Schonhardt Family Blog: Summer

Summer is in full swing...and if your family is like ours it has been CRAZY busy. Its almost July...when did that happen?? Sometimes life passes us by so quickly we forget to live in the moment. So, in order to carpe diem....I found a blog/pinterest that gave 75 ideas for kid approved activities. You can check out the link to the blog here. Or below I copied from her website (warning long post and pics) After looking over the list, and seeing how fun these ideas were I decided were going to do them! Keep checking back as we go through these fun activities.

1: Glow sticks in the bathtub. (I had to cover the window with a blanket some days because they wanted to do it when it was still light out!).

2: Writing your ABC's with licorice strings! Learning and eating a treat could NEVER go wrong! (A fav)

3: Photo shoot. Any mom can have a photo shoot with their children, and you can find tips and tricks on Pinterest on HOW to photograph your children.

4: Cloud watching. I had to make two. And it teaches your kids the correct name of the cloud.

5: Fossil Digger. They have dino bones at the Dollar Tree. Burry them, and get your paint brushes ready to dust away dirt.

6: Sponge Finger painting. Cut and soak up ANY sponge. I used makeup sponges I already had.

7: Mini rainbow volcanoes. Because science is AWESOME!

8: Make a book + illustrations. I folded it and got it ready. They started writing/drawing.

9:Balloon tennis. We got free paint stick stirrers at Walmart and used our 'personality balloons' found below.

10: Ding Dong Ditch w/a gift. Any neighbor you choose or think needs a pick me up!

11: Teach diversity with eggs. We're all the same on the inside remember?

12: Teach about the moon phases with Oreos. Then get you each a mug-a-milk ;)

13: Hand shadows and other objects. This also helps my kids be less scared of the shadows in their room at night.

14: Plastic sheet cover your homework sheets=dry erase. I use to scan them and print for my children, (which I don't think was stealing since I bought the book and let my children keep practicing the same page. It was for personal use only, I didn't sell them or give to other children. Just to clear things up for those concerned in the comments below.
But I've found that making it dry erase is a better way to practicing the same page over and save paper and ink!

15: Puppet show. UPDATE: I have now made my own PVC PIPE PUPPET THEATER.

16: Shave with daddy. With popsicle sticks of course. (my kids used my pink leg shaving cream:)

17: Play angry birds on the nook. (This was a mandatory pick, obviously by my kids)

18: Pick any animal day. Pick ANY animal and teach them everything you can find about it. We've done Cheetah and ostrich and even crickets.

19: Play hotel. You can play ANY 'pretend' game, but my kids love to put mints or chocolates on their pillows with flowers, and vacuum the room. (I'm soaking up every moment while they're young enough to think that cleaning is fun).

20: (wow this picture is small). Make Japanese chain cut outs. The kids will be amazed that they're all connected. (I tried to make the people holding hands, and FAILED. The hearts were easier).

21: Create a silly holiday. I got this particular idea from my S.I.L. We made August 20th our annual donut day. You can customize it yourself to anything! Dutch Oven Day, Smore's etc!

22: Floating raisins. We've all done this, but I have to be honest the kids weren't THAT into it.

23: Blow up a balloon with vinegar and Baking Soda! YES, the kids LOVED this one.

24: Grab your nets and go Creature Catching! We caught a frog, a praying mantis and a dragon fly all in one day.

25: Helping cook. Doing grown up things is funner than kid things right? Of course be cautious in age and working around hot stoves and knives.

26: Make pony bead necklaces! My son loved this just as much as my daughter. (or pasta necklaces, tho ours always break.) And twice we've made fruit loop necklaces to bring and eat during church.

27: Water paints are cheap and fun (for adults too).

28: Lava floor. Dont touch the floor to survive.

29: Dry erase marker mirror faces! She's doing kissy lips...

30: Melted crayon hot rocks. My sister showed me this technique. You bake rocks and then start drawing! Be careful to not touch the rocks though.

31: Teach and learn smallest to biggest. Have them organize objects like toys, blocks and talk about sizes. Most kids dont even learn this before school.

32: Go camping :)

33: Messless Makeup. I took empty makeup containers and pored in fingernail polish. My daughter still thinks it's real, and I dont have to clean up any messes.

34: Balloon Characters. Draw a face and then name them. (WARNING: your kids will be crushed if these ones pop, tears MAY BE SHED).

35: INDOOR Picnic. Make sure to use a NON favorite blanket ;)

36: Play School. Learn while playing? okay.

37: Make a band. My kids LOVE to make noise. Not recommended while husband is sleeping from working a night shift ;)

38: Write and make letters to family members. use LOTS of stickers.

39: Teach you kids about the world.

40: Teach your kids about outer space.

41: Exercise. You can be their instructor and try giving COSMIC KIDS YOGA a chance! They'll love going on a Yoga Adventure!

42: Make an obstacle coarse with crape paper streamers. I used our hallway. They crawl and step over all of it while trying not to touch the streamers.

43: Act out a story. You dont need great costumes for this. Our bedtime stories come to life with T-shirts and sweaters. (wolf and lil Red below).

44: Make Dino fossils out of play dough and toy dinosaurs. Imprint and then let it dry.

45: Go to a fish hatchery and feed the fish bread :)

46: Fly a kite. We did this a 100 times this summer. We went through quite a few plastic kites. Next year I'll be making fabric kites (with the left over kite sticks from the broken ones).

47: Make a Japanese Hanging Fish :) A big catch.

48: Have a Tea Party. Mini foods and mini cups are a hit with BOYS AND GIRLS.

49: Play dress up. See what your kids come up with. WINK~

50: Go geocaching. My kids love 'treasure hunting' and BEG to do this EVERY single day. One of our favorite family activities.

51: Blow Wish Flowers. (AKA: dead dandelions). Or go Dandelion picking with baskets.

52: Make popsicle stick puzzles. Storing a puzzle in a rubber band is brilliant enough I think. (using a photo is fun too)

53: Make GIANT bubbles. Poke a hole in the bottom of a paper cup, or cut off the bottom of a water bottle. Dip. Blow.

54: Go swimming. My kids both did GREAT this year. We over came some MAJOR water fears.

55: Color-Trace Leaves. If you haven't done this before...get to work.

56: Hand Print Art. Elephants, flowers, lions, reindeer, turkeys etc... it's endless.

57: Ice cube paint. Freeze water and food color in ice trays. Freeze with a toothpick or popsicle stick. Go outside if it's warm and enjoy some cold painting.

58: Play Mail Man. (with the mail you wrote and decorated earlier)

59: Go on a hike. Or run on a hike in my son's case... Nature hikes, scavenger hunts etc.

60: Make homemade lava lamps. Thanks to my friend Jess who taught me.

61: Mini Marshmallow construction. Give them toothpicks and you've got a good hour of down time.

62: Make mini bun pizzas. This way your kids can decorate their own.

63: Paint and Roll Marbles. (Or in our case, hungry hippo balls)

64: Make cookies. Let them do everything but work with the oven. Make matching aprons if your ambitious! (I got the kids aprons at the dollar store;)

65: Potato stamps. (A fav)

66: Make a pinecone bird feeder. You'll enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer while bird watching.

67: Make and Play Play Dough.

68: Go through a car wash. (And if your in our family, tell scary stories:) This is a new major high-tech car wash in our area...

69: Have a water sprayer fight! recommended outdoors;) (also good to fill up with 1/4 vinegar and give your kids toothbrushes to clean the base boards...Yes I'm aware of child labor laws, but for now...it's a game to them)

70: Scavenger Hunt. (A fav)

71: A picnic. A regular one. Nothing's better than a spot of shaded grass on a hot day.

72: Build a fort! I wanted to post this one for inspiration because my blanket forts weren't picture worthy. My kids LOVE watching movies in a fort tho.