It's summer break!!!!!!!!!!!! And it is HOT! Before noon today, the temperature had reached 100 degrees. Can you say UGH?! But there's no reason to let this heat stop us from having an awesome summer! So I've been keeping a running list in my head of things I'd like to do with my family this summer. Of course there will be lots of swimming and playing in the sprinkler, but sometimes that's not feasible for me with little ones who need naps. So let's get started!
1. Ice block of toys: Put a few little toys in a bucket of water and stick it in the freezer. Then let the kids have at it and see what tools they use to free the toys. My kids have had so much fun with this one. We've done it about 5 times in the past 3 days.3. At Home Theater: We love Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. They're easy for my 6 and 4 year old to read and my 3 year old has them memorized. So we started using them as "scripts". The kids take turns being Gerald, Piggie and any other friend that shows up in the book. Perhaps we'll make masks to go along with each script soon. We're also reading The Hobbit for our big summer read. I'm working on making little hobbit feet and a Smaug costume so we can put on a little play when we're done.
4. Big Draw: big roll of paper + lots of markers = fun! (pictured above)
5. Shadow Puppets from Fairy Tales: I talked about this in my old blog. The kids still love doing it. They now make their own and it's a great way for them to learn Grimm Brother tales or Mother Goose rhymes or Aesop's Fables. Plus we do it inside where the air conditioner is!
6. You-Pick-It Farms: Find your local you-pick-it farm! Blueberry season is coming up here! Yay!
7. Gardening My kids love running to the garden each morning to pick the tomatoes and squash.
8. Build a Robot: My boys have been begging to build a robot. So far all we've done is build a cardboard Wall-E. There are tons of kits out there for a real robot.10. Embroidery: Just give them some fabric, floss and a needle and see what they can do. I used to do this all the time as a kid. There are even little kits you can get a craft stores with instructions and all just for wee ones. Or you can just get the kids to doodle on fabric and "trace" it with embroidery floss.
11. Folding clothes while reading: Hmmmm, sounds like a chore doesn't it? Well, we love reading in this house. And we love reading out loud. And it just so happens I have a lot of laundry to do. So we came up with the idea of someone reading aloud while the others are folding clothes. Gives them practice reading and folding!
12. Nature Journal: I got this idea from reading about Charlotte Mason home schooling. Make little journals for each kid and go for a walk. They can either write or draw about what they see.
13. Lemonade Stand: Classic summertime activity!
14. Rockets You can get rocket kits at Hobby Lobby. Most are not that expensive, but all are fun!! Just make sure to find a big open area to launch.
15. Video Games "What?! She said video games!" Yes, yes I did. Because they are fun! Some that I recommend: Wii Party, Mario Kart, New Super Mario Bros, any Legend of Zelda, Mario Party 8. Most of these are multi-player and Legend of Zelda is awesome. Our kids even love our original Nintendo Entertainment System, which you can get on Ebay.
16. Read, Read, Read! Our library started their summer reading program last week. We are so excited about it! You can see if your library has a reading program, or just let the kids peruse the shelves!
I'm sure there are things we won't get to and some things we'll do that aren't on the list. The most important thing is to have FUN, FUN, FUN! And if any of you people out there in internet world have any suggestions to add, please leave them in the comments!
****This post is dedicated to Gabbie and Aiden! Show that babysitter how to have some summer fun right at home!****
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