How my Unplugged Summer is Going so Far

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If you've read my previous posts on wanting an unplugged summer, you may be curious as to if it is really possible to achieve. I'm here to tell you that I'm not perfect *gasp* and to tell you exactly how my summer has been shaping up. Because my husband got off work for the summer the second week of June, I feel like our summer really started then.

Our summer started with a road trip to the beach! I packed my 4 year old many of the things I mentioned here in this unplugged road trip ideas: search and finds, activity coloring books, coloring pack from the Dollar Tree, his little container of toys and more! My sister printed off some Texas coloring sheets, since we were traveling to Chrystal Beach (near Galveston). He traveled well, and with activities and a nice long nap he made it with little fuss. It was during this road trip that I realized that Baby Girl is getting to the age of wanting to be entertained as well...she also doesn't like being in the car seat that long. It's hard to believe that time is rushing by so quickly with her. She is SO close to crawling  *bawling in the corner*.

We rented a house for the week from Home Away. I love using their site, as you can get a house for a price point comparable to a hotel, that can fit more people (we had 11 people all together!), and there is space for you to cook, play games, etc. Our house was perfectly situated, a couple of blocks from the beach, where I could see the ocean as I sipped on my morning cup of coffee. Why am I mentioning this house as a part of our unplugged summer? For our family, we are much more likely to leave the tv off, if we have more space for activities. Little Man could have space to play with his toys, and there was a constant game of Tenzy or UNO flip going on at the dining room table.

To be completely real with you, I will tell you that the TV did come on a few times during the trip. It was on the MeTV station where we watched Andy Griffith, similar to what we do at home. Outside of that it was rarely turned on, and even then not more than a few minutes. For the great majority of the time we were enjoying the sites and sounds of the beach. Isn't that how it should be, though? Why waste your time on vacation starting down at a device, or watching television, when you could be doing what you came to do? Relax and enjoy your vacation!

Well Hope, you may say, being unplugged at the ocean is nice and all, but how do you do it when you aren't on vacation? It is harder, I'm not going to lie. Mostly because my son was in the habit of watching a cartoon in the morning, once around noon, and then watching in the evening. With our Schedule we have printed on the fridge, we have just been turning the TV on when it's Andy Griffith time (this is a family favorite).  At first my son was pretty upset not to watch his shows, but by the second day he came and asked...not to watch a show, but to ask if it was family game time yet!

Our day is spent playing outside in the kiddie pool, coming in to do chores, sitting down to eat lunch together, and then enjoying some quiet time (well, my husband and I enjoy the quiet time-AKA my second cup of coffee-my son not so much, ha! He has enjoyed the quiet time basket, though, and looks forward to doing an activity from there each day). The end of the day is when we have family game time. Our favorite game to play together has been a game called GoNuts. It's one we can all enjoy.

There have been moments when the TV has been turned on, or my son and hubby have played a video game together. However, the time spent with the TV has been far, far less than usual, and I am loving it! I'm praying we continue this even into the next school year. More play, less TV!

9 Days of Summer Activities

Thank you for joining me for the Summer Activity Challenge that I've been doing over the past couple of weeks-it's been fun! My hubby is out for the summer (teacher) and vacation has been enjoyed, now time to apply a lot of these ideas I've been sharing with you!

If you missed out on a few days, don't fear! Here are the links to ideas that we've done, or want to do to give you a fun filled, device free summer.

Day 1: Fun Food

Click here to find different ways to create fun or silly food together as a family!

Day 2: Library Reading Program

Click here to find out how you can use your library to have some summer fun!

Day 3: Free Bowling

Click here to find how your kids can bowl for free!

Day 4: Water Table Activities

Click here to find several activities you can use with a water table!

Day 5: Car Wash Station

Find out here what my son's favorite activity is with his Little Tykes car!

Day 6: Around Town

Click here to find out different ways you can vacation in your own town!

Day 7: Summer Unit Studies

Click here to learn about unit studies you can do during the summer!

Day 8: Hot Afternoon and Rainy Day activities

Stuck inside? Click here to see 3 activities you can do when it's too hot to play outdoors!

Day 9: Activity Free Day

With all the activities we do during the summer, it's nice to have a relaxing, no stress day. Click here to find out more. 

Today is day 10! Hope you enjoyed these ideas. Let me know what you enjoy doing during the summer!


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Summer Activities Day 9: Activity Free Day

So my next suggestion is no activities? What kind of post idea is that?!

Do you remember in my first post in this series I talked about what I remembered most about my childhood summer? As much as all the previous suggestions are fun, and I highly encourage you to do some of those ideas, however, my wonderful childhood summers included non of those! (except for library reading program...that was an amazing part of my childhood!) Can we take a day, or a week and do absolutely nothing?

A no activities day might include making forts in the living room, homemade ice cream in the kitchen, or your children sitting around you as you read a Little House book. Craft supplies might be gathered with no plan or purpose of looking like anything you've seen on the internet...or maybe even this planet! Sidewalk chalk and bubbles might be taken outside, or perhaps simply splashing in a small blow up pool. After a hot afternoon, a cold slice of watermelon might be the most wonderful cap to an amazing day.

Here is how to have a no-plan day work for you:

• Take away the devices
  
  Kids will always lean towards devices if given the choice. If it's not an option, then they will just do something else.
• A routine that allows for time outside
  
  Going outside seems harder for us here in the south, during the summertime. It's hot, sticky, and there are bugs the size of Texas(okay, exaggerating here a little, but have you seen mosquitoes in the south? They seem to get bigger every year!). However, a little heat and stickiness never hurt anyone (bugs do, so where bug spray!). Just make sure your kids have plenty of water to drink. I like for us to do our playing in the morning, or evening when it's not so, because hot-afternoons are just too hot for this momma!
• Craft supplies at easy reach
  
  When I make crayons, paper and markers easy to get to, my son will simply draw on paper for long lengths of time. He loves drawing robots, trying out letters that he knows how to draw, and making cards for us. I am a little shy of a mess, so I want the paints and such to be something we pull out together on occasion, but simply being allowed to draw often helps shy away boredom
• Allow your children to do chores
  
  Your children may not appreciate this suggestion, but summer makes great training time for different chores you are trying to teach. My son is 4, almost 5 and right now his chore is to simply make his bed and straighten his room. However, I'm wanting him to start wiping down his bathroom each day, and maybe dust the living room, once school starts. Right now on our routine chart, he is starting to help clean the bathroom. This is a great time for us to get some one-on-one training to make sure he can master the chore, before I assign it to him this fall. 

Enjoy a day at home with no plans! What is your favorite recipe for a no stress day?

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Summer Activities Day 8: Hot Afternoon and Rainy Day Activities

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I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I see all these beautiful crafts, sentimental handprint or foot print art that turn out absolutely perfect. When I go to try these 'easy' activities, it normally ends up in toddler tears, paint everywhere, and a craft project that looks nothing like the picture.

So here I am, to help you out with some art, crafts, and projects that look like the picture, or at least result in less tears for both mommy and child. These are great during the hot summer afternoons, where maybe it's hard to do anything outside.

Dinosaur Hatching

When we studied dinosaurs last year, we made these dino 'eggs'. It was a mixture of baking soda and water, and once they froze, you used vinegar to 'hatch' them. It takes a little while for it to completely dissolve, but my son really enjoyed this! I was watching my cousin at the time, who is a young teenager, and he even seemed to enjoy this!









Crayon Resist Painting

Another favorite around here is simply drawing on watercolor paper with a white crayon, any design you like. You then let your little one use watercolors to see the design 'magically' appear as they paint! They are more likely to stay at the project longer, so that they make sure the entire design appears. We've done this using letters, like here, and other designs.













Nature Art

For this project, you'll need to take a nature walk in the early part of the morning. Search for twigs, wildflowers, seeds, leaves, whatever strikes your child's fancy. Once inside, gather craft supplies and let your child create 'art'. I've let my son make flowers out of seeds, paint over leaves and then remove them to show the outline. You can also pound flowers to leave the imprint behind, or you can simply let your child glue the objects on whichever way they want. No perfect end goal here, just letting your child have fun!








I'm sure there are many more I could add, but this is a great place to start! Hope this helps on your next hot or rainy day!

Summer Activities Day 7: Summer Unit Studies

This next idea is something that we haven't done quite yet, but I'm very interested to do in the future! If you follow me here on my blog or social media, you'll know how much I love The Peaceful Press. We are about to start our second year of their curriculum and as much as I'm enjoying the freedom of summer, I am so excited to begin our upcoming school year. Something I had thought about doing, in between school years, is this ocean study by The Peaceful Press.

In this unit study, they follow the normal pattern of book reading, Bible study, phonics, fine motor, large motor, and so on. If you are going to the beach you can do the beach unit study, or if you would like to study the mountains, they have one on that as well. Other extra unit studies include a tree study, and even a Christmas study! These mini units are only $12 for the pdf and lasts 4 weeks. Because of my husband's schedule, this doesn't exactly work for us, but I've only heard amazing things about these mini studies.

I do believe there should be some sort of break between 'school', but you should never stop learning! This is perfect for those who want relaxed learning for in between school years, or those who are doing year round that need a break in the 'normal' study.

Summer Activities Day 6: Around the Town

Every once in a while, when we get a free day, our family goes on one of my favorite family 'dates'. We have a couple of favorite flea markets that we enjoy browsing. I don't always buy anything, but if I do it's normally a good book! Afterwards we go across the street and get a burger or wings at a local restaurant, and if there is any room at all, we head over to a little gelato, sweets and coffee shop. It's a great place for us, because they have the gelato for my son, and coffee for me and my hubby!

You know your town, and their own local places. It's always nice to support local businesses and making it a full outing doesn't really have to cost you a ton. Here are some things you can look for in your own town:

Flea Markets

Farmers Market

Art and Crafts Market (okay, so there are a lot of markets on this list!)

Town History Museums

Children's museum 

Some of the Farmers Market and Art and Crafts will happen on certain days of the week/month, so be sure you check with your local newspaper or news site to know when things are happening in your town.



 

Summer Activities Day 5: Car Wash Station

Last summer, my son announced to us that when he grew up he wanted to be a car wash man. He was mesmerized by the automated process of the car wash, and saw that there were people who got to help work there. He decided that would be the job of his dreams. To prepare, he would constantly ask to wash his Little Tykes car and his little wagon. We would have a bucket with soapy water, a sponge, and some towels. Then let him have fun with the water hose as he washed it all off. He would play this for almost an hour, and it was one of those great things that was providing him some life skills and helping motor skill development at the same time!

This little activity takes little time to prepare, and although I think this is more geared towards little ones, it can be enjoyed by everyone. Perhaps you can get your 'big' kids to help you with the real deal. I'm just not sure if they'll think it's as much 'fun' as your little ones will!

I've seen these really elaborate ideas on Pinterest using pvc pipes, pool noodles, etc., but honestly, just a bucket and soap is all you need for this fun activity. Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple. You don't have to have a 'Pinterest-worthy' activity to have a fun time.