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Friday Morning Coffee Talk- Summer Activities!
  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 1,551
    Happy Friday Lovelies!!!

    It is the last day of school here, and although I don't have a kid in school, all my students planning on doing nothing over the summer had me thinking that today is a good day to brainstorm ideas for summer activities.

    I was hoping we could compile a list of relatively cheap and easy activities to do throughout the summer, including rainy days!

    Topic: What to do with the kids during summer


    Question: What are some cheap/fun/entertaining activities to do with kids during the summer? Please list what ages you think it is appropriate for as well!!!!

    ~O) ~O) ~O)
  • nonamejustmommy
    Posts: 162Member
    http://www.makeandtakes.com/paper-plate-tropical-fish  We did this one. I would say maybe age 8-9 at max but it depends on your kids.

    http://www.makeandtakes.com/photo-a-day-craze-and-picture-books-for-kids  For the middle to older kids. This has 4 crafts on there.

    http://www.makeandtakes.com/foil-pendant-craft-for-kids  Something for the older girls. If I had one I would have her and her friends do this. 

    I love most if not all the crafts on this page. They are seasonal but if you search through you can find a lot of ideas.
    Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....It's about learning to dance in the rain.

    Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
    Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

    These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

    "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"
  • nonamejustmommy
    Posts: 162Member
    http://cuegly.blogspot.com/2011/09/75-kid-activities.html

    Here are 75 ideas. 
    Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....It's about learning to dance in the rain.

    Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
    Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

    These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

    "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"
  • onetimeonetime
    Posts: 2,117Member
    Slip n slide! They are like $12 and can last 2 summers!
    Suck it up buttercup!
  • MarySunshineMarySunshine
    Posts: 5,858Member
    I have little guys so I like to drive up to my mom's and head to the beach. For me it's the cost of gas and tolls.

    A hose, sprinkler and water balloons are great for kids 2 and up!

    Drip, Drip Drop-
    It's Duck, Duck Goose with a bucket of water and a giant sponge. You have the kiddos (and freinds) sit in a circle. One kid starts with the sponge going from person to person saying drip, drip, drip (while tapping their heads with the soaking wet sponge) when they get to the "goose" they wring the sponge out over their head and yell drop. The traditional chase ensues until the dropper is caught or sits in the vacant spot.
    I played this game with my "campers" ages 5-12.
    I'm as sexy as a burp mid-kiss. Watch out!

  • French_momFrench_mom
    Posts: 1,566Member
    Water guns war!!  You place bucket of water at strategic place on your yard  for refils. 
    It is for me to know and you to dot dot dot.
  • tothemoonandbacktothemoonandback
    Posts: 2,267Member
    Parks, pools, hell.. DS2 is thrilled to just run around in the mall.  Indoor kids gyms, museums with free days, zoo.  That's what our time is full of... pretty general stuff.
    Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. - Marilyn Monroe
  • jacigirl6354
    Posts: 199Member
    I saw this on Pinterest the other day, take random small toys, whatever you want, cars, rubber snakes, etc. put them in a dishpan, fill the dishpan with water and a few drops of food coloring then freeze in. When its frozen, dump in out on your deck or patio and let them chip away at it with wooden spoons, or some of their play tools. Cool summer fun that lasts a while!
    Sometimes your local Extension service offers cheap day camps too. Might be worth checking out. 
  • etherieletheriel
    Posts: 735Member

    It's too darn hot here to do a lot of outdoor stuff and my kids are older so they're not interested in the crafts. Gonna be a long summer filled with "I'm bored."

    We do go to the library a lot, but this year, the summer programs offered there look so boring compared to previous years.

    If I'm not supposed to do it, how come I can?
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,526Member
    Oh fun! I wanna hear more ideas. 

    I actually would like to set up a chore list and a small 'school' type routine for our summer mornings.

    And then after we do some reading and simple math and writing exercises, it's beach time! We live literally two minutes away from a lake, so it's perfect and cheap.
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • GisleyandHank
    Posts: 300Member

    Sort leftover stubs of chalk by color, grind them up (in a baggie with a hammer) and mix with water. Use old basting brushes to paint. The results were kind of badass. We do crazy amounts of coloring with chalk, it's so cheap.


    We were given a slip-and-slide for a birthday, but we live on a steep hill so I haven't figured out where to set it up. Do they have hose outlets at the park? I'll bet that'll make us really popular.

  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 7,022
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
    well behaved women seldom make history
  • DemandaDemanda
    Posts: 4,622Member
    You can buy those big squishy darts at the dollar store that you soak in water and they chuck them at each other.  Good times!  For kids a bit older, obviously...  
    There's lots of splash pads in my city, those are free, the pool is awesome and only a couple bucks.  
    The local library has something going on every week and the big one downtown has something every day during the summer.  They do a really good job, I've found, of having something for all age groups.  
    And we read, it's a must, non-negotiable. Both of them love reading in the hammock.  
    Museums usually have things for kids every now and then in the summer, and are cheap, if not free. 
    There are days when it's really just too effing hot to be outside much.  I'm all for kids playing outside, but when they are advising people to stay in, I listen.  This is dorky, but I'm big on doing scavenger hunts in the house.  I used to have to babysit my younger sisters & brother when I was a teen in the summers and that's when I started and it's something I do with my son now.  
    "The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off." ~ Gloria SteinemPhotobucket
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,714Member
    yep, sprinklers are the way we do it here...dd LOVES running through the sprinklers even more than her splash pool.  She loves bubbles and water balloons too.

    As for indoor stuff, I have a WII with the dance and exercise games and she's just now getting big enough to do them by herself...but it's good because it gives her some physical activity when it's 110 in the shade here...
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • fitmommyfitmommy
    Posts: 79Member
    luckly I live on an island so the summer is spent on the beach, with a couple of camps thrown in cause after awhile my two really need to be seperated.
  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 7,022
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
    well behaved women seldom make history
  • AnonUser28
    Posts: 2,083Guest
    We spend alot of time at the splashpad and wading pool.
  • jezebeldelilahjezebeldelilah
    Posts: 337Member
    I found a sprinkler mat for 1.5yrs and up . U hook the hose into it and it shots like 30 streams of water up in the air. My dd loves it. 10 bucks at dollar g.
  • CSmith
    Posts: 40Member
    We do lots of craft things and outside water play, but I really like to take my kids places in the summer. Most towns have summer movies for kids, we have 2 theaters that do showings on different days. It's $2 for movie, pocorn and a drink.We do putt-putt golf at our local park. I buy a season pass to the zoo and we go several times. It's $100 for a family pass for a year. The children's museum is about the same price.. The library even has tickets that you can check out and go for free. The craft stores, book stores, and home improvement stores all have kids activities over the summer. My kids remember these things from other years and still talk about them and ask to do them again, for me it's about building good memories.
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