Summer of fun!

We are in the thick of summer over here and I’m already scrambling for things to do with the girls! We were lucky enough to go on a big trip for 3 weeks, but that was over by mid-June. Summer hadn’t even officially begun! I’m kinda feeling like we peaked early 😉

Last summer my little one was still pretty little, taking 2 naps a day, so my days were structured mostly around her schedule. This is the first summer where I have 2 (very) active kiddos on my hands and I’m trying my best to find enough activities for us to do! I’d love to go to the pool everyday, but it’s just so hot in the middle of the day right that we are limited to early mornings or just before dinnertime. Both of my girls really love to do art projects, so most of my ideas revolve around our craft table.

I thought I would share some of things we’ve done so far and I would love (actually, I need) to hear from you what your favorite summer activities are!! For starters, I did have the girls in a summer camp for 1 week in June and 1 week in July.  These were great opportunities for them to see old friends and make some new ones. But, I want to take advantage of this time with my little girls, summer camps are expensive, and I’m not working as much as I was earlier this year so I’ve got the time.

• I discovered a FREE weekly art class at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden! The girls love this Wednesday morning class from 10a-1p where they make art with traditional  and recycled materials. Today I found them in different areas of the garden using nature as inspiration. And, best of all, at the end of the summer their art will be displayed in a student art show!

• Home made slime! We first made this a few years ago for their Frozen themed birthday party so I still had the Borax tucked away in the laundry room. You dissolve 1/2 tsp of Borax w 1/2 cup of hot water, dilute 1c clear glue with 1c hot water , then mix these two together. At this point you can add food coloring or glitter. We opted for glitter, obviously! This slimy substance keeps well in a zip-lock-type baggie in the fridge. This page is very helpful: http://www.twosisterscrafting.com/frozen-annas-diy-glitter-slime/

• Dino-decoupage! I found these two dinosaurs in the craft section at Target and knew my dino-obsessed girls would love them. I found some acrylic paint, brushes and glitter in our craft supplies, put old t-shirts on them, and they created (outside, of course!) the coolest dinos I’ve ever seen. Once the beasts were dry we painted a coat of Mod-Podge to keep the glitter from getting everywhere.  Bianca insisted on sleeping with her dino every night that first week! I think we’re gonna have to try our hand at papier-mache soon!

• 4th of July fun! We made some yummy patriotic treats to share with our friends.  I handled the melting of marshmallows but I let them mix in the food coloring.  They also measured  and mixed in the Rice Krispies.  They love helping me in the kitchen 🙂

• Super soft play dough! I got the inspiration for this play dough from KidsActivitiesBlog.com. It was quite simple, gave us fun for while, and left our hands smelling quite nice too! All it takes is combining 1 part hair conditioner to 2 parts Cornstarch.  My 3 year old enjoyed the mixing and kneading. She asked for some plastic plates and utensils from her toy kitchen and made animal and plant shapes. This is obviously not edible, so be sure to only try this one with kids who aren’t putting hands/things into their mouth all the time.
• No-Melt Popsicles! This one is a no-brainer with this South Florida heat! Just mix 1 small box of Jello with 1 c of boiling water for 2 minutes. Add 1 c cold water then pour into your popsicle molds and freeze. I made a  red & blue ‘patriotic’ version of these for 4th of July last year. Kids can help measure the water and stir – being extra careful with the hot water part 😉

 

• Slip-n-Slide! Yes, we invested all of about $20 for one and I’m pleasantly surprised by how much they are really loving this! We had all the kids slipping and sliding in the back yard during our BBQ party last week.

•  Re-discover our local playgrounds! That’s right, we went back to a couple of parks that we hadn’t seen in months and our favorite is the one with the splash-pad, naturally! We are going through sunscreen like crazy this summer. I’m a stickler for reapplying every 45 minutes and avoiding the sun as best as I can between noon – 4pm.

Alright, that’s it from me for now! I can’t wait to read your ideas for creating summer fun with your kids!!