Summer is truly upon us. The summer squash is starting to produce and my gladiolus look like they're going to do something spectacular sometime soon (this is the first time I've planted them in my garden and I'm excited!). Maia is out of school and I've been thinking of all the time we have ahead of us this summer and all the things we can do! This is possibly just me being in a bit of a dream world, but anyway, here are 28 fun, artful activities that I'd like to do this summer with my kids (and that you may, too). Some are new to us, and some are activities we've done in the past and loved. Some of these were requested by Maia, some were added to the list by me. Enjoy!
Cooking fun
1. Make popsicles - lots of different kinds. We usually make simple fruit juice popsicles all summer long but Maia wants to experiment with more different kinds. Here's a list of 50 popsicle recipes on TipNut. And we've made these awesome fudge popsicles recently from smitten kitchen. So good!
2. Help Maia master a recipe that she can cook by herself
3. Have a lemonade stand (Maia's request!)
4. Try some muffin tin meals
5. Bake and decorate a cake just for fun
Science experiments
6. Stage more volcano eruptions
7. Make rock candy
8. Play with rainbows and prisms (any ideas for this one?)
9. Try some of the experiments in our science book
Backyard fun
10. Make more garden wish flags (we actually made a new batch this spring but used the wrong kind of paint -- oops)
11. Set up a mud pie kitchen (make sure to follow the links at the bottom of her post for lots more mud pie kitchen goodness)
12. Blow big bubbles. And maybe even try this kid-in-a-bubble experiment.
13. Make sunprints (I loved making these as a kid!)
14. Sew another set of bean bags to play with, perhaps like these
Artful activities
15. Make fern print t-shirts or try pounded fern prints
16. Do more Simon Says Drawing (one of Maia's most requested activities -- up there with shaving cream art)
18. Try paint popsicles (I can't believe we haven't tried this yet!)
19. Make our own bathtub puffy paint
20. Perhaps make another flower art box
22. Make some art dice
Nature play
23. Hike at Linville Falls
24. Play in the stream at the botanical garden
25. Explore at the arboretum (and perhaps do a nature scavenger hunt)
26. Go swimming at Skinny Dip Falls
27. Bike the Virginia Creeper Trail
28. Ride a horse - We take Maia to a local farm where she can take a short horse ride for $5
What's on your summer list?
