After finding lots of great ideas on Pinterest, and creating a MUST DO board for the kids, we finally sat down and wrote our Summer Bucket List. We did a lot of impromptu stuff this summer too - like the Waukegan Library Book Sale a friend posted about on Facebook. Instead of paying .50 cents per kids book and $1 for adults, I got a Big Red Bag of books for $5.
We did put the effort into actually writing out a Summer Bucket List and I like Sharing. At the end of this post is an update with a list of what we actually did, things not on the list, and moms tasks in addition to the list. We didn't craft nearly as much as we usually do either, because we were outside nearly EVERYDAY!!
2013, oUR family summer bucket list
GO PLACES
□
BEACH!! □
Go
to the park (A LOT!!)
□
Water
Park (A LOT!!!) □
Go
bowling
□
Nature
hunt (s) □
Alphabet
Scavenger hunt
□
Shapes
Scavenger Hunt □
Have
a picnic
□
See
movie at a drive in □
Santa’s
Village
□
Go
to A Farm (Glenview) □
Wild
West Town
□
Museum
Days
AT NIGHT
□
Catch
fire flies □
Use
the Telescope in the Yard
□
Roast
Marshmallows
COLLECT
□
Collect
Bottle Caps to make an end of summer Mosaic
□
Bugs,
Rocks, Feathers, and …
AT HOME OUTDOORS
□
!!
Make JAPAN Paper Ring Chain Countdown !!
□
Grill
dinner once a week □
Make
recycled water pouring wall (pinterest)
□
Make
Giant Ice Cube filled with plastic toys to CHIP APART
□
Roast
Marshmallows □
Blow
bubbles (Bubble Station)
□
Eat
ice cream and popcorn for dinner
□
Outdoor
Alphabet hunt □
Exploding
Paint – make ART BOMBS
□
Make
Bird Bath Mosaic □
Block
Party
RAINY DAYS
□
Make
Stained Glass: Draw Sharpie on wax paper looks like stained glass
□
Build
a fort □
Balloon
Ninjas to shoot with Nerf Guns
□
Make
Hands/Foot Paint Animals
□
Make
Hotwheels race track with drawn race course and tube
□
Make
Jet packs from Soda Bottles
□
Make
GEO BOARD (Pegboard w rubber bands)
□
Bake
Cookies!!! □
Make
Fingerprint Ornmnt
□
Move
Chalk board to kitchen (Keep family menus on)
□
Paint
pebbles/rocks with glow in the dark paint to line the garden/walkway
□
Make
MOONSAND □
Indoor
ALPHABET HUNT
□
Make
VOLCANO ERUPTIONS
□
Make
the Outdoor TIC TAC TOE from rocks and wood
□
IVORY
SNOW Cloud □
Wii,
& iPad
*** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE *** UPDATE ***
BEACH
We went to the beach a lot. While my mom had the kids during our trip to Japan. They were at the beach nearly every day, sometimes 2x a day.
ü
Loyola
Beach
ü
Indiana
Dunes
ü
Boogie
Boards at Waukegan Beach
ü
Loyola
Beach with our Cousins
GO
PLACES
ü Go to Parks – a different park each Wednesday with our Cousins
(splash pads, climbing gyms), our neighborhood park and
surrounding parks, bicycling to the school park, and with Uncle Bogie.
ü Water Park – only 1x because it
was such a cool summer. But we did slip and slide with our neighborhood friends
and in the yard. We also had a splash water fight with Dja Dja in his yard.
ü Nature Hunt – when we were at the
Nature Center with our Cousins we did this nature hunt. Totally Fun! While at the Spring Valley Schaumburg Nature Center (so
awesome, includes a ½ hour walk to a mini farm) our cousins granola bar was
stolen by a Chicken there.
ü Have a picnic – everywhere we go
for a DAY outing I pack our (found in the alley) California Wheel Cooler with
food and we picnic.
ü Kohl’s Children’s Museum –
purchased at 50% off with Travelzoo.com, great deal. Paid $19.50 for two
instead of per person.
ü Roast Marshmallows – with our Tia
ü Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park
Zoo (and picnic’s)
COLLECT
ü Bugs. We collect dead bugs and pin them. I collected Bugs in Japan
and at home.
ü Rocks at the beach and everywhere
else.
AT
HOME / OUTDOORS
ü Build a fort – on rainy days.
ü Played Wii – only 2x
Not on the List
ü On the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER we
went to our local library. And to my pleasant surprise they had started the
book club THAT DAY. So we joined up….Library
Book Club – we joined our library’s book club. We read EVERYDAY this
summer, alone, to eachother, and at night time! I AM PROUDEST OF READING
EVERYDAY THIS SUMMER!!!
ü My older son chose “an experience”
for his birthday instead of a party. We had dinner at “a fancy” restaurant and
cake at home at my mom’s in Indiana. Older Sons birthday gift hunt and
Trampoline Hunt/Map – see more here
ü Got Geodes to crack open from our
Uncle’s Trip to Colorado with his Cross Country Track Team
ü Movie and Cookies and Ice Cream
with Ciocia Jola, just because
We also made red current jam from our garden berries (and with frozen mixed berries). We gardened, planted carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins and a few flowers...
Mom actually planned the 4th Annual Block Party this year, booking the jump house, obtaining the permit, and buying kids crafts to paint, bead, and tattoo ourselves to no end.
I also was able to spray paint some ugly gold frames we had to display dads Fathers Day present of the kids hand and foot print animals (Pinterest Inspired). So glad that's done.
So it looks like I am keeping this list for next year. We actually completed about half of the list.....which means we can look forward to have a lot more fun in our future.
The Days are long, but the years are short....Make Mistakes, Breath and Laugh.Out.Loud
