Tweens

In this last week before school started, I took the kids to the Arboretum, the Zoo, and the Children's Museum.  The kids had a blast and really enjoyed it, but it had been a while since we'd been to these old favorite places, and I noticed that my 8 and 10-year-olds were sort of swimming in a sea of toddlers and preschoolers.  It made me realize that the kids are getting older, and maybe soon, they'll be too old for the stuff that we've always done.

So, now that I've got "tweens," I'm wondering...what am I supposed to do with them?  They just seem so big.  Even at the playground, my 10-year-old keeps hitting her head on the equipment because she's getting to be too tall.  Poor thing!  In less than 5 months, she'll be 11, and I suppose it's true that you don't see too many 11-year-olds on playsets these days.  Please tell me there are other options for her than texting and going to the mall! 

I think I'm going to keep encouraging them to swim, ski, play tennis, bike, & hike.  I'd love to try camping with them.  We took a few knitting & sewing classes at Jo-Ann, and we tried baking, fishing, and gardening this summer.  This fall, we'll continue with piano, Tae Kwon Do, and Chinese class, and we'll go from there.  Anyone have any other ideas?  What do you do with your tweens?