 From Cindy's Porch: The ABC's of
Summer Fun
June, July, and August - those hazy, lazy days of summer! There is nothing better than a cold glass of fresh lemonade out on the porch on a hot and sunny day. Mmmmmmm!
I love summer. It's that time of year when you can DO all those special things you have been dreaming of DOing all winter. You can curl up in the swing with the newest suspense novel by your favorite author (the one you put on hold from the library a month ago before it was even out in the stores), you can dig out those watercolors or acrylics that have been collecting dust in your craft closet for over six years, you can get on your hands and knees and watch ants move about with your youngest child, you can set the salad and barbeque cookbooks you bought two years ago out on the countertop and try out some recipes, you can collect your icecream pails and head to the local strawberry farm and pick enough strawberries to freeze for the winter months (and you can eat a few along the way too!), and you can just DO! DO anything you want. And it doesn't have to cost a dime.
In the summer, we slow down. The TV is rarely on. We load up on books and magazines from the library. We stay out of the stores (unless we're browsing just for the fun of it). We shop for fresh fruits and veggies from the local farmers or the Farmer's Market. Kids are allowed to be bored (sometimes). Dad is allowed to enjoy the Friday night football game. And mom is allowed to just relax. And when we feel like it, we spend time in the garden, pulling a few weeds, and harvesting the swiss chard, baby potatoes, dill, kholrabi, beets, carrots, and tomatoes. Dad will fire up the barbeque and cook whatever has been marinating in the fridge all day long. The kids will call up some friends and organize a ball game or shoot a few baskets at the school. I love them - the hazy, lazy days of summer.
Do we stay at home all summer? Not at all. The kids will take swimming lessons, we will go camping in the area, we will explore the museums, the parks, the beaches, and even make a trip out to our local bird sanctuary. The kids will choose where we go sometimes, and mom and dad will choose where we go sometimes. We'll probably enjoy more icecream than we should LOL.
This summer, take the time to enjoy those hazy, lazy days. With a little bit of planning and a little bit of creativity, you can find ways to turn the entire summer into a holiday, a vacation. And it doesn't matter whether you have to work full time, or part time, or you stay at home full time, the treasures of summer fun are out there waiting for you and your family to discover!
Take care of you,
Cindy
One of our readers asked us to use our very popular ABC's to collect "DO instead of BUY" Summer Fun Ideas - let's see how many we can get!
|
- A is for animals; read Doctor Doolittle
- A is for alphabet hunt... hunt for things that start with each letter of the alphabet... A can also be for a alphabet scavenger hunt...
- 'A' About town, so many of us do not know our own Town/City.
- A Animals- volunteer at a shelter, create balloon animals, feed the ducks at the park.
- Balloon fight in the yard (this is always a lot of fun). Note from Cindy: SHOP at home FIRST in your party supplies - imagine my surprise when I cleaned this out a couple months back and found THREE bags of balloons and water balloons - sheesk!
- Barbeque. Essential part of summer. Try something new - pizza on the bbq or grilled romaine for a great caesar salad.
- B is for Block Party!
- B is for Betsy-Tacy, start of the best series ever
- B is for birds; which ones live in your area?
- B is for bagels; visit a bakery & see how they're made (Note from Cindy: Then find a recipe and try making your own!)
- B is for blowing bubbles. Brings out the kid in all of us!
- B is for bicycling to keep fit and to explore the neighbourhood
- B: Bandages. Buy them on sale for those scraped knees!
- B Ball games of all kinds....one for all ages....kickball.
- Camping - load up on a Thursday night so you are ready to hit the road on Friday!
- Camping in the back yard with friends. Let the kids DO it all - setting up the tent, making the beds, planning the foods, making the salads and snacks (parents run the barbeque) and let the kids sleep out under the stars.
- C is for campfire
- C is for cards, all kinds of fun games for young & old
- C is for cupcakes some night, just because
- C is for Canada Day - July 1st!
- C here in our family is for camping in the wendy house with my youngest DD (Note from Cindy: I don't know what a "wendy house" is....)
- 'C' Camp, in the back yard or on the balcony, wherever, the kids won't care (Note from Cindy: When it gets really hot, the kids "camp" in the basement - yup we even let them set up the tent! They have a blast!)
- C - Challenge the family next door to a soccer match. (Note from Cindy: Hey, why not extend this to a badminton challenge, or bocci ball, or volley ball, or baseball challenge. Or how about a "game buffet" - each family brings a game, head over to the school playground or local park and start playing! We all have these things gathering dust in the shed and garage, let's bring them out to play!)
- Cards - Learn a new game that the family can play together.
- C Clear clutter for indoor weather.
- D is for doing a good turn daily; be nice to your friends & relatives
- Diving into a pool, beach or lake! Always fun in the summer! (Note from Cindy: Just make sure it is deep enough first - my daughter is a lifeguard)
- Drive-In Movies (not totally free, but the one we go to allows outside food and is only $20.00/car for a double feature!). We bring our camping stuff and snacks and our neighborhood goes once a year. The kids love the special movie treat!
- 'D' Do odd jobs for seniors or shut-ins.
- Dressup day. (Note from Cindy: Make sure one of the kids gets to use the camera to gather shots - then send some of the photos to grandparents, aunts and uncles - of course the kids also have to write a letter to go along with the fun...)
- Digging in the sandbox
- Dining outside
- D Dancing....block parties, in the dark, with your bestie, or by yourself.
- D is for decorate: Let your child repaint, re-do, or simple re-arrange their bedrooms. (Note from Cindy: My 14 year old just finished her bedroom - wild colors - nothing that I would ever choose, but she loves it! And she did it all herself, the taping, the painting, the hand-painting, and the clean up. It actually looks kind of neat. Look up Randy Paucsh and listen to his talk. He's the reason our kids get to choose their own looks.)
- Erma Bombeck: all moms should read at least one of her books this summer!
- E is for exploring some river, park, nature preserve near home
- 'E' Entertain, make up a puppet show, "sell" tickets and donate the money to the Animal Shelter. (My kids did this every year when they were young. It kept them busy for weeks)
- E Entertainment of all sorts--marbles, coloring, painting, bubbles, jacks. (Note from Cindy: Now the secret is - mom and dad - get down on the ground and play too!)
- Feed the geese or ducks. Take a couple pieces of bread, head down to the lake and toss crumbs for them. Take a snack or a bag lunch to picnic with at that time of day.
- F is for flying kites, if the weather cooperates
- F is for Flag Day June 14
- F is for Fourth of July; decorate & celebrate
- F is for your homemade first aid kit
- F is for family - seeing as many as possible over the summer
- 'F' Finders. Pick a word, as long as appropriate to age. Have the kids find item beginning with each letter.
- F -- Fishing, then take small bbq and picnic basket have dinner where ever you are
- F: Farmers' Market - support local growers.
- Flying airplanes (remote or paper) (Note from Cindy: Again, head over to the library and sign out some books on paper airplanes - let your kids learn how to create some fantastic paper planes - that really do fly!)
- Frisbee
- F Festive themed parties-- we do this at work at least three times a month to keep morale up and it's a potluck deal.
- Grandparents: Don't underestimate how much fun kids can have spending a day or even a week at grandma and grandpa's house.
- G is for gooey marshmallows in somemores
- G is for garden & growing, flowers & vegetables
- G is for grilling. Make some awesome suppers (or snacks) with food you paid for or "G"rew in your garden
- G is for gardening(strawberries, herbs, bluberries from the garden, yum)
- Golf
- Homemade. It's a good time to try homemade ice cream, popsicles, ice cream sandwiches (made with chocolate chips cookies, cold taco salad...)
- H is for help; if everyone helps a little, you get to have fun faster
- Happy hour after the kids are in bed. How about a glass of wine or a cold beer or margaritas or whatever you fancy on the deck at night. (Note from Cindy: I smell a "porch date" with my guy coming up!)
- 'H' Help around the garden/house
- Hiking
- Hang the laundry outside on the line. Sounds corney, but actually the kids get a kick out of it - for the first few times anyways.
- Icecream social with friend (you all get together with different flavor ice cream and different toppings and make your own sundaes, etc.) Note from Cindy: I love this - what a great way to use up those little bits of sprinkles left over the kitchen cupboards!
- I is for icing (see letter C)
- Homemade Icecream: I have always wanted to make my own ice cream instead of buying it at the store but of course that would mean buying the ice cream maker but it still sounds like fun to me and it certainly is delicious and creamier than the store bought no doubt about that and healthier.
- J is for jello jigglers, a fun treat cut in shapes
- J: Jumping rope. (Note from Cindy: OK Mom's and Dad's - here's the challenge - I've been going on twice/day daily walks since the start of June - thanks to this suggestion, I am going to start daily skipping - I haven't done this in YEARS, so it could be interesting - I wonder where the ropes are? Who is going to join in?)
- J Jamborees
|
- 'K' Learn to knit
- Build a kite and make it fly.
- K is for kids...have FUN with 'em. Have a food fight after your picnic,
a water fight on a really hot day, late in the summer a rotten tomato,
zucchini, cucumber fight...make these friendly fire 'fights'...sounds
awful all that 'fighting', but it will be fun fun fun and your kids will
thing you're cool!
- Library. Perfect for those days that are too hot to be outside or that occassional wet day. (Note from Cindy: Our local library has always held a summer reading program with prizes. When the kids were smaller, it was tradition to head to the library on the first day of summer vacation and get signed up. Doesn't cost a dime!)
- Another library: Also, when my children were little we would go to the library every week and I would let them enter the reading programs at the library and they enjoyed checking out as many books as they wanted to read and we would go to the park and play tennis and we would swim in our own pool at home.
- L is for lemonade; have lemonade & cookies one afternoon
- L Lawnchairs in the early a.m. or evening
- M is for magnets. Stretch your science knowledge & learn about their properties (Note from Cindy: Head to the library and sign out some junior science books for kids - there are some fantastic experiments in them - some are deliciously messy - great for outside!)
- 'M' Make crafts, jewelery, cookies or ?????
- Math problem. Print out a one page math sheet or a single math problem to solve while the kids are waiting for supper. Keep it simple - all you want to do is keep their basic skills alive during the summer.
- M: Music in the great outdoors. Many cities have free outdoor summer concerts.
- M: Meteor shower - Perseid, August 12, 2009 (Note from Cindy: Ooooo thanks for this one!! Every year, my husband and I set up in our backyard and count "shooting stars" - I always win! LOL The Perseid showers are amazing!)
- M Manicured yards (Note from Cindy: I am smiling over this one - our yard is far from manicured - but we keep it neat)
- N is for notepaper which can be made (see below)
- 'N' NO daytime TV, it keeps kids indoors and stunts their brain.
- N New Friends (Note from Cindy: keep an eye on the neighborhood for the new families moving in. We moved in during the summer and were delighted to quickly meet our neighbors - instant friends for the kids, and a great way to learn about the area!)
- O is for is for ocean if you live near enough to spend a day at the beach
- O: Outside, as much as possible (Note from Cindy: remember the hat and sunscreen - my kids make this an automatic thing to DO before they head out!)
- Picnic at the park - can also be lunch at a local pool. Take your ball glove or a frisbee, grab a blanket, your camera and pack some good eats. Good way to get together with friends or family.
- Picnic hamper on wheels (this one is from Cindy: our simple picnic hamper on wheels has saved us a ton of cash and time. When we go out in the summer, we load up with some bread, sandwich fixings, fruit, juice, water, and ice packs - then we are ready to eat where ever we are!)
- P is for homemade popsicles! (note from Cindy: we've already started making these using plain yogurt and the leftover frozen fruit from last season - only a few bags of strawberries left!)
- P is for potato printing, a good way to decorate note or wrapping paper
- P is for park; familiar, but always a winner
- P is for picknick(my DD 7's favourite outdoor or indoor activity - summer as winter)
- 'P' Playdates, picnic
- P Pot luck meals in the form of a block party (Note from Cindy: Here's an idea: Let the kids "arrange" and prepare the potluck meal....)
- Q is for quest; read a book or rent a movie about King Arthur & his knights
- Q Quilting circles
- Q is for quiet time - don't underestimate the power of just enjoying doing nothing!
- R is for resting; naps or dreamy afternoons in a hammock
- R is for renting books on tape & videos from the library
- R is for reading - as many books as possible before summer ends
- R is for relax...after DOing all the fun summer activities make sure you
find time to relax...it IS summer after all! Have a cool glass of
lemonade on the porch while the kiddos catch fireflies in the evening.
- R Racing of all kinds...through the stores, neighborhood relays, bikes
- S is for sprinklers!
- Sidewalk chalk. Easy way to relax with the kids. (Note from Cindy: we always had several tubs of sidewalk chalk available for the kids - I would pick them up at the end of summer when they were marked down. Anyways, we have photos of about 20 neighborhood kids creating this huge "chalk city" in front of our home. They would draw houses, stores, a law office (one kid's mom was a lawyer), a chemical plant, a jail, etc. And after a rain, they would be out there to DO it over again!)
- S is for supper on the porch on in the backyard
- S is for swing in a tire or on a board or over a lake like Tarzan
- S is for singing, in the car or under the stars
- S is for swimming - in the sea, local pool or in a splashing pool in the garden (Note from Cindy: summer is when we usually sign our kids up for their swimming lessons - a great way to cool down in the summer heat!)
- 'S' Start a new project, something new and exciting
- S is for scrapbooking - let the kids finish off that scrapbook you started for them years ago (Note from Cindy: I have a couple of those in the craft stash - I got to about four years old on two of them - they are teens now! And the third kid - YIKES - I never even started a baby book for her - just wrote in the birthdate - the rest is blank!)
- S: Summer solstice.
- S Sports of all kinds
- Tourism in your own city. Check out the free local events. Some art galleries or museums may ask for a token donation, but it's worth checking out.
- T is for tricks; experiment with learning how to perform magic
- T is for track; get a handbook & learn what birds & animals are leaving signs they've been in your area.
- 'T' Tell a joke, a new one everyday (keep 'em clean)
- T Tall tale stories
- U is for under; make a cave under the dining table on a rainy day
- 'U' Use what you already own, find the old ball, games etc.,
- U Under the sky star gazing
- V is for Vulcan; learn about him & other characters in Roman & Greek mythology
- 'V' Visit somewhere in your city you have never been before. Older kids volunteer.
- Visitor's/Tourist information office - start at your local office - find out what festivals, activities, and other DO's are available right at home. Occasionally, you can find coupons for local attractions as well.
- W is for wishes; make a wish on the first star
- W is for wading in a creek or stream. What fun & a great way to cool off when it's hot outside.
- W is for walking - in the woods or to town - as long as it is fun and we save money on gas (note from Cindy: I am thrilled to say that I have been walking nearly an hour every day - usually at about 7:00 am and then again at 7:00 pm - I like to walk in the cooler temperatures - the dogs like it too!)
- 'W' Watch a special movie with the whole family, make muchies and wait for Dad to get home. (Note from Cindy: our local library has started bringing in old black and white classics - I think we are going to watch a few of them)
- W--- Weiser Fiddle Festival walk around and join in the many jams. or just listen.
- X is for xu, a coin in North Vietnam & useful for Scrabble (Note from Cindy: I have very fond memories of playing Scrabble with my grandma during the summer - with I knew about xu though LOL!)
- X Xamine your heart and reach out to others....make a gratitude list
- Y is for yard sale; collect odds & ends to have one or donate to your school or church when they do
- Y Yo-yo's
- Z is for zoo; see if there are any programs that take place at night for an unusual experience
- Z is for some zzzzzz on the summer swing!
|
|
