This is a guest post written by Lydia Weiss from the MSU WorkLife Office.
If you have kids in your life, one thing you are probably keenly aware of is that they keep you busy. It’s also sometimes difficult to find activities that they enjoy, especially activities and opportunities that keep their brains, creativity, and learning engaged. It can become even more complicated if you have several kids in your life and they all have different interests. Well, here’s the good news – there are tons of options available in the Greater Lansing area for youth, some of which are available right here at Michigan State.
First up is Girls Get Going on April 14, 2018. This is a half day free sports clinic for 3rd – 8th grade girls to try new sports in a safe and supportive environment. This is the 15th year that Girls Get Going has been hosted at MSU. The event is sponsored by Recreational Sports and Fitness Services, Intercollegiate Athletics, WorkLife Office and Daring Ideas Consulting, LLC.
Also happening in April is Take Your Child to Work Day on Thursday, April 26, 2018. This is a nationally recognized event that is celebrated at MSU in a very unique way. Participants have the opportunity to tour various departments and/or career exploration activities throughout the day on campus. Some of the tours this year include bowling at the Union Building, visiting the horse farm, going behind the scenes at the Wharton Center, and much more! If you’d like to participate, please note the activities are intended for kids ages 8-14, with a supervising adult. The full list of tours will be published by April 20 on the WorkLife Office website.
Summer can also present unique challenges for caring for kids and finding activities to keep them entertained and continuing to learn. Luckily, there are dozens of summer camps for youth of all ages! Check out this extensive list of programs available in the local area here. You can also use the searchable Spartan Youth Programs web page to discover different opportunities to keep your kids engaged and learning over the summer.
And of course, if you need in-home dependent care, you have free access to Care.com as an MSU faculty/staff member. Just sign-up with your MSU Net-ID and you can browse hundreds of local care providers to find the one that is right for you and your family.