Summer Fun

With my first year as the mother of a school aged kid under my belt, I figured it was time to bring out the big guns this summer. We only have so much time before it's off to school again, and yet we also have so MUCH time that I decided to get prepared. Well, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I also felt a little bit of guilt for all the time I spend working from home. I don't want that to get in the way of a proper summer. So here it is: The List. I compiled all the ideas we have done in the past and some new ones I wanted to try, and each day I pick one thing off the list.

The only rule is that we have to do it together. That way we spend time together, and the moments don't pass me by. I am only prepared through June though, so who knows about July.

1. June 1- Nature Scavenger Hunt from Hollie Hobby website
Think find a twig, something soft, something red etc. It's a classic. You can't go wrong with a scavenger hunt. When we were finished, they colored the paper and Alli drew pictures of each item she found outside.

2. June 3- Puppet Show
I helped them set up a coffee table stage and write a script- then we did the show for Dad when he got home. The Lion had to make the elephant laugh to get some Kool-aid because he ran out of money to buy it. (Just like real life!) He finally made him laugh with the bit about the Dark Dark House... When Maddie tells it, it's a "dawk, dawk howse in the dawk, dawk woods"

3. June 4- Learn to play Chinese Jump rope
I ordered one from amazon for a couple of dollars and taught the girls how to do the jumps. I used to play this game at recess, so it makes me all nostalgic...

4. June 7- Make Pictures with Colored "Glitter" Rice
I always have some of this on hand, but it is a pain to clean up. (I keep stepping on stray grains of rice for days) so it was a treat for them to get to use it. We drew letters with Elmer's Glue for Maddie and then she dropped the rice on top. You shake it off like glitter to reveal the picture underneath. Then we hid buttons in the leftover rice and played pirate "treasure hunt." Maddie counted the loot to see how much treasure she'd found.

To make: Mix 1 C rice with a few drops of food coloring and 1t vinegar. Bake in a 200 degree oven for 40 minutes on a cookie sheet. I make 2 or 3 colors at a time.

5. June 8- Library Story Time

6. June 9- Outdoor Bear Hunt
This is kind of a joke at my house. A couple of years ago I printed off some pics of bears and hid them in the bathroom. Then I got a flashlight and convinced Alli to follow me around on a "bear" hunt. She kept saying, "Mom, there aren't any bears in the house" When she found them in the dark bathroom with the flashlight, she was so shocked. So this time I made the pics bigger and hid them outside. We pretty much played hide and seek with the bear pictures. After I hid them, Alli and Maddie both wanted a turn to hide them and take us around on a bear hunt (through the river, up the tree etc) It was lots of fun.

7. June 10- Hide and Seek
After our bear escapades, it was time for the real thing.

8. June 11- Art Day
We pulled out the good old Usborne art book and made some cowboys with string arms. Then Alli and Maddie spent a good hour using those cowboys and sheriffs like paper dolls. I think there was even a wedding amongst the cast. Not very rough and tough, but we have a house full of girls and certain accommodations have to be made.

9. June 14- Google a Topic
Alli decided to look up Mozart and Louis Armstrong. (Um, I think they were both stories in the Magic Tree house series because I'm cultured, but not that cultured.) After we read some bios on Wickipedia, I put Louis Armstrong into the Pandora radio website. What an amazing site! Not only did she learn about Louis Armstrong and what he sounded like, but it played all the other major Jazz contributors from the era as well. There were even little information boxes that popped up with each new song. Wow. The Internet is amazing.

10. June 15- Make Father's Day Cards
See it was on my list, so I didn't forget. Handy.

11. June 16- Backyard Soccer
We set up deck chairs to mark the goals and kicked the ball around. I can't believe how willing they are to chase that ball all around the yard while exercising their little legs. That Hello Kitty soccer ball finally got put to use! It only took three years.

12. June 17- Maddie's Tea Party
I made some lemonade and little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Maddie and a few of her friends. I love tea parties, and I never miss an opportunity to pull out our little tin tea set. We even pulled out the glitter and sprinkled a little "fairy dust" on all the girls.

So far, we are having a great summer. We've also been swimming at the outdoor Lehi pool, gone to the Petting Zoo, and taken plenty of picnics to the park.

Stay tuned for the next week of fun.