For us, summer is a fine balance between having enough of a plan to keep everyone happy, and having the sense that our days are free form, relaxed.
Some things we enjoy doing:
Indoors:
*Use recycling bin contents to build 'robots', forts etc. Remember the recycling rocket?
*Make puppets (we make them out of paper bags), then have a puppet show.
*Make playdoh
*Write and perform a play over the course of a week, collecting costumes and props from around the house.
*If you knit, crochet, embroider, sew, needlepoint, felt - teach your child how!
*make a nature journal
*make/keep a summertime scrapbook
*Cooking projects: make butter, make jam, bake bread. Summer is a great time to try new things. Kids often find it exciting to make something they've previously only seen come from the grocery store. We particularly like Salad People and Pretend Soup. The recipes are picture based.
*Conduct science experiments. Mudpies to Magnets is great (preschool age).
I regularly rotate toys. I often put two or three things out at night for the boys to find to do in the morning, like a puzzle, game, building component, craft.
I always have on hands lots of:*melting beads - the boys make things with these all the time
*loops for making potholders
*crayons, paint, stickers, stamps, construction paper, glue, tape and more tape
Lakeshore Learning is a good online resource for supplies, as is Discount School Supply.
Bare Books - I love these so much! Abbott likes the blank comic books they sell in addition to the blank books.
Outdoors:
*sidewalk chalk/paint
*picnic in the front (back) yard
*hiking - in our neighborhood and elsewhere. Finding and playing with sticks is often the best activity I can offer my boys.
*plant seeds and watch them grow
*scavenger hunts, treasure hunts
*star gazing. We love H.A. Rey's book The Stars
*jumprope, play frisbee, baseball, basketball, stomp rockets, bubbles, scooter, rollerblade, bike...
*lots and lots of unstructured free play time!
Around town
*local library's summer reading program and other programs for kids (the ones in Seattle are fantastic, particularly at the downtown branch)
*tour your local recycling plant
*farm tours
*visit a thrift store/garage sales to buy some things to supplement your dress up/costume box
Websites I like:
Jan Brett
Kids Craft Weekly
Art Projects for Kids
Kiddley - isn't being updated anymore but has lots of great ideas (via Elaine)
The Magnifying Glass - an online nature journal for kids
National Geographic Kids
The Discovery Channel
Magazines we like:
Highlights Puzzlemania
Ranger Rick
Resources:
Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts
H.A. Rey's book The Stars
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder
The Pocket Guide to Games
Audiobooks:
AudibleKids
RealeBooks
Candlelight Stories
RIF Reading Planet
Book Club 4 Boys
Book Ideas:
Reading Rockets
TeachersFirst 100 Best Books
http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/
I have a feeling it's going to be a great summer.
18 comments:
You are such a fun mom! I want to come live at your house this summer. :)
This is a great list of ideas. Thanks for posting them.
You seem to have put together fun and interesting things to do, including unstructured play time. I think you are a smart Mom.
I absolutely love this list! Your summer sounds like it will be perfect.
Thanks for the websites... i will definitely try them!
I love these glimpses into your life as a mom. You're doing a wonderful job!
wouhaou ! A crazy summer ! I think you have good plans ! Don't forget to sleep ; ) Have a wonderful time !
Thanks for sharing all of these ideas and resources - I'll be printing this out and posting it on my fridge for sure!
You know what we did that the kids are loving more than anything right now? Hubby went out and bought a big length of farmer's rope, tied it up to a sturdy tree branch, and the kids have been out there swinging and hootin' and hollerin' most every day. They love it!
So many great ideas, Lecia! We have the H.A. Rey book too, and we love it. Thanks for the link to Mudpies to Magnets, we need that.
Another thing we like is to go to the local movie theatre's summer movie club. On Wednesday mornings they have $3 kids' movies. I remember doing that when I was a kid, and seeing oldies like Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, and it's great for super-hot days!
AWESOME list, lecia! i know this post took time to put together, thank you! i am going to link to it on my end-of-week link list.
and gotta say...i LOVE abbott's notes, signs, and art!
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
It sounds like you will have a perfectly busy summer this year :o) I hope to be able to "borrow" some of your ideas and take my best friend's girls out and about to do things.
i have a feeling you are right!:)
You must have read my mind! I was going to email you this week about Bare Books because we really need something like that this summer!
You put a lot into this post. Thank you for all the links. If we need some fresh ideas, I'm coming back for something to save me!!
not only boys play with sticks, try not to be a sexist if you are going to make a blog that so many people read.
anon: I used the term 'boys' because my two children are boys. Surely you can extrapolate.
I may have said this before, but if there was a parenting class and you were the teacher, I would sign up, even though my sons are 16. You are a terrific parent.
I cannot wait to see your sons at age 16!
I know they will be great men.
Great post. I love a good recommendation!
From this far away, I hope you'll post about your local library summer activities (we have no library whatsoever). Sounds like it will be a great summer for you!
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