Summertime Activity Jar

[rundisneymom]

School is out for the summer for my two DS's (5 and 9). In an effort to prevent the day being spent plaing video games or watching TV, I am starting an Activity Jar that we can dip into a few times each week, and come up with something fun to do. I have a few ideas of things to put in the jar, but need more ideas. So far I have:
make tie-dye shirts
picnic lunch at the park
Chuck-E-Cheese
movies
back-yard camp-out
U-Choose dinner
bake brownies
Let's Paint

I need help coming up with other ideas though...We live in a rural area and the closest children's museums, amusement parks, etc are 2 -3 hours away. And the beach, which we all LOVE, is a day's drive from us.
What do your kids like to do over the summer?

 

[Malibustyle23]

I was just planning this for our family ours may include:
Beach trip, amusement park, playground, bowling, picnic, camping, arcade, library trip, minor league baseball game, your choice at Redbox, movies, a week at vacation bible school, a week at parks and Rec day camp, trip to a pick n paint pottery store, swimming, sprinkler, swimming lessons.

 

[DisneyScraps]

First I would never let them stay in the house watching TV or video games unless it is too hot or cold to go outside or raining my child gets an hour a day.

My first thing I usually say is go out and play. Whatever happened to kickball? Games of tag? Cops and Robbers? Digging in the dirt. Jumping through a sprinkler?

If my child says she is bored she has to clean something. After that she is quite creative in finding things to do

Like you I live in a small town I am an hour away from a city. We do drive up there once a week. When my daughter was little I would pack a cooler and hit some of the awesome playgrounds.

Some other things.....

Sidewalk chalk is fun. You could always tell my house by all the chalk on the sidewalk and driveway.
Bubbles, you can get those giant bubble wands
Bug Barn

Build them a fort in the back yard. I went to the thrift store and bought a bunch of old sheets. I used clothes line and clothes pins. Easy to set up and take down.

For really hot days, we live in NC or rainy days we do and have done a variety of things.

Playdough
Beading (I know you have boys they might not be as into this)
edible Gingerbread type houses with Graham Crackers, Chocolate and candy
making slime
The dollar store always has all kinds of craft kits
Build a model airplane

One of the hotel in the area will let you use their pool for 5.00 it's a business hotel and there is usually no one else there. I would ask any place that has a pool.

I would make sure they read every day and you can make a trip to the library or book store an event. Check with your library they usually have things for kids.

Do you have a YMCA? They offer a lot of kids activities, my daughter is 10 and she goes every chance she gets.

You can also set up your own "field trips" take them to a Fire station, Police Station Post Office etc. call first of course.

 

[GraysMom]

DS6 loves to build forts inside the house too, so keep it in mind for rainy/sweltering days.

 

[3boymthr]

To encourage the kids to play the rule in our house for the summer is no TV/Wii/Computer time for the kids before 7PM (6 in spring and 5 in Winter). So TV is the treat. They have to play or sit around being bored. My kid's favorite day trips won't help you, Museum trip/beach/Bass Pros Shops (love the activities they offer) as you said you're in a rural area. But things that I do to help keep them busy:

Play dates - you can never go wrong with a play date with a good friend.

If there's money in the budget I'll buy a pass to the local rec dept. summer camp. Our's sells them for periods of 10 or 14 days (for a cost of less than $400 ). These are random days that we get to pick and the let the kids share them. The program is called Plaground fun and the kids just play random games together. It's so much fun that when offered the choice between that and cub scout camp youngest DS chose rec camp. I'd Check to see if your rec dept has a similar program.

I'm getting a membership at the pool in the next town over - $200/season. It's a town pool but rarely used. Other people I know get a membership at a local lake - $50/season. If going to the lake we prefer to go after 4 when it's free.

Check with the library see what programs they are offering.

Barnes & Noble is offering a summer reading program. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp I know you said you live in a rural area, but the journal is downloadable and the trip to get the book could make a fun day trip - it could just cost your gas and maybe to make it really special a cookie and juice at their cafe. There is also a list of parent/child activities.

Boys you said? - Nerf Gun Wars and/or Super Soaker Wars or Water Balloon Wars. Get a couple of friends so they can have teams.

The sprinkler.

Build a fort - inside or out. My kids build them with blankets and pillows in the house and left over wood out in the woods (our old fence) - the ones in the woods have now become permanent installations. Which they they use for the aforementioned Nerf/Super Soaker Wars.

Target Dollar Stop - a couple of days ago they had a make your own day camp theme going - things like sand art, etc.

Find a cheap tent at a yard sale - set it up in the yard. A few blankets and some pillows airmattress and Voila -Back yard camp out. Make hot dogs/burgers then s'mores over the grill.

Flashlight tag

Lego Contests - who can build the wildest wackiest creation - this one will keep mine busy for hours.

Do your kids belong to Cub Scouts? Even if they don't check out the electives that they suggest there are some amazing ideas. Taking just one of the ideas and applying some variations I was able to keep 6 boys entertained for 45 minutes with 6 chocolate eggs and some disposable pie pans
http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Tiger_Cub_Electives
http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Wolf_Electives

Have a field day - things like long jump, running in place, crab walk, elephant walk, summersalts, etc.

Make paper cup popsicles

Make slushies/frappes/smoothies

Go for a hike.

Google for rail trails/bike paths in your area and go for a family bike ride or walk.

Lowe's sells some great wooden builder kits designed for young kids (bird houses, banks, etc.)

Go Fishing - though usually this is with DH or Grandpa (cause they fish in Grandpa's backyard).

Well, that's it for now. HTH

 

[RF536]

My local cub scout district runs a summer scouter program to keep the boys active and thinking about scouting in the summer, here are a few from the list.

Help with yard work
Grow something you can eat
Join the summer reading club at the library/book store
Do Not play video games for 2 weeks
ride your bike for 20 min. a day for 5 days straight
Read at least 10 books at your age level (or have someone read to you)
Go on a picnic
play a game of baseball
build a model
fly a kite
build a sandcastle
have a watermelon seed spitting contest
learn to count to 10 in another language
go for a boat ride
go fishing
learn a new swim stroke
take a hike
play a game of kickball
Try a new food
learn all 50 states
wash the car
make up a new game

 

[lovesmurfs]

There's a great list here:

http://www.crystalandcomp.com/2011/05/80-inexpensive-or-free-summer-activities-for-kids/

http://frugaldad.com/2009/05/25/fun-summer-activities-for-kids/


I used to have "color days" with the kids --- pick a color and everything we did or ate would be that color.

 

[java]

wow that crystalandcomp link is great.

Scavenger hunt
Make your own ice cream
Chalk a surprise on the driveway- either a location you are going or a game they can play on the driveway.

Picnic! My kids LOVE picnics- we hunt out a new spot every week.
Yarn maze in the yard- Two different colors of yarn- wind them around the yard- intertwined- they have to follow their color to the end.

Build a marble maze
Here are a ton of make your own toy ideas
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-type/dolls-toys/outdoor-crafts/

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Invest $200 in one of those simple set pools. Best $200 I have ever spent! They swim everyday.

 

[rundisneymom]

Wow! Those are all fabulous ideas! Thank you all so very much!

 

[golfgal]

We were lucky, when our kids were that age we had about 40 kids in our neighborhood, we hardly saw the kids in the summer . We called it the "Swarm". The kids just traveled around the neighborhood to various houses for various activities-we were the kick ball house. If they happened to be at your house at meal time, you fed them.

 

[ctinct]

I did this once. It was great; just make sure you have all needed supplies on hand. I looked at a few craft books and a book of 1001 tv free things to do. Lots of quick in expensive ideas in books like these. Some I remember are yarn dolls, a backwards day, building birdhouses, stamping stationary, cup-stacking, making ethnic dinners, etc. Also check out the website or back issues of Family Fun magazine. Have fun.

 

[NYEmomma]

Such great ideas (even the activity jar -- I never would've thought of that!). DD's only 2 so I don't really need to keep here away from the video games (YET, lol, she loves playing on the computer with Pappy) and a lot of activities she's too little for, but I'm definitely mining this for ideas for now and years to come.

Are there any local fabric & craft stores around?? I know they're boys, but not all crafting/sewing is necessarily girly. Joanns has classes that you can sign them up for, and a local craft store around here has a FREE kid's activity day every Tuesday.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Scavenger Hunt (indoors or out), or hide a single object and either write out clues for them to follow or call out hot & cold.

 

[3boymthr]

wow that crystalandcomp link is great.

Scavenger hunt
Make your own ice cream
Chalk a surprise on the driveway- either a location you are going or a game they can play on the driveway.

Picnic! My kids LOVE picnics- we hunt out a new spot every week.
Yarn maze in the yard- Two different colors of yarn- wind them around the yard- intertwined- they have to follow their color to the end.

Build a marble maze
Here are a ton of make your own toy ideas
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-type/dolls-toys/outdoor-crafts/

Doh! thanks for posting this one. I have one of those shaker/roller ice cream maker balls packed away. I'll have to dig it out so the kids can make ice cream this summer.

 

[bellebud]

not my idea, but read somewhere once where a mom couldn't afford any camps for her kids during the summer, so she made her own.

each week on the calendar they decided on a theme for that week. Then going along w/ the theme of the week, each day you do something different for that theme. If the theme if flying, 1 day you make paper airplanes, 1 day you fly a kite, 1 day you eat 'airplane' food or astronaut food, one day they draw/lego/build something, one day you watch a movie, etc.

The first day of the week could actually be a library day to find info on your theme (just gets you out of the house - maybe stop for ice cream on the way home each week). Of course you could always look stuff up on-line if you had to.

You could do dinosaur week, fishing week, flying week, camping week, sports week... whatever their interests are.

hth!

 

[englishteacha]

One thing that was fun for me as a kid was to go to a different playground! We had a bunch of elementary schools within a reasonable drive and it was such a treat to go to a "new" playground. When my nephews and niece were little and used to come visit me, we'd visit every playground nearby. (now my youngest niece is 18 and youngest nephew is 15! Ack!)