Making summer memories at home
Summer is right around the corner and I don’t know about you, but I am making a mega list of things we want to do this year. Frugal things. Things that don’t involve very much travel (we may go away once).
We want to make as many summer memories at home as possible.
After doing some research and talking it over with my husband (and our 3-year-old!), I have a pretty substantial list of summer activities that we plan to do this year. Here are a few of the things I am looking forward to the most:
Picnics
I am obsessed with picnics. I want to have a picnic every single day. The kids and I often picnic on the porch at lunchtime, while my husband is at work.
Elliott loves eating outside just as much as me, so this is a frequent activity around here, especially now that the weather is so nice all the time. We often have picnics at the park on the weekends, as well.
Barbecues
I think barbecues are pretty much mandatory during the summer months – don’t you? We have a list of things we want to make on the barbecue this year. Some we have never made before, but sound delicious!
– Portobello Mushrooms (Instead of burgers)
– Grilled Fruits (Pineapple, peaches, pears)
– Many Different Chicken Recipes
– Pork Back Ribs
– Pizza
We plan to eat many barbecued meals out on our front porch this summer.
Water play
Sprinklers, kiddie pools, playing with the hose. If there’s water in it – we’re interested! I think we may even have a water balloon fight for Elliott’s 3rd birthday in July!
I’ve also been told about a new splash pad a few blocks from our home, so we will check that out as well.
Go outside
My main goal for summer this year is to go outside more often. The sunshine always puts me in a good mood and I know Elliott just loves being outdoors. We’re going to go on many, many park trips and have some fun with bubbles, chalk and of course – water.
I think we may even go outside when it’s raining sometimes. What kid doesn’t love to jump in puddles and splash around?
Library trips
Our library always has such great summer programs for little kids, and this year we plan to take advantage of them as much as we can. I’d like to make sure we visit the library at least once per week for an activity and to check out a few new books to read.
We want Elliott to start practicing his letters and words some more, so I really think frequent trips to the library to look at books will be helpful.
Frozen treats
I want to try a bunch of new frozen recipes this year. Ice cream sandwiches, homemade popsicles made only with fruit, chocolate covered bananas… the list goes on and on.
It would be great if we always had some kind of frozen treat waiting for us in the freezer after a long, hot summer day.
This is just a small sampling of the things our family has planned for summer this year.
There are so many ways to enjoy summer at home. You don’t have to go on fancy vacations to make great memories. Memories can just as easily be made right there in your own home and city.
Comments
Love the cold treat idea! I am going to add that to my summer list!
Fantastic IDeas. As i will be having my second child in a month I also plan to spend a lot of time outside bc my two year old LOVES IT.
We are planning on going to my aunts company summer party at Toronto Island. Free lunch, free games and rides for our daughter! Win win!
We have a list of summer things to do that my son is checking off. We have items from your list as well as a free zoo (that has a splash pad), going to the farmer’s market, strawberry picking, fishing, geocaching and camping. Part of the fun for my son is thinking of where we can go so he can check the list off. Happy summer everyone! Thanks for all the great ideas.
Best investment I made when the kids were younger was a baby seat. We would try and find a new park everytime and map it! I did day care for years and that would be something that would fill a day!
I like the cold treat idea as well. I am not much of an outdoor person and don’t have children, but I have been bringing my indoor cats out in a carrier and they love being outside lol.
We take a camera and go for walks, looking for interesting things to click. We’ve been doing this since they were a few years old and they both love being creative with a camera. Before we used the camera we used our fingers to create a “frame” and we would look at one scene and see how many ways we could frame it.