Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Summertime Planning and Activities

Summertime is quickly approaching and if you're like me and you like to plan ahead, this post is for you! Here are some fun and exciting things to do over the summer that should help keep you and the kids busy...

Click on the following links...








Here are some other ideas to keep minds and bodies pumping...

Little or No Money:
Beaches
Bike Riding
Parks
Chuck E. Cheese
Library Story Hour/Puppet Shows
Music Classes (I highly suggest Music with Mar. for 6 mos.-5 yrs. old)
Reading with your child everday
Science Centers
Swim Lessons
Vacation Bible School
Start a family vegetable or butterfly garden (even if you don't have a lot of land, just get yourself some pots for the back porch and grow tomatoes...you may find your kids excited to eat more veggies!)

More Money Needed:
Camping
Baseball games
Aquariums
Zoo
Museums
Lessons of some sort (music, dance, golf, etc.)
Paintballing

Some ideas that I have found helpful come from Family Fun Magazine. I do keep a binder (see "organization" label on sidebar for this previous post) labeled "Summertime Fun" and put all magazine tear-outs from magazines and other handouts in it (use plastic page covers!) for quick and easy reference. Make sure to start your own this year as you read through and tear out your articles and ideas.

Here are a few from my binder...
-wash the car and make it a fun event, get soaked!
- have a neighborhood or family cookout
- play lots of water games
- go on a hike
- camp out in the backyard
- make fun decorations for the Fourth of July
- learn some new recipes for baking, cooking and fun snacks
- go on a treasure hunt outside
- create an outdoor art center
- collect large and small boxes and make a fort, castle or other fun creation
- collect rocks and paint them
- make a water balloon catch game using empty milk jugs (cut out a hole)
- if you're traveling, collect dirt/sand from the places you've been and display them in clear neat bottles that are labeled with the place you visited
- decorate a t-shirt or flipflops
- go fishing
- start a book club
- have a "Block Party" in your neighborhood
- learn another language
- learn how to play tennis
- have a spa day for you and your significant other
- scrapbooking
- don't forget to continue on your date nights (heart)
Don't forget to keep your brains churning by keeping up the academics too! Purchase some inexpensive workbooks from Sam's Club or a local bookstore. You can also ask your child's teacher what are some good things to be practicing over the summer for the next grade level and maybe they'll let you borrow a textbook or two (?). Have incentives for kids that finish a certain amount of work. Be sure to set realistic goals.
HAPPY SUMMER PLANNING!!!

1 comment:

Kelli said...

I need this list. I need to find some things for my aunt to do while Jamison is at home for the summer. I would like to get a zoo pass again...we'll see.