Let your kids explore their interests and keep them busy at Conroe-area summer camps. From the arts to sports there is something for every child. Here are some Wedgewood Forest resident favorites:

Career Exploration

Times vary, Mon.-Thurs., June 6-9 & 13-16
Ages 13-15
$115 per class
Lone Star College – Montgomery is hosting teen summer classes providing a broad overview of multiple industries throughout Houston. Classes include robotics, drones and programming, and theater.

Multi-Arts Camp

8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., June 6-10 & 13-17
Ages 7-12
$150
Experienced artists will open up the world of art, music and theater to aspiring performers.

Art of Music Camps

Day and times vary
Ages 4 and up
$85-$210
Learn music, songwriting and theater at all-day camps or let your kids concentrate on their favorite instrument during group classes.

We’re Off to See the Wizard

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., Aug. 1-5
Ages 7-13
$225
Theater kids will sing, dance and learn behind-the-backdrop skills at this Broadway-themed camp. Worship, scripture memorization challenges, team-building time, wacky themed days and high-energy competitive games will also be incorporated.

Nike Softball and Baseball Camps

Times vary, Mon.-Fri., beginning June 27
Ages 5-12
$225-$395
Kids will work on batting position, fielding, base running and game situations. Pitchers also can work with pitching instructors.

Armored Sports

Noon-4 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., June 20-23
Grades K-8
$95-$110
A Christian sports camp where kids play basketball, dodgeball and soccer while learning Bible lessons and verses.

Lighthouse Summer Camp

Days and times vary beginning May 23
Ages 5-12
$165 per week
Field trips, guest speakers, sports and themed activities will keep kids busy all summer long.

Maximum Athletics Gymnastics Camps

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., June 13-17
Ages 5 and up
$175
Tumble, climb, jump and work to improve gymnastics skills while enjoying games, obstacle courses and trampolines during themed weeks.

Rod Jacques Basketball Summer Camp

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., June 20-23
Grades 3-12
$150
Kids will gain confidence on the court, learn teamwork and improve core skills. Focus will be on ball handling, finishing moves, proper foot work and shooting.

Skyhawks Soccer Camp

Days and times vary beginning June 4
Ages 3 and up
$69 per session
Young athletes will improve dribbling, passing, shooting, and ball control.

Texas Trumpet Camp

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. June 18-19
Grades 7-college
$100
Lone Star College-Montgomery Music and Texas Brass Ensemble have partnered for this intense workshop teaching technique, range, and artistry. Fee includes lunch.

There are plenty of ways to embrace the outdoors when you live in Wedgewood Forest. Our Conroe location lends itself to hiking, biking, fishing and so much more. Take a look at all the adventures you can have.

Lake Conroe

Wedgewood Forest is just five miles from this 22,000-acre lake that boasts 157 miles of gorgeous shoreline. Known as one of the top fisheries in the United States, Lake Conroe is the perfect place to drop a line and hook catfish, bluegill and crappies. If fishing doesn’t float your boat, may we suggest floating your boat? There are several marinas on the lake with modern boat slips and storage units. Need a kayak? Rent one! You can also hit the beach at Lake Conroe Park.

Sam Houston National Forest

Got a hankering to do some hiking? You’ll love Sam Houston National Forest. One of four national forests in Texas, it is popular with trekkers ready to traverse the 128-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail. Campers also love Sam Houston. There are three developed campgrounds. Primitive camping is allowed off the trails. Fishing and hunting are also allowed.

G. Jones State Park

W.G. Jones State Forest is a 1,700-acre working urban forest. While the purpose of the forest is educational, there are 15 miles of trails to explore, lakes with limited fishing and picnicking, a fitness trail, demonstration gardens and geocaching opportunities.

Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures

Home to the largest lazy river in the Houston area, Big Rivers is fun for the entire family. The waterpark also boasts a wave pool, multiple waterslides and a children’s splash area. Gator Splash is the largest interactive play structure in Texas, including more than 300 water play elements, multiple slides and sprayers. Big Rivers Fairgrounds is a new attraction featuring amusement park rides. Families can also explore a water obstacle park, zipline, petting zoo, giant maze, ax throwing, archery, catch-and-release fishing and animal encounters.

3 Palms Action Sports Park

Become a member and get ready to race. 3 Palms is Houston’s premiere motocross multi-track facility. There are five motocross tracks, a pewee track, a water cable park, championship boating lake and an on-site boat dealership.

Candy Cane Park

Conroe’s most well-known park, Candy Cane boasts 24 acres of picnic areas, play structures, trails, sports courts and more. The C.K. Ray Recreation Center and the Conroe Aquatic Center to add to the fun.

Carl Barton Jr. Park

Coming in at 201 acres, Carl Barton Jr. is Conroe’s largest park. Popular with athletes, the park sports nine baseball fields, four softball fields, nine soccer fields and a 10-mile walking/jogging trail. Visitors also enjoy a fishing pond, play structure and picnic tables.

7 Acre Wood

Take the little ones out to play all day at Conroe’s favorite amusement park. 7 Acre Wood offers a mini golf course, petting zoo, zip line, scooter track, chalk room, giant Lego room, giant sandbox, Little Tykes Town, horseshoes, ladder golf, basketball, soccer, tetherball, football, puppet house, playground, swing set and giant games.

Golf

Grab some friends and head out to one of the area’s many golf courses. Favorite places to swing a club include The Golf Club at Margaritaville Lake ResortRiver Plantation Gold Club and Grand Lake Golf Club.

If there’s one advantage to moving, it’s the opportunity to organize your stuff. Take your beautiful new kitchen in Wedgwood Forest. It’s a blank canvas just waiting to neatly organize your pots, pans, glasses, dishes and small appliances. Not sure how to tackle the job? We’ve got some handy tips.

Unpack

If you just moved in, it’s time to unpack those boxes marked kitchen. If you are just in the mood to organize, empty your cabinets and drawers. It’s important to see what you have so you can decide where it should go.

Be Ruthless

Are you still moving around that ugly casserole dish you got as a wedding present? Not on our watch. Go through your stuff and get rid of broken, duplicate or infrequently used items. Give them away or find another use for them. Hint: plastic containers without lids make great planters.

Group Your Items

Group items based on their purpose and frequency of use. Baking items should be in one pile, holiday dishes in another, mugs in a third and so one. It’s okay to further sort those things into “use all the time” and “once in a blue moon” piles.

Arrange By What Makes Sense

Everyone cooks and cleans in their own way, so it makes sense to organize your kitchen in the way that works best for you. In general, pots should be located near the stove, cleaning supplies under the sink and everyday dishes in the cupboards at eye level. If you are an avid coffee drinker, set up a coffee station. Include sugar, mugs and filters and place it near the water source for ease of use. If you are lucky enough to have a butler’s pantry, store your china, good silverware and linens there.

Go Vertical

When it comes to organizing don’t try to cram everything into cabinets. It’s a losing battle. Instead, install hooks underneath the cabinets to hold coffee mugs, measuring cups and potholders. Use a stemware rack for wine glasses. Hang your prettier pots and pans from a ceiling rack.

Splurge on Drawer Dividers

Drawer dividers aren’t just for silverware. Use them to organize your cooking utensils and junk drawer.

Where Do Small Appliances Go?

If you use your coffee maker or food processor a lot, by all means keep it on the counter. Heavy items like a mixer can stay as well. If it’s light and not used very often, find a cabinet or drawer. If you almost never use it, store it in the cupboard over the refrigerator.

Use Plastic Containers in the Pantry

Containers designed for pantries increase storage space. Got small packets of things like cocoa, gravy, seasonings or instant oatmeal? Put them in plastic containers so you can easily find them. You can do the same with small boxes, dried fruit, nuts and baking ingredients.

Get Ready to Reorganize

Check in with yourself a few months after organizing your kitchen. Can you find what you need, when you need it? Are your cabinets overflowing again? Do all your storage containers have lids? If you aren’t happy with your current arrangement, change things.

Remember, an organized kitchen is a happy one.

Spring break is approaching; what will you be doing to keep your kids occupied? If you live in Wedgewood Forest, there are many spring break day camps where they can have fun, learn and make friends. Take a look.

Fun Quest

Oscar Johnson, Jr. Community Center
7 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., March 14-18
Various ages
$118

There’s never a dull moment at this campus run by the City of Conroe. Kids will enjoy days filled with hiking, swimming, crafts, skits, songs and more. Campers must bring their own lunch and snack.

Around the World Art Camp

Paint & Bubbles
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., March 14-18
Ages 6-10
$60 per child, per day

Your child can travel the world learning new art skills, sampling different cultures and creating beautiful projects. Choose one day or the entire week. Each class is inspired by a different Disney movie including Encanto, Frozen, Moana, Mulan and Jungle Book.

Spring Break Soccer Camp

Houston Dutch Lions FC Youth Soccer Academy
9 a.m.-noon Mon.-Tues., March 14 and 15
Various age groups
$125 per child

Help your child achieve their soccer goals at this two-day camp for boys and girls of all ages conducted by Houston Dutch Lions FC coaching staff members. Players are grouped based on age and ability. Healthy snacks and water are included.

Spring Has Sprung

Little Beakers -The Woodlands
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., March 14-18
Ages 3-13
$195 per child

Kids can run “eggs-periments,” tinker with racing bunny robots and create glowing chalk at this spring-themed camp. In addition, camps will include exciting chemical reactions and explosions, physics, stretchy/gooey polymers, molecular model building and more.

Spring BreaKation

The Woodlands Children’s Museum
9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., March 14-17
Ages 4-8
$117-$139

Four-year-olds can swing with Curious George at themed workshops inspired by titles of his books and adventures. Topics include outer space, dinosaurs and the ocean. Children ages 5 to 8 can explore the relationship between science and art or use LEGOS to solve problems. Lunch is available for children signed up for morning and afternoon classes.

 

Ready to move into your new home in Wedgewood Forest? According to Forbes, a move can average $300 to $1,500 for a local move and $2,500 to $5,000 for a long-distance one. And that’s just moving the furniture. There are associated costs you may not be aware of. Fortunately, we are. Take a look at our list of unexpected moving costs and plan accordingly.

Moving Supplies

You’ve got stuff and that stuff needs to be packed. If you plan to hire professional movers, packing boxes may be included. If you’re DIYing it, you will need moving boxes, packing tape, packing peanuts and moving blankets. Boxes will be your biggest expense. U-haul sells an apartment moving kit for $102.71 and a four-bedroom moving kit for $467.63. Over at Amazon, a pack of 10 medium-sized boxes is $27 and a three-pack of wardrobe boxes can run as high as $50. How many boxes will you need? Use this free online calculator from Moving.com.

Truck Rental

Speaking of U-haul, how much have you budgeted for a truck? Moving trucks average $157 for a local move and $769 to $1,170 for a long-distance one. You are also responsible for gas, sales taxes and rental fees for moving dollies. You may be asked to pay mileage fees for a local move.

Professional Mover Fees

According to Forbes, movers charge between $25 to $50 per mover, per hour for local moves and $600 to more than $10,000 for a long-distance move. Your cost depends on how many movers you use, how many rooms you need to move and how long it takes to load and unload the truck. Gas, tolls and other expenses are usually included in your estimate. Some moving companies will pack up your stuff for an additional fee. Do you have a piano or swing set? Specialty items are extra. Thinking of having your second car shipped? That will cost an extra $1,000 on average. Movers generally receive a tip at the end of the move, so factor that cost in as well.

Storage

If you must move out of your old house and your new house isn’t ready yet, you will have to store your stuff. If your move includes everything in your apartment plus everything you’ve been storing in your parents’ garage and the house isn’t quite big enough, you may need to rent a storage unit. Prices depend on where you live and how big a unit you need. Be prepared and get quotes ahead of time so you aren’t surprised.

Pet Boarding

Where will Fido be while you are moving? It’s probably not a good idea to have him underfoot. If you don’t have a friend who can watch him, you will need to find a boarding facility for a day or so.

Hotel Expenses

If you are moving cross country and not flying, you need to factor in the cost of hotels or motels. Even if you aren’t, moving is stressful and a night spent in a hotel can be better than staying up until 3 a.m. trying to put a bed frame together.

Appliances and Other Stuff

Your new Wedgewood Forest home comes with a stove, dishwasher and microwave but what about the refrigerator, washer and dryer? If you’ve been living in an apartment or rental, you will have to purchase those. Even if you are moving houses, your old refrigerator may not fit in your new kitchen. Ditto for couches, chairs, patio furniture and more. Factor the cost of replacing or buying new appliances and furniture into your moving costs.

Restocking the Kitchen

Movers won’t move your food. If you are moving locally and doing it yourself, it’s easy to pack up a few coolers. If you are moving long-distance you will need to fill up the fridge. It’s also worth it to budget for restaurant or delivery service meals. Chances are good you won’t be unpacking your kitchen the first day.

Utilities and Cable

If you are making a local move, call your utility companies and have them switch your accounts to your new address. There may be a small surcharge. If you are making a long-distance move, you may have to start all over again, especially with utility companies. Be sure to call them and let them know the date you will be moving in, so lights, water and internet are all available when you hit your new driveway.