Homework and Heartwork: summer

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Summer at Home: Outdoor Activities

In my childhood summers, we spent a lot of time outside. In fact, I feel like 90% of our day was spent outdoors playing with the neighborhood kids, cousins or friends, and somehow I didn't feel like the heat quite like I do today! ha! Knowing how important outside time is for the kids, I am trying to make sure they spend a good amount of time out, even if here in the south we have to go out at 8am to get temperatures lower than 90F!

These 'activities' may feel like no brainers, but I wanted to share what we've been doing and enjoying outdoors. Hopefully this will be an encouragement and inspiration for your outdoor excursions.

Water Play

My kids love anything to do with water. In the above picture we set out a bucket of water for them to fill their water guns, and they spent more time paying in the bucket than actually shooting the water guns! I've used buckets before for water play. Here are a few ideas:

Wash station-I had some dirty rocks I let the kids clean one day and they spent so much time, and had so much fun, just washing the rocks off in cold water. You could use dirty toys, or whatever you have on hand.

Car Wash Station-Put a little dawn or baby soap to make it bubbly, and let the 'work' begin! My son has done this for several years and loves cleaning all his plastic toys. He can't wait to get them dirty again, so he can clean them. I set aside old rags and sponges for his budding business. Here is another waterplay idea:

DIY Splash pad- Our splash pad isn't open yet, but you can create one at home! I like this kind of splash mat- ours is a bit different, but this one seems the most like it. Ours has held up for over 4 years! Little Man is 5 and still enjoys splashing around on it. I like to set out a big tarp (we have stickers at the house), set the splashmat up, add the water table (check out here for water table ideas), and maybe other water toys or sprinklers. Let the kids splash around as long as they want and get ready for some wet lovin's when they want to get momma wet too!

Our Favorite Lawn Games

We've become big fans of lawn games over the past couple of years. My hubby introduced us to a game called Kubb and made his own set for us to play. It can have up to 6 players per side (12 total) so this can turn into a fun group game if you are having a get together at your house. I'll include links here for an about the game, and a link here for a set you can buy.

We also enjoyed making a ladder ball set last year (Instructions to make one here), and have already gotten it out a few times to play with friends.

Corn hole and frisbee golf are other games we enjoy playing as a family. We try to let Little Man have it easier, but also try to include him as much as possible, so we can enjoy them together as a family. I love games like this promote a lot of good conversations...and often times those 'fails' make the best memories!

Outdoor Treats

There's nothing like a cold treat on a hot summer day. Popsicles are a go to, but they can often be full of sugar and dyes. I am linking some 100% juice ones here. We've been enjoying Mott's juice pops, but this is something pretty comparable. You could also make your own if you are less lazy than me. I'll add some fun recipes to my Pinterest summer board that you can check out here!

If you have a fire pit, you can enjoy a warm treat as well! I have so many good memories of hot dog roasts and s'mores. There are so many more fire pit recipes out there you can use these days. Unfortunately we are unable to use one due to my husband's allergies. I am seriously considering investing in a grill, since we will be so much at home. My kids love eating outdoors and grills and fire pits make it even more fun for the adults!

I will be sharing more summer treats next week! What activities have you been enjoying outdoors?

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Home for the Summer: Routine and Schedule

This summer is looking a lot different from previous ones. Our library is doing a packet that you pick up rather than summer activities, several camps have closed, no vacation planned, and no youth conference. We are still on the fence about VBS, but needless to say, our calendar looks a lot emptier than before. After several weeks of staying at home, how do you differentiate this time and make it as 'summery' as possible?

This month I am planning several posts on this topic. Today I am sharing my non-schedule schedule, and over the next few weeks I'll be sharing learning tips at home, fun foods to make at home, and outdoor activities. All of this will be on a budget and with the idea that things need to be mostly found at home.

If you would like to check out my blog posts that I did last summer, you can check them out here:

9 Summer Activities

Having an Unplugged Summer

Unplugged Road Trip

Now to get to the schedule and routine portion of the post!

If you've scoured Pinterest any, you know there are several little summer schedules with things like Make it Monday, Thinking Tuesday, and so on. I've tried these in the past, but I've never been able to do it for more than a couple of weeks. I simply don't like having to plan things out during the summer, ha!

While for some, well structured schedules may make for a productive and fun summer, I have found that for our family, having a loose routine brings the most enjoyment and productivity. This means I don't have a fancy schedule to share with you today. For us the routine is a simple breakfast, outside time, lunch, indoor learning and play, dinner, and I want to implement family games in the evening. There's no set activity or schedule, but I plan to have several things at the ready that we can choose from for each day. I'll be sharing the list of things I have planned for Outdoor time, Indoor learning, and Foods I would like to have prepared easy enough that my son can join in. Right now you can click on the links and find other posts I've made on these topics. I am looking forward to sharing lots of fun summer ideas this month!