7 Summer Family Fun Ideas

So, in looking for ideas for summer family fun, I stumbled upon a few things that we just have to try.  Here are the 7 budget friendly ideas that will keep us away from the tv!

1. Set up a s'mores station

This is a simple idea with minimal set-up.  I used a random tray and vase for our s'mores display.  Since we do not own a fire pit, we loaded our small grill with fire wood and created our own!  Then, I set up comfortable seating by laying flat boxes and towels under our couch cushions and then covering them with cozy blankets.  We had an amazing time enjoying these tasty treats.  Best of all, we all spent quality time together with lots of laughs. :)

2. build a play tent together

There are many ways to build a play tent- here are a few examples from around the web that I found:

I love this one from ohdeedoh.com.

This hula hoop tent from 2littlehooligans.blogspot.com is absolutely adorable!

and this cute tent from imakestuff.typepad.com.

I was particularly inspired by this clothes line tent from missprettypretty on etsy.com.

We had so much fun building this tent!  I ran a string across the room and secured it with packing tape.  Then, I draped two curtains over the string- one one each side.  This created the walls.  After that, Charlotte and I put sheets, pillows, and blankets inside!

 We'll leave this one up for a few days, but it takes up WAY too much room.. So, i'm going to try to make a smaller one for her room. :)  Perhaps the hula hoop tent?

3. make giant bubbles

I was a bit intimidated by this project at first.  My daughter absolutely loves bubbles, so I knew I had to try this one.   I followed the instructions listed here.   This was so much fun!

4. plan a summer picnic

It's been forever since I've been on a picnic, and sadly we have never had a picnic with Charlotte.  So, that is going to change!  These photos below look amazing!

From lamaisondannag.blogspot.com



from milenachka.tumblr.com

I'm sure our picnic set-up won't be as nice, but it will still be great to spend an evening out at the park enjoying some yummy foods. 

5. have an ice cream party

I was inspired by a recent trip to a local yogurt store that had every possible topping imaginable, including several varieties of cereal.  All we have to do is gather up some bowls, spoons, and a range of toppings and dig in!  This is the ultimate treat for a hot summer day.

This is a really beautiful and festive ice cream party!

from eatdrinkpretty.com

 I also love this idea of making ice cream in a bag from familyfun.go.com! 

6. water games

There's always a ton of fun to be had with water related play.

Splash zone- set up several water play items, such as water balloons and empty soda bottles or other   containers with holes.  We simply played with water balloons.  Charlotte LOVED this!

A couple other ideas:

make our own boats - just gather some simple materials and create boats together as a family.  We could even have a competition as to who's boat will float the farthest.  Here are some links to some pretty awesome homemade boats:

       ~walnut boats from hiphiphoorayblog.com
       ~boats made from ice cubes! These are from alphamom.com.

Sink or Float?- We could set up a large plastic bin full of water in the yard.  Then, we'll just get some items to use in our experiment, and have the kids decide which items will sink or float!  I love the idea of a predictions chart, pictured below:



From lets-explore.net

Since Charlotte is so young, I'll just let her dump objects into the water and see what happens :)

7. Go on a nature walk and scavenger hunt

We could collect some small items found along the way and incorporate them into an art project!  The items could be organized in a color-coded egg carton or just a reusable bag or grocery bag. 

Another cool idea is to bring paint chip samples and match the colors we see on our walk!