Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Unplugged and summer fun!

I can hardly believe that August is already here! June and July flew by in a blink! I've been busy this summer working on home improvement projects, putting our house up for sale, going on vacation and having fun with my kids. I thought that I would share some of the fun things we've been doing so that if you are looking for a bit of inspiration, maybe this will get the wheels turning.

At home: Getting the kids involved with projects around the house. Weeding the garden, watering the plants, making jam, washing the car, painting the shed (they loved this), helping with sorting and organizing toys and "weeding" out the stuff they didn't want/need. We didn't have time for a garage sale so instead we made a couple of trips to the consignment store and then donated the rest. We've also been staying cool with the kiddie pool, sprinkler and water table (my kids like to dip paint brushes in the water table and "paint" the house, fence, etc). Summer has also been a great time for the kids to enjoy playing with messy stuff outside (such as moon sand and goop). We've also been keeping busy with lots of reading. My girls are both reading independently now and they love to read everyday. We're doing the summer reading club through the library again this year.

Unplugged! I've been wanting to take a week here and there and do "unplugged weeks" No TV, no Internet, no electronic games, etc. Just good old fashioned summer fun. Our biggest stretch this summer was on our vacation. We spent 9 days at a cottage on a lake. It was great to just enjoy playing in the sand, swimming, fishing, walks in the woods, playing games, campfires, etc. No TV, computer or any other electronic games. It was a nice break. I'm planning to do something similar again at home. We often go 2 or 3 days in a row but it's a fun challenge to go for a week or two without the use of the TV or computer.

Outings: We've enjoyed strawberry picking, cherry picking, picnics at parks (we've been looking for new parks to visit this year which has been fun) , zoo days (we bought a membership), farmers markets, splash pads (water playgrounds at parks), visits to the library, play dates and cousin sleepovers.

I would love to hear what you have been up to this summer. Please share your fun ideas too!

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