Summer "To Do" List

In an effort to keep all of our sanity this summer and hopefully bypass boredom, I have come up with a long list of things to do with the kids this summer. I am going to try and stick to this schedule too:

Make It Monday (crafts)
Take Time To Read Tuesday (Library day, reading outside or just me reading to them)
Wander Out Wednesday (Our day to venture out of the house to go to parks, zoo, museums etc..)
Think About It Thursday (work on math, writing, learn about a different animal or even a different culture)
Cooking Fun Friday ( kids help make breakfast, lunch and/ or dinner, bake cookies, brownies etc...)

I am trying not to have high expectations with this schedule but having a plan helps me relax and feel prepared for the long hot summer months.

Here is a list of other fun things that we will either work into the schedule above or just add to the day as a fun extra activity. Some of these things won't get done, some may get repeated, and some may seem very boring to the kids but they are just an idea of some things that may entertain them and I tried to make them all things Baby A could do too. 

~ Go to Zoo 

~ Go to Pink Palace

~ Go to Licterman Nature Center

~ Go to library

~ Go to Ripley Waterpark

~ Go to Tennessee Safari Park

~ Go to Shelby Farms

~ Get ice cream 

~ Cook 

~ Paint with celery and potato stamps

~ make a sandbox out of a tupperware bin

~ Fill a plastic tub with rice and find hidden things in the rice (toys, legos, coins etc...)

~ Toss bean bags into a laundry basket

~ Wash the van

~ Go to the Farmer's Market (this may be an every week outing)

~ Plant some Flowers

~ Build something

~ Sidewalk chalk/ Paint

~ Build with Legos

~ Play with puzzles

~ Go swimming

~ Melt crayons in the sun as art

~ Play board games

~ Make bird feeders

~ Go on a picnic

~ Eat dinner outside

~ Cook hotdogs on campfire

~ Go pick fruit at local orchard

~ Go camping one night

~ Learn about a different culture

~ Send postcards to someone

~ Make a craft

~ Sew something together

~ Go see a movie

~ Play with water in tupperware bin (meaning make our own water table)

~ Go to mall

~ Tie dye shirts using Turmeric

~ Go get frozen yogurt

~ Make coke floats

~ Go over fire and earthquake drills (of all these listed, this one is the one the boys are most excited about)

~ Take an overnight trip to somewhere close by

~ Have a water balloon fight

~ Do a science project

~ Make a tin foil river in the yard (see this pin)

~ Zoo Scavenger Hunt

~ Fun relay games

Ok so there is the list I have now. I am sure I will be adding to it and now I have it all in one place so I can look back at this to see what we can do each day.

I am also thinking I will have a reward system for the boys. It will work like this.... they will earn points for kind words, helping out, good attitudes etc... at the end of the week they will get to take their points and exchange the points for something in the reward basket. I will have a basket full of things from the dollar store with different points on each things. The more points they have the more (or bigger) items they get. I am going to have to get creative with the rewards so I don't have a house full of sugary treats or useless toys. I am thinking special snacks (their favorite is Funyuns, popcorn and beef sticks), play doh, silly string, later bedtimes, silly bandz, grow capsules, slinky etc...

I have tried things similar to this before and it never worked out. I am hoping this time will be different and we can really work on the kids attitudes and manners this summer.

Ok so now if I can just make it through May we will be all set for the summer. BRING IT ON!