What do you do in the summertime?

So I've been thinking about summertime. Okay, dreaming really since we've had pretty much nothing but crappy weather lately. Sigh. ANYHOO--I started thinking about how this summer I really don't want Jack just sitting around playing on the Wii or on the computer--his two favorite activities. So I did what I usually do when I need creative ideas--I started blog-stalking. I decided that, first of all, we would do one "Family Field Trip" each week, usually on a Saturday. These involve anything from the free kids building classes offered at Home Depot (first Saturday of each month) and Lowe's (2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month but make sure you sign up in advance) to free community events I found. I also got excited when I found out our city does a "kids club" and for $25 they have activities for kids all summer long every Tues, Wed and Thurs. They do a field trip every Thursday. Jack is going to be SO excited about this! So I found all of these different activities and then compiled a list of fun activities to put in a jar not unlike the one on this blog. She gives loads of ideas of things to do, but I've come up with a BUNCH of others from other websites, some great "Busy Books" I got for Christmas one year (Thanks, April!!) and (gasp!) even from my own little head. So just in case this is something you're interested in, here is my list o' fun that'll go in our family's jar:

Draw a picture with sidewalk chalk

Make your own Memory Game and play

Create puppets and put on a show

Build a fort

Write and illustrate your own story

Make a crayon/watercolor painting

Send notes to 5 people telling them you love them

Make old coins shiny with salt and vinegar

Play pretend restaurant

Indoor bowling

Red light/Green light

Play "Hot" and "Cold"

Make an obstacle course in the backyard and time yourself

Hopscotch

Make a collage of your favorite things

Make masks from paper plates

Use paper plates to make tambourines

Wash the car

Paint cement with water

Jump on the trampoline

water games in the back yard

squirt bottle tag

learn origami

make a puzzle from a drawing

Make pinwheels

play a board game

Make slime

Research a topic on the Internet

Straw and cotton ball race on the kitchen table

Do a pretend cooking show

Call a family member and find out 3 things you didn't already know about them

Spend 15 minutes writing in your journal

Do something nice for someone else

Pull weeds to earn some extra money

Memorize an Article of Faith

Memorize a poem

Do a science experiment

Make up a secret code and write notes

Go on a walk

Bake brownies

Have an Un-Birthday party

Paint rocks

Read a book

Draw a picture of our family

Take silly photos and put them in an album

Make breakfast for dinner

Make cards to tell each other why they are loved

Bake cookies for someone and then deliver them

Try a new recipe

Make a time capsule (including predictions for the future)

Cut a sponge into shapes and make sponge paintings

Make a silly video

Make a count down calendar for something you're looking forward to

Have a "Christmas whenever" party--make gifts for each other and open them up

Make macaroni necklaces

Make a junk tree--collect trash and trinkets from around the house and glue them onto a paper cone to make       a "tree"

Wash windows

Use a bathroom scale to measure things around the house. Make a list of the lightest to the heaviest

Make a treasure map and have a treasure hunt

Plan what to make for a dessert first dinner

Play hopscotch

Grocery Store scavenger Hunt--find items on a list and write down how much they cost

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is blue

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is green

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is brown

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is red

Make the alphabet out of playdough

Learn north/south/east/west and then find toys using those directions

Tape two or more crayons together and make rainbow pictures

Collect leaves and do paper rubbings with crayons or pencils

Draw a picture blindfolded

Pudding fingerpainting

Make binoculars out of toilet paper rolls

Make a pasta picture with pasta and paint

Make homemade napkin rings to use for dinner tonight

Make placemats for dinner

Write ten fun activities to put in the "activities jar"

Exercise for 10 minutes using mom's instructions

Water the plants

Have a friend come over

Play with bubbles

Run through the sprinklers

Do a chore of mom's choice

Take out the trash

Pick up trash outside

Find 5 toys to donate to the DI

Bake a cake from scratch

Make Rice Krispie treats

Make homemade ice cream

Make homemade popsicles

Make homemade caramels

Make muddy buddies

Make homemade lemonade

Plan a "foreign country" night-research a foreign country and during dinner, discuss the country and try a recipe from that country

Plan a "finger food only" dinner

Plan a "Jack's Favorites" dinner

Plan a "Mommy's Favorites" dinner

Plan a "Daddy's Favorites" dinner

Plan a "Lizzy's Favorites" dinner

Paint the front window with fingerpaints and then draw a design in it when it 's dry with a wet Q-Tip

Make no-bake banana cookies (coat sliced bananas with crushed graham crackers)

Blow up water balloons and aim them at a target

Make a sprinkler with a milk jug and water the garden, flowers, or lawn

Have a "car wash" with your outside toys

Let me know if you have any other great ideas to add to our little jar--good luck!