This post is brought to you by Academy Sports + Outdoors
This back to school season has been a whirlwind of new schools and new activities for the girls to try out this year. This year is a year of firsts for both of them. Squish gets to ride the school bus. She also gets to join the Girl Scouts this year and go on the annual Father-Daughter camping trip with her sister. She decided to take dance again because she loves it so much. JaMonkey has taken up learning to play the guitar and joined chorus at school. It’s going to be a fun year.
Because the girls aren’t as active this year as they were in previous years, I needed to find some fun outdoor activities for them to play with outside after school while the weather is still permitting. We decided to check out our new Academy Sports + Outdoors to see what they had to offer. They have some of the best prices when it comes to sports and outdoor gear, but they also have clothing and back-to-school gear as well. We needed a couple of extras for their camping trip as well.
Check out our video of the great selection and everything we picked up during our visit.
My girls love athlete clothing. It’s super comfy and has bright colors and there are catchy sayings like “I run like a girl, try to keep up!” Academy has their own line of clothing called BCG, and outdoor gear called Magellan so that they can offer amazing discounts on these items. We found lots of great clothing options and were able to get more than we had planned because the BCG brand had more options than the big name brands. We focused on clothing they can wear in the fall. Athletic tees, pants, and lightweight jackets for the chilly mornings. Squish picked out a new leotard and some jazz shoes for her dance class. They also had a huge selection of shoes, backpacks, and lunchboxes to choose from including Disney, Shopkins, and more. I even found some college gear for my school team! I’m a Kennesaw State student, and I can show my school spirit with the shirts I found. Of course, there is lots of other great college school apparel, but I like that they had the local university for all the students.
We needed to get some gear for the camping trip as well. Sleeping bags, camping chairs, and a portable grill were on my list. We found everything we needed and then some. The girls found these cool umbrellas that attach to your camping chairs to block the sun. They camp in a big field, so that will come in handy when they are eating and relaxing. Squish is so excited about finally being old enough to join the other Girl Scouts for the Father-Daughter trip. I’m not a huge fan of camping, so this is something they look forward to all year. The memories they make during this trip last a lifetime.
As for the afterschool fun, we had a hard time choosing which games we wanted to get. Academy Sports + Outdoors had lots of great options from your basic bag toss to the new trend of oversized games like Jenga. We finally narrowed it down to Disc Golf and a Curve and Catch set. I remember playing that game as a kid at school during P.E. JaMonkey said her school has them so she can teach Squish how to play. We also got some little things like a frisbee, sidewalk chalk, and a kickball. After being inside at a desk all day and only getting 10 minutes for recess, these kids need to burn some energy instead of sitting in front of a screen when they get home. These outdoor games get them playing together and running around in the sunlight. 
We are settling into our school routine now that the after school activities have started. It is going to be a great school year for them and the hubby and me. We are all official students! It’s pretty exciting and chaotic, but that’s normal in our world.
