Jar of Summer Fun!

We still aren't back on our school groove yet as you can probably tell by the lack of posts!  My hubby is home for the teacher so it is really hard to be on a concrete schedule right now.  I've seen tons of ideas for "summer jars" all over the Internet, so I thought this would be a fun way to incorporate some fun activities into our summer without being tied down to a schedule.  Ours is just a simple jar covered with summer scrapbook paper and filled with scraps of paper with fun ideas written on each.  Here's what's on our list:

• Go to the Splash Park
• Play Water Balloon Angry Birds
• Go to the Library
• Get a Scoop of Ice Cream from the Ice Cream Shop
• Get out the Art Supplies and Make a Card for Someone We Love
• Have a Picnic in the Park
• Go to Red Light Green Light (a local kids play area)
• Finger paint With Pudding
• Go on a Color Hunt
• Cruise the Mall
• Have an Indoor Photo Shoot with Props
• Throw a Birthday Party for a Stuffed Animal
• Make Edible Necklaces with Cheerios
• Play Outdoor Chalk Beanbag Toss
• Have a Family Story Time
• Go Outside and Blow Bubbles
• Go to Explora (children's museum)
• Go to the Zoo
• Make a Bird Feeder
• Freeze things in Ice and Dig them Out
• Create a Stuffed Animal Zoo
• Go to Talin (international grocery) and plan an International Meal
• Indoor/Outdoor Bowling
• Play with Chalk Paint
• Look Through Old Photo Albums Together
• Have a Family Music Jam Session
• Play Board Games Together
• Play in the Sprinklers
• Go Magnet & Pipe Cleaner Fishing
• Go Outside and Play with Sponge Comets
• Blow the Pool Up and Play in the Water
• Go on a Morning Picnic in the Mountains

Heart Road

I thought this would be an easy, fun little Valentines themed activity, and I was right!  The kids loved running their cars all over this makeshift road.  We were planning to do a few of the extension activities that were in the comments, but R quickly turned this into a game of, "How Fast Can I Pull the Tape Off The Carpet Without My Sister or Mom Stopping Me".  Then M made an extension of that into the activity "How Small Can I Get These Pieces of Tape If I Sit Here and Tear to My Hearts Desire?"  Fun games, I assure you. ;P

Heart Road

Theme: Boredom Buster

Materials: Painters tape, cars

How to: Make a heart on the floor out of painters tape, and have your kid go crazy driving all over their new road!

Source: Little Family Fun

Pumpkin Drop

I thought M would love this game, but she didn't quite understand why she couldn't just sit next to the bucket and drop things in.  I thought I'd post it anyway in case your child is more inclined towards following directions. :)

Pumpkin Drop

Theme: Boredom Buster, Games

Materials: Pumpkin bucket, things to drop in (we used food from our play kitchen)

How to:  Have your child sit facing backwards on a chair or over the edge of the couch arm.  Have them lean over and try to drop their objects into the bucket.  If using a chair, please try to secure it so that it won't tip over!

Source:  No Time For Flashcards

Keyboard Fun

I was cleaning out my office last week and found two old keyboards that we no longer use. I was about to toss them in the "freecycle" pile, when I realized they could be a fun toy for the kids. R loved the noise of just pounding on the keys, but there are a lot of ways this could be an educational toy for your tot.

Music - Put on some music and have your tot try to match or compliment the beat using the keyboard. Or pull out a variety of play instruments and have a concert!

Alphabet- Review the letters, having your child find each one as you call them out. If your child has learned the letters in order, this is a great way to see if they know them when they are all jumbled up like on a QWERTY keyboard.

Numbers - Same as above, except with numbers.

Pretend Play - Set up a pretend office for your child on a little table. A keyboard, square piece of cardboard as a "screen", plastic coffee cup, pen and paper, and pretend phone would be a fun little play center!