I thought it would be fun to share our Summer Bucket List today — which seems to grow longer by the minute, as I keep adding things to the list! Many of these activities are either very low cost or free (yay!!), and the kiddos are really looking forward to crossing things off of the list. Those activities that are marked with a strikethrough are those we have already completed. We have been very busy this Summer!!
Community Pool — Our local community pool now has “twilight hours” when tickets are just $2 per person after 4pm!
Teach Emily to Ride a Bike — She can ride with training wheels, but needs more practice without training wheels.
Teach Clara to Ride Her Balance Bike — Clara picked up on this waaay faster than I thought she would!
Sprinklers — Done!!
Make Ice Pops — We made simple frozen orange juice pops, and the kiddos LOVED them. Brought back great memories from when I was a kid too.
Star Gazing — Emily wants to help make these constellation books, and I think it’s a great idea.
Press Flowers — Yes!!
Catch Fireflies — I look forward to our firefly catching contest every Summer.
Drive In Movie Theater — We are so fortunate to live close to one of these, and try to see at least one movie there every Summer.
Free Summer Concert — It’s FREE!!
Play in the Sandbox — My kiddos can spend hours doing this!
Visit a New Park or Playground — Because it’s fun to explore together.
Open Gym — For some rainy day fun to let the kiddos burn off some extra energy.
Breakfast Picnic — Perfect for those days when it’s forecasted to be too hot in the afternoon.
Make Rain Sticks — Like these ones here. Why haven’t we done this yet??
Homemade Lemonade / Lemonade Stand — Emily’s Lemonade Stand was a great success, loads of fun, and taught her valuable “business” skills. She plans to repeat this several times over the course of the Summer!
Build a Marble Run — We have done this before, but the girls have requested to build a larger one!
Build an Outdoor Reading Nook — You can never have too many cool places to read, right?
Nature Painting — Visit a scenic park, bring painting supplies & a small easel. Let the girls paint “landscapes”.
Geocaching — I’ve always wanted to do this!!!
Make Shadow Puppets — And put on a show!
Mega Bubbles — One of our all-time favorite Summer activities!
Sidewalk Chalk Play Date — Super cheap & lots of fun!
Go to the Beach — We had a very spontaneous trip to Point Pleasant, NJ. A GREAT time!!
Visit Farmer’s Market — Love this!!!
Science Center — Emily has recently gone with friends, but I’m hoping to get the whole family over there at some point this Summer.
Zoo — Done!
Sew Something w/ Emily — This will probably have to be done during Clara’s nap time.
Produce Our Own Stop Motion Film — I did this with my mom when I was a kid, and thought it was so magical!
Make Sun Tea — Mmmmmm…. tea!!
Pick Our Own Fruit — Maybe peaches?? Perhaps Mark can make some of his famous homemade peach ice cream????? Yum!
Catch Caterpillars and Watch Them Turn into Butterflies — This was pure magic!
Make Watermelon Jam — I’ve heard such wonderful things about this!!! Recipe here. Cannot wait to try it!
Take Emily to NYC — She’s been begging to go!
Host at Least 5 Play Dates — Three down, two to go.
Attend a Minor League Baseball Game — Fun and waaaay cheaper than a Major League game.
Visit the Lake — Yes!!
Fireworks — Done!
Buy a Hermit Crab — Something Mark and I ALWAYS wanted to do when we were kids, but our parents wouldn’t let us. We totally got one, and the girls love learning about these creatures!
Start a Sea Shell Collection — Need to do this, and then make lots of sea shell crafts!
Visit the Boardwalk — It was SO much fun!!! Highly recommend Jenkinson’s Boardwalk.
Knoebel’s — Fun w/ lots of kiddie rides!
Water Pistols — Learned that Clara can totally hold her own in a water pistol fight. She had one pistol in each hand, and gave her big sister a run for the money! That’s my girl!!
Steel Stacks at Bethlehem — Lots of free family concerts and other free events, would love to attend at least one this Summer.
Crayola Factory — Always a hit!
Backyard BBQ — Yum!!
Wildlands Conservancy — Perhaps combine this with Nature Painting?
Play in the Creek — I think this would be a big hit with the girls!
Watermelon
Corn on the Cob
Roast Hot Dogs
Picnic at the Garden
Franklin Institute — Always fun and educational! Plus, admission is FREE during Target Community Nights!
Sesame Place — Visited for Opening Day, what a great time!
Rodale Institute Organic Farm — Clara’s 3rd birthday party was held here. So much fun!!
Kids Workshop at The Home Depot — These are FREE & the girls love spending quality time with Mark.
Date Night for Each Kid — We need to do this!
Library — We read every day, and have gone through several books already this Summer. Emily does a lot of reading on her own, as well. But I’m sad to say we have yet to visit the library this Summer. NEED to get there!!
Teach Kids to Play Tennis — Perhaps start by hitting balloons over the net? Fun!!
Backyard Obstacle Course — Great active fun!
What fun things are on your bucket list this Summer?? Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!
