Summer List of Fun Stuff

I've been collecting ideas for some kind of activity list for summer. It's not that we don't all enjoy "free" days, but we live, as I've said before, 5 miles past the end of the boon-docks and so driving in to town for "something to do" isn't always feasible and we have no, as in zero, neighbors. Day after day of unscheduled nothingness can = serious boredom, which those of you with more than 1 child know equals bickering and whining. So, here's my plan.  I have stuff divided into "activities", projects (art/science) and food and challenges. I'm going to print the ideas on to paper, glue them to the end of Popsicle sticks and put them into appropriately marked buckets. On Friday the kids draw 1-3 sticks for the following week. That way if we need materials or supplies we'll be able to get them on our weekly shopping trip. The stuff that's just "on the calendar" (50th anniversary party, county fair, etc) will go on the appropriate week and we'll evaluate if we have time to do other things as well. Items with an * can be found on my Pinterest boards.

CHALLENGES

The kids can pick a couple on their own, but everyone has to participate in the Reading Challenge. Completion of 3 Challenges =a day at the water park with Dad in August.

Frank Gilbreath Challenge: Read Cheaper by the Dozen and Bells on Their Toes, learn Morse code; learn to do 10 things more economically (Expert's Guide to Doing Things Faster).

Reach for the Sky Challenge: Read The Stargazers Guide: How to read our night sky; read "Summer Solstice" print-out, be able to I.D. 12 summer constellations you didn't know before, pick 3 units from NASA's Summer of Innovation site and do them.

Wide Open Prairie Challenge: Read Jean Craighead George's Prairie Animals book. Create a Prairie notebook; draw/write 1-3 paragraphs about 10 Prairie animals.

Reading Challenge: Read a book and write out who is the protagonist, antagonist, conflict, hero, villain? Reading lists from VP and others. # of books /summer depending on age of kid and difficulty of book.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Challenge: curls, push-ups, aerobics, etc. for each kid depending on age.

Feed Thyself Challenge Learn to bake bread, make it 3 times from scratch. Make a main dish, salad, side dish you haven't made before. Help Mom make 5 items from the garden for winter storage (sauerkraut, grape juice, dried apples, etc).  Clean up after yourself.

ACTIVITIES

 (some are seasonal and we do them every year; 4th of July, going to the county fair for a day, etc)
Canoeing
Sculpture Walk
campfire/s'mores
croquet
badminton
ultimate Frisbee
sponge ball fight *
Water gun fight
PVC water hose sprinkler
fireworks!
County Fair!
K & R's 50th anniversary

PROJECTS

Sculpture from duct tape
Paint rocks (owls, ladybugs)
write sayings on rocks
batik crayon hanging *
glow in dark rocks *
glow in dark slime
create a collage
mini journal
pizza round weaving
tin can wind chimes
tie-dye T-shirts *
friendship bracelets
 God's eyes
glowing fireflies
make a compass
home-made geodes *
bridge building *
fireworks in a jar *
safety pin bracelet *
ice sculpture*

FOOD

frozen slushy
red/white/blue drink
root beer floats
sun cupcake *
tropical fruit "trees" *
fruit kabobs
watermelon pops
fudgsicles

yogurt drops *

And, as always, we'll be gardening and doing house re-build projects (stairs, closets, trim, doors and bookshelves top the list),  the boys are working on Latin and Flower will be doing the Horse study this summer which will result in the creation of a notebook. The season will fly by!

lmk what you think and what great ideas you have in mind for summer!