102 Fun (and Low Cost) Summer Activities Week 5

Yay!  It is week five and time for more fun summer activities!  I hope you enjoy them and that they inspire fun and creativity for you and your kids this summer.  If you missed last week's ideas look for the link at the top of my blog that says "102 Summer Activities" or Click Here!  I will add each week to the existing ideas and compile a complete list that you can print and save :)  Enjoy!

 

** WEEK FIVE**

51.  Visit your local farmer’s market.  This is a great way to score some fresh produce usually at low prices.  Let your kids pick out a new fruit or veggie that looks interesting and yummy to them and the incorporate it into tonight’s dinner.

52.  Celebrate a “silly” day such as backwards day, talk like a pirate day, cow appreciation day, etc.  Spend the day honoring your holiday of choice; create a special meal, design greeting cards, listen to music that you think would be appropriate.  Your kids will have a blast celebrating an unexpected holiday!

Silly Holidays

53.  Did you know that the television is on 7 hours and 40 minutes a day in the average American household?  How about having a “black out” day?  No television the entire day!  Spend the day making a list of alternative things to do besides watching T.V.  Plan a family fun night that takes place weekly or monthly.  This is a great way for families to stay connected.

Family Night Planning

54.  Test the power of the sun and learn to make delicious sun tea!  It is super easy to make and yummy on a hot, summer day!

Sun Tea

55.  A favorite in our family is breakfast for dinner.  Take it one step further and invite some friends to come over in their PJ’s for breakfast at dinner.  If you prefer you could always have breakfast for lunch…get the kids in their PJ’s, eat a yummy meal, and then lay out the pillows and blankets on the floor and watch a movie for a quiet afternoon break.  If your kids are old enough involve them in the menu planning and cooking.

Breakfast Recipes for Kids

56.  Get outside with a sketchbook and let the kids pick something to draw.  It could be your house, a flower, a tree, or anything that catches their eye.  It would probably be best to pick a stationary object in order to make sure they will be able to complete their sketch before it moves.  If you have access to supplies you could even given them paintbrushes and paint to really add dimension to their drawings.  If they really enjoy drawing take it one step further and check out some drawing books from the library….they have tons of how to draw books for kids on all sorts of different subjects.

http://www.hellokids.com/r_14/activities/how-to-draw-step-by-step-drawing-tutorials/

57.  Enter a contest!  There are many different types of contests such as writing, photography, drawing, etc.  Find one or two that interest your kids and help them to enter.  Your library would be a good place to look for kid’s contests…I know ours always has some writing, poetry, and drawing contest forms in the kid’s section.  You could also do a search online. 

Art Contests for kids

58.  Do you have a Sonic nearby?  Nothing is more fun than surprising the kids with night-time run for ice cream at Sonic.  Keep it a secret and wait until they are in their PJ’s and then pile them into the car for an ice cream treat.  If you do not have a Sonic nearby, any drive thru that serves ice cream will do the trick!

59.  Bake a treat for a neighbor.  This could be for any neighbor, but I bet if you have elderly neighbors they would be so very appreciative of not only a home-baked treat but also a visit from the kids.  Whoever you decide to bake for remember to keep dietary restrictions in mind.  No bake recipes are great when the kids are helping out and you will appreciate not turning on the oven in this heat!

No bake recipes

60.  The sprinkler, the running man, the electric slide…these are all fun dance moves that you probably remember from when you were a kid.  Spend the day teaching your kids some of your old favorites and then turn on their favorite music and challenge them to come up with their own dance moves.  Not only will they have fun creating the dance moves, but I they will especially love naming the new dance moves.  Record the moves with the video camera and have fun playing them back for friends and family.

Invent New Dance Moves