Summer activities.........

T

taracotta7

New member
Alrighty. I already need some help for summer funs to keep my boys from driving me nuts. Last year I was so much better prepared and this year it snuck up on me. SO please help me out. What are some things you are doing this summer? Any special crafts, activities, family adventures, ect you are planning? Please link me up!!!! I need all the help I can get!

Here is my kid craft pinterest board if you are interested.

I just need to fight the "I'm Bored" monster. :)
 
There is a summer bucket list scrapper group on FB all abt this, Tara. LMK if you want me to send you the link to join.

My summer bucket list looks a lil' somethin' like this:

-- bubbles in the backyard/DIY from Pinterest
-- local splashpad
-- strawberry picking
-- zoo
-- Morse Beach
-- trip to Chicago
-- FOJ parade & fireworks show
-- eat food from our garden
-- picnic at the park
-- outdoor concert
-- summer reading program at the library
-- state fair
-- fly a kite
-- Putt-Putt & Bonnie Doon's ice cream
-- VBS
-- preschool workbooks
-- outdoor pool at the Y
-- Pinterest crafts
-- nature walk/scavenger hunt bingo
-- wearing our matching mother-daughter dresses somewhere
-- pottery class
 
I'd be interested in the summer bucket list group. I had been just thinking this afternoon that I hadn't even started making one and tomorrow is the last day of school. I'm behind.
 
I've got 3 more weeks, so I'm just starting to plan. Here are a few of the things on our list.

-make playdough using jello (for color and scent)
-marshmallow and toothpick buildings
-water fights (as many as I can think of...water guns, water balloons, other squirters, etc)
-picnic in the park
-homemade ice cream
-crafting with air drying clay (maybe salt dough...I haven't searched for recipes yet)
-movies (a few of the local theaters show older kids movies for a few dollars a ticket during the summer)
-geocaching
-summer reading program through the library. The prize for completing it is a coupon book that has led to some fun activities for us.
-let the kids earn money for a toy store or Target trip, then go shopping
-Free programs through the library (haven't looked into it yet this year, but last year they had some things like mad science, live animals, etc.)
-hiking
-splash park
-feeding the ducks
-festivals and carnivals (on the weekend with DH...can't manage that one on my own with 3 kids)
oad trip to CT and NY to visit family (1st time it will be just me and the kids, then DH will join us over the weekend)
-fort building
-Legos...need to think of a big project they can all get into, like building a town or a space station
-some week-long 3-hour/day camp programs
-swimming
-playgrounds
-trip to pick out some new craft supplies together



If anyone is looking for bucket list inspiration, Becky Higgins shared a link on her blog within the last week or so about a summer bucket list program.
 
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I made the "magic shell" for ice cream with my nephews one summer and it was a hit. Here is my post about that.


Will definitely be checking out your lists for other ideas. I've been wanting to make a summer bucket list.
 
We still have one more week until school is out and then they go back on July 22. Plus, DH and I work full time outside the home, so daycare fills a good chunk of the day. But I am still collecting ideas because we don't do vacations so the weekends are wide open. I have been reading the blog Modern Parents, Messy Kids which has had some fun ideas.

Here is a play time pinterest board I have been pinning stuff onto: Playtime and I also have some arts and crafts too.

I am also thinking of doing a family summer olympics and making up some wacky games and awarding medals at the end of the summer. Things like Wii Bowling or water balloon tossing, perhaps glow stick ring toss. I am still working it out in my mind.
 
Some of the things we have done:

- science experiments
- small day trips
- museums (including small, local)
- splash pads
- make ice cream in a coffee can (they roll back and forth; actually need one big can and one smaller one)
- sprinkler
- sidewalk chalk
- catching fireflies
- plant a garden
- mini golf
- tours (sports arenas, factories, etc).
- make smores
- "camping out" in the living room
- flashlight games/ make shadows
- make your own pizza (including dough)
- movie night (basically they wanted to play movie theater and made tickets for us to hand in and we set up a table with "snacks" for us to order)
- sidewalk art exhibit (when cities have statues that are decorated)
- fair
- church festivals
- amusement park (we have small ones which makes it more of an option)
- decorate a t-shirt with fabric markers
- zoo
- make peanut butter
- strawberry picking
- car wash (they like going to the automatic car wash where we can stay in the car. LOL).
- board games
 
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I'm no help this year since we're spending a month traveling around the US and the 2nd month will be filled with me working and Cheyanne doing various summer camps for basketball, soccer, and outdoor adventure camp for kayaking, swimming, hiking, zip lines, rock climbing, etc. Now that she's older she entertains herself on the days when she's home anyway.
 
Just off the top of my head...

-eading programs & library activities
--spray parks
--free bowling at AMF (found kids bowling shoes for $20 @ Academy)
-oller skating
--museums
--kids dollar movies @ Harkins, Starplex, or Cinemark
--cooking lessons
--zoo days (today's the last day to get discounted ZooFriends membership at Mathis Brothers!)
--kids building workshops at Lowe's and Home Depot
--playdates (going to do some crafts with friends)
--VBS
--visit a 'pick your own' farm
 
We are doing...

Swimming lessons
Spanish Camp
Lego Camp (on waiting list)
Park Days (with a homeschooling group)
Reading and Spelling (uhm, yeah - still schooling this summer) ;)
Summer Reading Program (*cough* look for a Sticky Learnings coming)
camping
family trip
Lunch in the park with Daddy

and then our "big" project is going through this book and making stuff!



And if we are still bored... I have a bunch of things pinned in this board...

http://pinterest.com/mamabee/things-to-do-with-kiddo/
 
You guys are the best! Keep these ideas coming! :)

Stacey - Do you know of some pick your own farms in the area? I would love peaches or any kind of berry. :)
 
Check with your local library system. Ours does a really fun program that includes activities at the different branches all summer. Sometimes it's a magic show, sometimes it's learning about animals and they have animals to show, sometimes it's a more interactive thing with art projects for the kids, etc. But, it's all free, and my kids love them. I just finished going through the schedule for this year and planning which branches we'll go to for the different activities.

We'll also be doing swimming lessons, the summer movie series at one of the local theaters, free bowling, the local splash pad, and few other field trips that I've been writing down as I thought of them throughout the year.
 
School is in here until June 14th.

Mostly we will be hanging around the house this summer.

We will be reading the Series of Unfortunate Events series together, a few chapters a day at a time, a different boy reading each day.
I've got them signed up for Big Picture Classes Kidding Around 4 class which has 20 activities, one for every weekday in July & has them create an art journal/diary type thing.
We're going to hit up an amusement park & visit a few museums a couple hours away.
I'm also taking a phone photography class at BPC in July and my oldest wants to join me using DH's old phone.
We have an easy set pool I need to sat up this weekend and they have their friends over a couple days a week probably
 
We've been out of school for over a week and haven't even worried about a bucket list this year. I told the kids if they are bored they scrub the bathroom. LOL I need to come up with some ideas but I don't want things too structured as I have a lot of things *I* want to get done!
 
I need help too! I do not know how it came so fast but it has snuck up on me as well and the kids have been out two days already! Eeek!

I need stuff for older kids though, that cost little or nothing! Ugh, help!
 
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