Summer is upon us and the kids will be out of school before you know it! Do you have a plan in place for your family? What will you do to ensure a little fun and creativity is still happening in your home throughout these few months that kids are not in the classroom? We have a few fresh ideas for your to consider.
Create a Summer Manifesto/Bucket List
A fantastic way to focus your attention when looking ahead to the summer months is to create a ‘summer bucket list’. As a family, sit down and discuss what you want to make sure you do this summer. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options and possibilities, it’s also easy to not do enough of what you hoped because you neglected to plan properly. Some things to consider when you are making your bucket list:
Family schedule and time allotted for planned fun.
Budget for travel and expenses for activities.
Individual interests of each person.
Abilities of each member of the family based on age.
Sitter options for events that are not kid-friendly.
Camp potential for kids and how that fits into the bucket list.
The overall ‘feel’ you want for summer. Are you hoping for an adventure-filled summer or low-key and relaxed?
We went on the hunt for some clever ideas to assemble your bucket list. Our favorite was this lunchbox tin with cards and a jar of Starbursts to add a little something special to the process of checking things off the list of fun.
The best part – is this particular post offers a ready-made printable for you! So, if you’re not in the mood to create a unique list of your own, head that way!
Create a Water Wall
There are a ton of these waterwalls all over Pinterest and, ultimately, the best reward for keeping recyclables would be to create a fantastic water wall out of it for your kids like this one or this one. BUT, if you’re like me and sometimes look for the easiest route to fun, then check out the above pre-made version at Kidantics and purchase this three-sided version:
Make a Fairy Garden
Fairy Gardens are all the rage right now and they are a super creative way to get your kids digging their own special gardens. The concept includes planting small plants and creating mini-furniture and buildings so the fairies will come and visit your home. Heidi from Happiness is Homemade got her sons involved in creating a family fairy garden. She created the lovely little house you see above and they helped with the rest. Check out her tutorial for more information on how to create a fairy garden using polymer clay, over on her blog.
If you are looking to keep it a bit simpler, Jamie from See Jamie Blog had her daughters create furniture and the results were so adorable and such a creative use of their natural surroundings.
Each tutorial offers you some different options and tips for your gardens. You can choose to allow your kids to make their own garden or work together on a larger, family garden. Either way, this is the time of year to start digging in the dirt and making the yard more beautiful with flowers and a little bit of magic that is the fairy garden.
DIY Teepee/Tent Kit
We found two no-sew (my kind of DIY-ing) Teepee Tutorials – that alone makes the effort worthwhile to create a little adventure in your backyard or on your patio this summer for your kids. The Handmade Home has this lovely Teepee made from all of her left over fabric scraps. It is nothing short of perfection for any kid who is looking for a little place to read or play pretend. She even added lights for evening camp outs. You’ll swoon and begin your hunt for dollar bin fabric deals.
If you’re looking for something a bit simpler, but achieves the same no-sew-awesome-place-to-play-pretend goal, then check out Fawn Over Baby’s tutorial, as you can see above, it’s simplicity allows for a quick assembly and it will work for your boys or girls. It’s a similar concept to Handmade Home but less material requirements and time.
Finally, if you want a simple fort building kit that’s easy to take down at the end of a playdate, Saltwater Kids has a fantastic DIY Fort Kit that you can keep on hand for all your fort building needs.
What’s on your Summer Bucket List?