Summertime Traditions
The end of school work is quickly approaching and I’ve been doing some thinking about summer time fun for my three boys. Summer time always brings back memories of long, lazy days that seemed to never end, swimming, horseback riding, and softball games. Now, summers seem to fly by and I find myself wanting to capture some of the simplicity for my own children. To strike a balance between activity and solitude, discovery and denial that it will all come to an end much too soon.
A common phrase in our house is, “Let’s go have an adventure!” My children all scramble to gather their things: water bottles, backpack (with extra clothes, being boys, it is usually needed!), and any gear we may be in need of. We are in the process of creating our summer adventure board, complete with a week-by-week record of our plans. The most important part of this adventure is our connection, a focused time of togetherness, working together, playing together, and deepening the bonds of family. In the next week we will be filling our board. Here are a few ideas we’ve come up with so far:
Ideas for Summer Fun
– Stay up late to stargaze, look for shooting stars
– Backyard sleep-out (rock, paper, scissors with your spouse on who gets to supervise!)
– Have water fights
– Grow something edible and care for it until it makes its way to our plates
– Chase butterflies and explore the insect world all around
– Build a backyard fort/reading area
– Plan a scavenger hunt
– To the beach, and again…and again!
– Make homemade ice cream
– Camping/fishing
– PVC Sprinkler – a fun DIY project
– Go on a hike
– Go to the zoo
– Visit the cousins
As I was finishing up our list, a blog I follow came across my email. It is another poignant reminder to focus on the things that truly matter to our children. I encourage you to take a few minutes and look it over, it is such a wonderful message and so doable! What a Hands-Free Summer Looks Like.
What’s on your ‘must do’ list for summer? Family traditions or new traditions to pass on? Please share!