Visit this website: www.floridamemory.com to learn more about how the crop was cultivated in the middle keys. Then watch YouTube videos for instructions on how to grow your own. You’ll need to purchase some actual pineapples to start your garden, but you can use the remaining fruit in fun recipes like tropical salsa and pineapple upside-down cake.
GET LOST IN THE LIBRARY
Take your kids and a few friends to the local library. If it’s been awhile since you’ve visited a library, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. There’s a lot more than books to discover. The library designates a special section just for kids, where they can check out books, movies and even computer games. Before you go, collect all your old magazines and donate them to the library. Your donation automatically makes you a friend of the library which allows you to take home all the FREE magazines you want that were donated by others.
BOOGIE DOWN
Dig out the roller skates and roller blades and head to the park for some much needed exercise. Invite some friends to join you early in the morning or an hour before sunset at Jacobs Aquatic Center in Key Largo or Founders Park in Islamorada. Both parks have long paved jogging trails that are perfect for skating.
TAKE YOUR KIDS CRABBING
Head to the bait and tackle store and purchase some good old-fashioned triangle traps. Read our companion post at: www.floridakeysvacationguides.com/2017/05/19/crabbing/ to learn how to do it. The kids will be thrilled and exhilarated as the traps are pulled from the water full of crabs.
HOST A WAVE MOVIE
If you’re fortunate enough to own a pool, fill it with floats and invite friends over to watch a movie. Set up an outdoor screen and put on a kid-friendly classic like Captain Ron the original Pirates of the Caribbean or Club Paradise starring Robin Williams. Fire up the grill and serve movie-food: Hot Dogs, Nachos, hot-buttered popcorn and movie candy (Milk Duds, Goobers and Sno Dots) for dessert.
BOIL CLAMS ON THE DECK
When is the last time you had clams? Grab a bushel of clams from your local fish market and cook them on the grill. Serve them up with melted garlic butter and encourage your kids to try them. Pair them with other spring favorites like corn-on-the cobb, boiled baby red potatoes, peel and eat shrimp and grilled sausages.
BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
Take the kids on a day trip to one of the local attractions. Hop aboard the glass bottom boat at Pennekamp park for an afternoon tour of the reef followed by a picnic on the beach. Visit Robbie’s in Islamorada and feed the Tarpon and tour Lignumvitae and Indian Keys or visit the Butterfly and Nature Conservancy in Key West.
VISIT A LOCAL GARDEN CENTER
Take the kids on a tour of a local nursery and let them pick out some plants and terra-cotta pots. Let the kids paint and decorate their pots before planting.
BINGE WATCH A SUMMER SERIES
There have been some great ones over the years.
The Surface – an NBC Miniseries from 2005
The River – an ABC Miniseries
Under The Dome – CBS Miniseries from 2013-2015
Stranger Things – a Netflix series
CREATE A KEYS CUSTOM MAILBOX
Funny mailboxes are common in the keys. Purchase one and let the kids participate in decorating it. Or purchase a Manatee mailbox and create a seasonal wardrobe for it. Make this the start of a family tradition – something they will look forward to doing every holiday.
