Photo via Skip to My LouIt's the end of July and it seems like every family we know is either preparing to go on vacation or just returning from vacation. Add to that the heat and humidity and some days it is just nice to stick close to home. As tempting as it is to pop in a movie and stay in our jammies until lunchtime, it's still important to get up and moving in the morning or the entire day seems to slip away. In these dog days of summer, we like to take advantage of the slightly cooler morning temperatures to get outside and have some fun.
Here are some great outdoor activities from three bloggers really inspire me with their great kid-friendly activities.
Chalk Paint -- Lucas enjoys drawing on our front walk with sidewalk chalk but I think he'll love chalk paint even more.** Here's a super-easy recipe for making chalk paint via Skip To My Lou. Fill a spray bottle with water and you can double the fun--painting then spraying to wash it away. We're going to try it today!
Scavenger Hunt -- Or, even better, create a backyard alphabet hunt with these tips from Teach Mama.
Go Parachuting -- Er, rather, send your favorite stuffed animal (or in our case, small car!) on a fun parachute ride with these instructions from Flips Flops and Applesauce for making your own mini parachute.
Backyard Car Wash -- This one is my own. Sure you could always just pull out the hose and get wet but why not get some cleaning done, too? Get a bucket of soapy water and a couple of big sponges and create a car wash in your backyard! Wash the summer grime off that wagon, tricycle, little tykes coupe and, if you have a kid like Lucas, the many, many large plastic trucks that are in the yard on any given day. When you're finished rinse the vehicles and soapy kids with the hose! (Hmmm...does that count as a bath?!)
What are your favorite close-to-home summer activities?
**Updated to add: Chalk painting was a huge success! When mixing the paint, err on the side of too watery. When it is too thick, it is hard to spread on the sidewalk. Including the spray bottle was a good idea and Lucas enjoyed mixing the paint and then pouring the colors back and forth (with an ultimate result of brown, of course!) as much as anything else! We had fun hosing off ourselves as well as the sidewalk when we were finished. We wore old clothes but the food coloring we used did not stain.
Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!
Here are some great outdoor activities from three bloggers really inspire me with their great kid-friendly activities.
Chalk Paint -- Lucas enjoys drawing on our front walk with sidewalk chalk but I think he'll love chalk paint even more.** Here's a super-easy recipe for making chalk paint via Skip To My Lou. Fill a spray bottle with water and you can double the fun--painting then spraying to wash it away. We're going to try it today!
Scavenger Hunt -- Or, even better, create a backyard alphabet hunt with these tips from Teach Mama.
Go Parachuting -- Er, rather, send your favorite stuffed animal (or in our case, small car!) on a fun parachute ride with these instructions from Flips Flops and Applesauce for making your own mini parachute.
Backyard Car Wash -- This one is my own. Sure you could always just pull out the hose and get wet but why not get some cleaning done, too? Get a bucket of soapy water and a couple of big sponges and create a car wash in your backyard! Wash the summer grime off that wagon, tricycle, little tykes coupe and, if you have a kid like Lucas, the many, many large plastic trucks that are in the yard on any given day. When you're finished rinse the vehicles and soapy kids with the hose! (Hmmm...does that count as a bath?!)
What are your favorite close-to-home summer activities?
**Updated to add: Chalk painting was a huge success! When mixing the paint, err on the side of too watery. When it is too thick, it is hard to spread on the sidewalk. Including the spray bottle was a good idea and Lucas enjoyed mixing the paint and then pouring the colors back and forth (with an ultimate result of brown, of course!) as much as anything else! We had fun hosing off ourselves as well as the sidewalk when we were finished. We wore old clothes but the food coloring we used did not stain.
Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!
