Parenting Under the Stars

Derek from The Man Page had some wonderful ideas on his post 10 Things to Do With Your Kids This Summer and he got me thinking about more.

Hit the beach. Kids of all ages love hanging out in the water. Bring along balls, beach toys and shovels to make sandcastles.

Don’t forget to pack a yummy picnic with lots to drink. Foods that are popular for our picnics include grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, cheese, buns, sliced meats and tomatoes. We like making our own sandwich buns when we get there so that the tomatoes don’t make everything all mushy.

If you can’t get to the beach, make a picnic anyway and set up a little swimming pool if you don’t have a big one. We usually end up having water fights with those super soaker guns too.

Organize a neighborhood barbecue. Make it a potluck and get the kids to help design and hand out the fliers.

Make sure they let everyone know the date, location and whether to bring a salad, desert or barbecue item. It’s a great way to meet the neighbors and try new foods.

Have a giant garage sale and get rid of some of the stuff you don’t want at the same time. Include neighbors on your street and get the kids to sell lemonade.

Make sure you check everything before it goes out the door though. Our children have fun with this one but they tend to get overexcited and want to give all their stuff away.

Another offshoot of this is to have a book swap.

Go to the drive in if you have one. We have one left in a nearby town and it’s always a blast. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and play at the playground before the movie starts.

Go rollerskating. I think I love this one more than my children. The flashing lights, the catchy tunes and the fancy moves. I hadn’t been in so long I thought I would forget but it’s like riding a bike.

Plant a garden together. Even the smallest child enjoys helping by digging in the soil and watering the plants. Later when the fruits and vegetables are ready, everyone can take pride in the fact that they helped plant them.

Other things we have fun doing while we’re out there are collecting pretty rocks, picking wildflowers, drawing pictures with chalk, blowing bubbles and collecting leaves to press. If you have some more ideas, let us know.