FIRST WORD
End of Summer Vs. Back to School
W Britni Petersen
Managing Editor
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editor@thefamilymagazine.com ait, summer’s almost over? How did
this happen? Feels like yesterday we
were kicking off the summer festi-
val season, planning our vacations and getting
ourselves ready for weekly neighborhood pool
hangouts with the family.

Now it’s August, which we all know means
we’ll be seeing those hip, dancing and stylish Tar-
get kids commercials showing off the trendiest
looks in children’s back-to-school wear any day
now. Ah, it never fails to make us sigh at the tele-
vision as we commentate aloud, “Back-to-school
time … already?”
But, it is still August. So, it’s still that in-be-
tween time between summer and school. That
month that gently transitions families into
the starkly different routine that is the school
year without dropping us into it head-on come
September 1st.

So, that’s kind of what we’re doing for you
readers this month. A mix of end-of-summer fun
and a bit of back-to-school transition.

Because the end of summer is always a popular
time to head out camping, we have a great camping
with families guide on page 24 to make sure kids
and parents leave with smiles and an overall feeling
of togetherness, not frustration.

We also have some tasty popcorn treats to try
out on page 33 for a fun outdoor movie night,
and a list of picturesque local pick-your-own fruit
farms when the summer boredom hits.

New school lunches and kids with food aller-
gies can always be an issue during this time of the
year, so we have some helpful advice for parents
on page 28. And we have our annual “Back-to-
School Guide” on page 13, which includes local
school and after-school resources.

We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer,
taking in some last few pool days, reading that
summer book you’ve been wanting to finish and
remembering that full-on school mode can hold
off for just another day longer … if you’d like it to.

Either way, we’re always here to give you just the
right family content you’re looking for.

Happy reading! ■
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