Summertime is here and the kids are out of school...now what?
These days it's way too easy to throw them onto a screen and let them occupy themselves. And getting them out of the house to go places like a zoo or amusement parks are set aside for special days because let's face it, they can get expensive. So now is the time to get creative! Here's a couple of ideas to give you some inspiration and make the Summer a little more interesting: Make a Parks Map: If your town has multiple parks and/or schools, why not make a map of them and make it a project to try and hit all of the local playgrounds before the Summer vacation time is over! In our area, we have many and almost every one of them is free to enter. Can try for one or two a week, or when the spirit moves you to find a new slide to conquer! (NOTE: Make sure you check your local gov't center. In our city, some require a blanket permit but for a $25 sticker, it's unlimited entry to all of them until the season is over--after the season, they are free again).
Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay
Scavenger Hunt: Scavenger hunts are so much fun and they can be done both indoors or outdoors! Not only are they fun, but you can also sneak a little learning into the game as well. These hunts can get very creative and you don't need to have the kids actually take an item. They can 'collect' items by crossing them off a list so you won't need to actually hide anything, but instead, hand them a sheet of paper. (so easy)
There are many ways you can approach a scavenger hunt as well. Give them a list to collect things all season long and then whoever has the most items when school starts wins a special prize, or maybe when you're at one of the playgrounds or a zoo/aquarium/museum, you come up with a list for while you're there...really, the possibilities are endless. Add some clues that will lead to a lesson learned and you've got what I call "hidden learning." Maybe add a little local history clue to the mix. Is the park named for someone? A clue could be, "find the dedication plaque" and have them really read it, not just say they saw it. Then buy them ice cream. #becausesummer :)
Old School Board Games: While game nights have become a thing (which is great!), why not do them more often or on rainy Summer days and use some older board games from your childhood. I know there's tons of new games out there to play, but playing something from when you were a kid not only gets them off screen, but gets the conversation started by sharing how you used to play this when you were their age! What's great too is that so many games from decades ago are now considered 'retro' and can be found again looking all bright and shiny. (Although if you held on to your original or found one at a yard sale, that would be really cool too.) Games like Sorry, Candy Land, Connect Four, etc are all back and still so much fun!!!
Need to find some to add to the collection? I've already done the searching for you...just click on the link:
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
So there you go! I hope this gives you a nice jumping off point to get the Summer going! Of course these ideas are year round fun -- just think of how much fun a Halloween Scavenger Hunt could be?? Hmmm...that may be a future Seasonal Stuff post!
Have fun guys! :)
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