Summer time :)

Tanya - posted on 05/20/2010

Thanks for all the comments/suggestions so far they will really come in handy during the summer day.. Our schools get out in a week so I'm gettin prepared so I don't have board kids cause that is no fun at all for anyone :)

Tanya - posted on 05/20/2010

Well since I posted the question I feel I should also share some of my ideas for the summer. My kids are 7, 4 and 1 1/2 and I also have a 9 year old that comes over during vacation.. So I have the great challenge of planning fun for school age and toddlers :) I'll start with somethings we have done in past years. We take trips to the park some special trips like every other week to a park by my husbands work and have a picnic plus if gives me a tiny break while my husband runs around with them dring his lunch hour.. We go to the zoo/aquarium I have a pass so this saves money and we don't have to stay all day we can go and see a few animals and have a picnic. I am lucky to have a very large back yard and that keeps them busy for a while when I have things to get done we have side walk chalk and balls and other toys out there. I bought a pool too so they will be swiming some outside this year. Oh we make bird feeders out of pine cones spead peanut butter on them and roll them in birdseed hang in the tree. My kids love arts and crafts so we do lots of this I always keep old magazines around so they can cut out pictures and glue. we make rock people take a trip somewhere there is big rocks and each child gets one provide markers and let them make a person on them or you can color them or whatever you want. I save socks that get lost or have holes and we have made puppets. finger paint is always fun and messy just what kids like..lol We also do some board games.. And go to the library..



Some recipes my kids like to help make:

Dirt Cake: (you'll need pail or flower pot with no holes, 1 bag oreos, 8oz cream cheese room temp, 1C. powder sugar, 1/2 stick butter softened, 3 1/2 C. milk, 2small pkg vanilla or cheesecake pudding and 12oz wipped cream, optional gummy worms or flowers for decoration makes this great much better with these)

step 1: crush cookies to look like dirt/soil

step 2: cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar

step 3: mix milk and puddings together 2 mins

step 4: add wipped cream to pudding mix - mix well

step 5: add liquid mix to cream mix and mix well

step 6: starting with cookie dirt layer in pail or pot (dirt then mix ~ repeat) end with cookie dirt on top decorate with flowers and put in fridge (if using worms add just before serving) enjoy...YUM

I will post more recipes in a min I have tons my kids love :)

Melissa - posted on 05/19/2010

Scavengers hunts are amazingly fun! Take your child/ren to a trail or nature park and hunt for some easy things to find. It's a very fun thing to pass the time. Make a list before you leave the house It Pine combs, a maple leaf. Give them a bad or pail and let them look for the things on the list. It's a lot of fun!

Jaclyn - posted on 05/19/2010

Jealous here, i have a soon to b one yr old n i am goin to b gettin bigger this summer, (i am 14 wks now) We moved out of state so i plan to go back for a visit, IL n havin friends come here, My hubbys parent r renting a house boat so that b fun, n plannin on goin campin early so i m not to uncomfortable sleepin outside, Gauge (my son) loves to b outside so i think he'd have lots of fun, oh n bought baby pool so b in that just about everyday n he has cousin from 6 to 14 to entertain him so i get a lil break, cant wait to go to zoo n museums w him (we live hr to hrs away so wont go till he can talk prolly, live in missouri) n no helpin w bakin, have tried forts on those rainy days, he rather destroy it n get on top then go in it. Sounds like u moms will b havin as much fun as the kids, yeah for u!

Erika - posted on 05/19/2010

My kids are still little, they're only 2 1/2 and 15 months old. We like to go out for Picnics, Beach, Zoo. We're also going to be going to the Aquarium of the Pacific soon. I live in California.

Hope this helps a bit.

Erika
http://www.ErikaCarrillo.com

Randa - posted on 05/19/2010

I have a 2 1/2 year old and This is my first summer to stay at home with him and we have alot of stuff planned! My son is going to playgroup two days a week to give me a break, we have signed up for mommy and me swim lessons, we bought a zoo membership, we have a vacation planned to Sea World! We do plan on doing lots of stuff outside in the mornings and evenings (we live in Houston where it's way to hot to be outside in the afternoon) Rainy days are going to be our baking days! My little boy LOVES to do art and crafts so we will be doing a bunch of that! We started him a garden this spring and we are looking foward to his plants developing! I am looking foward to being able to stay at home with him from now on!!!

Alina - posted on 05/19/2010

I forgot to add that we'll be going to the movie matinees the local movie theater is offering. Sometimes they are free, sometimes maybe $2, and the fee includes the concession for the kids and three movies! And the fee for adults is reduced, too!

Alina - posted on 05/19/2010

My friend and I have been discussing activities and menus. The last day of school for our kids was today. So far we plan to take them to the city park, zoo, Library for story time twice a week to participate in the summer reading program. I have activity books that I received, but haven't looked at them yet. We're planning to make homemade pizza, snickerdoodles, play-doh, tie-dye shirts and caramel popcorn. What else . . . nature trails and possibly Vacation Bible School. On the rainy days we'll do some sheet tents and camp out, have indoor picnics, etc. It's been 90 degrees here for a few weeks already, so we have popsicle stick crafts we'll be doing. Thanks for the fun post - I can't wait to read about what other moms have planned!

Jodi - posted on 05/19/2010

My daughter isn't school aged, but my mom was a stay at home mom and here are some things we did in our area (we live in a small town)! About half an hour away there is a zoo/park that is free, we would go and watch the animals, play in the park etc etc. There is a planetarium in the same town, 2$ admission, the children's museum, and to the lake to swim.

At home we did a lot of bubbles, scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, fort building (we lived more in the country), bug collecting and identifying and the like. She taught us all how to make cookies in the summer time, took a lot of walks, went swimming a LOT, and played on our swing set. She also gave us each our own section of a flower garden to plant, weed, water and take care of!

Good luck, I would definately explore the different options available throughout your community, check your local library for ideas!!! When all else fails, you should check our my community for MORE ideas! It's called SAHM's are Teachers, we swap ideas of activities to do with our children of all ages!



http://apps.facebook.com/circleofmoms/e_...

Myra - posted on 05/19/2010

My daughters aren't school age yet, but we spend a lot of time outside. I show them the different plants, animals, rocks, and other things that are naturally here. My oldest, who will be 2 the end of this month, loves the flowers and bugs. My 3.5 month old just likes being out being able to see and hear things.