Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Welcome to Long Live Childhood, a pediatric health and wellness podcast presented by Children's Health of Orange County. I'm Melanie Cole. And today, we're talking about summer activity planning. You heard that because it doesn't seem like we're there yet, but we really are, and it's getting closer. And choosing the right summer activities for your little kiddos is really so important for their health and well-being.

Joining me is Marta Ramos. She's a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology, and she's a Personal Service Coordinator and Peer Mentor at Project Health in the Department of Pediatric Psychology at CHOC. Marta, thank you so much for being with us today. It's hard to believe that summer is even coming up. My goodness, time is flying by. But before we talk about summer activities, Marta, I introduced you as a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you wanted to talk about this topic today?

Marta Ramos: Of course. Thank you so much for having me today. I've always been passionate about pediatric mental health, given the reason why I even went into psychology in the first place. I've been working at CHOC for about five years now. I work with children and families. And one of the reasons why I was very interested in talking today to you guys about this topic is because that is actually one of the main questions that we get in terms of what do we do with our kiddos during the summertime, right? And like you said, it's coming faster than we think so It's always great to have those options and to get a little bit more information that we don't often get, especially when our kiddos have mental health considerations.

Melanie Cole, MS: Well, you're right. And thank you for sharing that about yourself. And with the summer coming up, you know, even things like camps, you have to get in early, you have to get on the list. You have to start making payments and budget for this. A lot of summer activities cost money, some don't. So, why don't you start-- and especially when we're talking about kiddos with mental health, and we're seeing this epidemic, Marta, in our kids, our tweens, our teens, we're seeing this mental health epidemic. So, I'm so glad to talk to you today. What are some of the things we want to start considering as parents and caregivers that we should be looking for in summer activities for our kids?

Marta Ramos: Of course. Yes, and in terms of considerations, I think, one of the most important things is I want to call it don't rock the boat, right? So, our kiddos are already used to having structure, whether it's homeschool, whether it's their public school, whether it's an afterschool activity that they do. So, definitely considering some of the same things that would be available to them in the regular school day that are available to them during the summer activity. So, for example, the length of the activity. That's one of the most important, I would say, considerations because I know some kiddos, they might go to school a full day, which is what typically six to eight hours. If the activity is longer than that, we might experience maybe some pushback or maybe some changes in the way that they feel about the activity. The same thing if it's too short, right? If they're used to kind of being away from home and having this structured activity for several hours of the day and a class is only 30 to 45 minutes, there's definitely a big change in that.

The same thing regarding the type of activity. So, for example, if our kiddos are used to doing, like, an after school sport, then maybe an outdoor camp wouldn't be too much of a change for them. However, if our kiddos are not really into sports, maybe they're homeschooled, they're not participating. And a lot of outdoor activities, maybe putting them in a camp where they're going to have to go out hiking and be outside might not be the best consideration.

Another important thing that I always recommend to parents is definitely looking at the level of peer interactions that are going to be happening. So, also dependent on age, there are camps where you have kiddos from like six to twelve or three to twelve. So depending on how well your kiddo is used to interacting with other peers, it would also be really, really important for us as caregivers to consider the level of peer interactions that they're going to be having in the summer activities.

And last, but not least, when we talk about structure, kind of like I said at the beginning, our kiddos are used to being in school. They're used to having a lunch time, maybe a break time, you know, different activities throughout the day, so definitely picking something that's going to mimic that, especially when we have kiddos with mental health considerations, because that predictability can be really important for them.

Melanie Cole, MS: Thank you so much, Marta, for all that information. And we know that some of our kids don't want structure in the summer. They say, "Oh, it's my time off. I just want to be able to play video games or sit in the sun or do whatever I want to do with my friends." But structure is important, and that they don't get out of that routine completely. Can you balance for us what structure looks like in a summer activity with balancing, giving the kids that little bit of time off that they crave in the summer?

Marta Ramos: Of course, yeah. And I think when I'm talking about structure, we're definitely talking about a different setting than a school setting, when they're not four walls, sitting on a desk learning about something they may not necessarily want to learn about. But in terms of structure, it's important to consider an activity that maybe has different components to it. So, I know there are different camps that have maybe like reading time and then they have outdoor time. So, having the structure for them to be able to have predictability in terms of maybe having an activity where they can have time to hang out with their friends. But it's still a limited amount of time because as we know, our little ones, they're not the best time managers just yet. So if we kind of give them just a free reign to just sit around and hang out with their friends, sometimes that might turn into one, two, three, four days, right?

And so, we definitely want to make sure to balance that out into giving them different activities that they're going to be able to participate in. And that's also more of a time constraint for them and more on a schedule base. So, a lot of these school activities, they have the basic math class for a couple of hours or an hour, they move on to the next subject. And so, their brains are used to that kind of switching back and forth. And so, when we find summer activities for them, finding places where they are able to still practice these skills and have that predictability that maybe they'll get bored, right? Maybe they're outside doing a hike and they don't really like it, they'll know that there's something else that's coming next and maybe they'll have more fun with.

in terms of structure as well, knowing that there's a safe place for them to go to in case things don't go well. So, a lot of the structure in schools, for example, especially with our kiddos who have mental health needs, as parents, we advocate for them. We have their IEPs, 504s. Even if they don't have a 504 plan or an IEP, we talk to their teachers like, "Hey, what do we do when he gets upset?" "Oh, he's going to go out and take a walk. They can take a timeout. So, definitely picking an activity where there's going to be a setting that's going to help them manage also their emotions, because they may not be used to Interacting with peers in this manner, right?

They might have never been on a hike before and maybe they play soccer, and they're not used to being outside. What's going to happen when those emotions kind of start getting in the way and they start feeling all these things? Do they have a safe place to cope. Do they have this activity, this place that they're going to have a place for them to go to or have something planned for them in order to help them cope in case any of these tough emotions come up?

Melanie Cole, MS: Yeah, there's so much to really think about. People don't even always give this kind of consideration. Now, also, our kids are going to want to sleep in, you know. That's what they want to do in the summer. And then, they get off routine, and then it's hard to get them back on to the getting up early part. So, that's an interesting thought for parents, but also reading.

When we think of that structure, and we think of activities that we want to get them involved in, reading, unless they're a kid that loves reading, they don't want to read in the summer because that seems too much like school. But we want them to read for enjoyment, for pleasure, for education. So, how can we mix the activities we want for health, sunshine, getting outside, running around, but also keeping some of that school routine, not sleeping in every single day, maybe picking up a book? How do we put all that together, Marta?

Marta Ramos: Of course. And I think that's one of the most important things in terms of structure. Because us as parents, It's kind of, you don't use it, you lose it, right? So, a lot of our kiddos, they turn off their brains during the summertime, unless like you said, there are a lot of kids who really do enjoy the reading, and doing all those school-ey activities during the summer.

So in terms of knowing how to implement both the school activities and the summer activities, it's one of the most important things in terms of structure, where we can make sure that they are in different types of activities. So, for example, if we have the Boys and Girls Club. They do have summer camps where they have certain times when the kids are allowed to read a book, or they can read a magazine. So, they may not necessarily be reading like a Shakespeare textbook, but there are other materials that they can read. I know there are summer camps, especially for our teenagers, where they don't allow cell phones. But they have things like magazines, they have newspapers that they can kind of keep themselves entertained with and just pick it up and read it. Because I feel like a lot of the times, they don't really get to do that, especially now with all the technology, social media and things like that. There's a couple of library programs as well that actually give prizes to both teenagers and kiddos who complete a book and they kind of write a little page about it.

I know City of Fullerton has a couple of good ones, same with Santa Ana and Irvine where they will actually get tickets to Wild Rivers, tickets to places where they would want to go hang out with their friends if they are able to participate in these activities that they may not necessarily want to do.

Melanie Cole, MS: Really that's great motivation. And if parents live in underserved communities, Marta, are there some activities that you specifically can recommend? I'd like you to talk about information about summer activities in their communities, but there's many different communities of many different kinds of people. Is there a difference when you're helping people the way that you do in how you help parents look for these activities for their kids?

Marta Ramos: Of course, and I think the first and most important resource is going to your local resource center. There's family resource centers in every city in Orange County. You can simply Google. You can also do a simple 211 search. But if you google your city as well as a family resource center, they usually have calendars of summer activities that they are able to engage the community. And most of them are either sliding scale very low payment or completely free. And there are applications and deadlines that they can also share with you in the calendar.

So, I know there are camps that end up being completely free, a lot of the schools as well if you ask them ahead of time. So, we're talking-- well, we're already in March, so maybe even now start March and April, asking your school if there are any summer school activities, summer school camps that your child can go to. They usually will have scholarships for them. And if they do not, they will give you resources for the nearest low cost or free of cost activity.

Melanie Cole, MS: Marta, you've given us so much to think about and such great information that can really help parents right now. As we wrap up, I'd like you to offer your best advice for helping our kids figure out what we want to do in the summer, those summer activities, getting them involved, being involved with them, being good role models for health and getting outside, getting some exercise, doing all these things in the summer that are so much fun, but also offer some of that structure, the conversations that we should be having with those in charge of those summer programs and activities to accommodate a child's needs if they do have special needs. Can you put this all into a nice package for us?

Marta Ramos: Of course. Yeah. And I think, first and foremost, we need to model for our children that. It's okay to take a break. It doesn't have to be school related. It doesn't have to be something necessarily with a negative connotation. And that's where, like you said, it comes in really handy for us to be able to participate in activities with them.

A lot of the local cities and local libraries, they have free activities that both parents and children can do together. So, they learn that maybe going to an origami class isn't so bad With mom and dad and understanding that, mom and dad and other caregivers, they are able to take a break, that it's not just another kind of thing that I'm being thrown into, that it's something that it's enjoyable and that my family is also modeling for me.

In terms of having those difficult conversations, so again, it kind of goes back to the point of all of the different coordination and different advocacy efforts that as parents with children who have mental health considerations, we already do. So if I have a kiddo who has PTSD, I know that maybe if loud noises, if very busy environments are going to be a trigger for them, I know that that's probably not a good idea for me to put them in a summer activity that's going to have those things, right? And so, it comes to picking activities, we also have to keep those things into consideration.

And when we do pick an activity, let's say our kiddo wants to learn how to play the piano. We found a class, we found it free of cost, or we found it at a reasonable price that we can afford. Having the conversation with whoever is in charge regarding our child's mental health needs. So, I feel like a lot of the times because our kiddos spend so much time in school and the teachers know them for a long time, the principal knows them, their counselor knows them, they have these IEPs, 504s or special accommodations in place. Sometimes as parents we forget that not everybody is, one, a mental health professional or, two, they don't really know our child. Maybe it might be their first time meeting our child or it might be the first time working with somebody who has a mental health condition. So, I always tell parents that there's no amount of advocacy that can never be enough. And if you see something, say something. If there's something that you feel like they should know, please tell them right away.

I always encourage parents to do thorough research of not only the program, the class, the club, but also who's in charge of them, how many times are they going to be overseeing, Because a lot of the times there might be one person in charge of the program, but maybe younger volunteers will actually run the program or younger employees, younger peers who are going to be in charge of the groups and the different activities in the program. So, it's really important for that information to be passed down, especially if the person in charge is not going to be directly working with your child. So, anything that you would need them to know. Like I said, you know, give you that example. I had a patient that they got really overwhelmed. And they needed a couple of minutes to take a deep breath outside, and there was activity that they were considering, that it was a music class, and there was no room to go outside because it was like a commercial building. And so when our kiddo got really overwhelmed, they weren't able to take their break, go outside, feel the fresh air. And that ended up being more of a detrimental experience for them.

So, definitely being able to have these conversations with the people in charge to make sure that your child's needs. are being met. And if they cannot meet them, it's okay to say no, it's okay to find another program, it's okay to talk to your mental health professional, it's okay to find something that might not necessarily be perfect. But at the end of the day, it will have those accommodations for them to be able to enjoy their summer while still having those safety nets to fall back on.

Melanie Cole, MS: Great information. This was such an informative episode, Marta. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise with parents today. And for more mental health tips and resources, please visit choc.org/programservices/mentalhealth. Thank you so much for listening to Long Live Childhood, a pediatric health and wellness podcast presented by children's health of Orange County. Together, we can keep kids happy and healthy. We'd like to invite our audience to download, subscribe, rate, and review Long Live Childhood on Apple podcast, iHeart, Spotify, and Pandora. Please remember to share these shows on your social channels, as we're all learning from the experts at CHOC together. I'm Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for joining us today.