10 Fun Activities To Do with Your Kids this Summer

Happy Friday!  I'm ready for the weekend.  Our week hasn't really gone as I planned.  Fletcher got sick (fever, sore throat and irritable) last weekend and has stayed that way all week.  Poor guy hasn't been wanting to eat, drink or do anything he usually does.  The worst part is that he's quit talking because his throat hurts and has been in a major funk.  We visited his pediatrician to get him checked out and I'm hoping he's on the mend now.  We cleared our calendar and spent most of the week at home.  We enjoyed a quiet week and are hoping for a healthy week next week.

I'm excited to share some fun things we've been enjoying this Summer.

I bet your kids would love them, too.

Summer Fun for Kids

1. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Give your kids a clean egg carton and ask them to fill each slot with something different that they find in nature.  We did ours in our backyard, but you could do it at the ocean, on a hike or at a park.  My kids LOVED filling their egg carton and then doing a show and tell style presentation of their treasures at the end.  Olive had no problem filling each section with something different.  Fletcher just happily filled his up with stuff.  Both loved presenting their findings at the end.  They did this over and over again.

2. Pool Days
Whether you have a backyard kid pool, a sprinkler or a country club - go swim with your kids!  My crew loves playing in the water.  This tiny blue pool has been used for 3 summers in a row and is still so much fun.

3. Ant Farm
Olive got an ant farm for her birthday.  We have had a lot of fun watching those silly ants.  It was hilarious to try to get the ants to go into the farm, but once that was done, it has been great.  The kids thought it was fascinating.

Our ant farm -->
Ant Farm

4. Popsicles
This is the treat that my kids request the most in the summer.  Olive loves the real fruit ones and Fletcher will eat pretty much any popsicle.  Bomb Pops are his current favorite.  The ice cream man makes his way through our neighborhood, but his popsicles are PRICEY.  I buy a few different kids for our freezer and let the kids shop my popsicle shop for much cheaper.

6. Indoor Fun
Check out the summer deals going on at your local spots for indoor fun - bowling alleys, arcades, bounce houses, movie theaters, etc.  Most have promotions or special deal days.  Tuesdays are half off at this arcade spot.  We have free bowling passes for the kids and early morning times are cheaper at our bounce house.  Great rainy day or super hot day activities.

7. Catch Lightning Bugs
Free fun every evening!!  We usually catch, observe and release.

8. Countdown
Post an interactive countdown to something fun - a road trip, a vacation, family coming in town, a trip to the park, etc.  Olive has loved taking down a post it note every day to countdown our trip to the beach.  I hung ours on our pantry door.

9. Swing Set
If you're ever tempted to get a swing set for your backyard, DO IT!!  We play on ours every single day.  Best backyard investment ever.  Ours is a Gorilla set originally from Lowes, but Kevin purchased off Craigslist and built on his own.

10. Kites
We got the kids each a kite for their Easter baskets this year.  It took the weather forever to cooperate for kite flying this Spring.  We've been enjoying the kites this summer.  They were really affordable and are very durable.  I think they are going to last us a long time.  Fletcher has a yellow one and Olive got a pink one.

Best Kites ever - they come in tons of colors and are under $14-->
In the Breeze Blue Diamond Kite, 30-Inch

What are your kids loving playing with this summer??

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Hope you have a great weekend!!  Kevin's playing in a golf tournament and I'm hoping to work on some yard projects.  Also, REALLY hoping Fletcher feels better ASAP.

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