Homeschool Discoveries

Last summer I made a “Bucket List” of sorts for the summer that I just kept in a file on my computer.  I referred to it when I was trying to think of things to do on any free summer weekends or on days I thought the kids could use an outing or fun activity.  This year I decided to include the kids in our list making!

A Summer Bucket List for us is more than about filling the time when we are taking a break from our regular academics (though this is part of it).   Summer in Minnesota is such a beautiful season!  While we had a mild winter and a beautiful spring this year, some years it feels like the three months of summer are the only time we can consistently expect to enjoy a lot of outside activities!

To get the brainstorming started, I taped up several large pieces of paper to the dining room wall.  I added headings to each sheet of paper to get us started:

• Places to Go
• Things to do Inside at Home
• Things to do Outside at Home
• Plans to Make
• Yummy Things to Eat
• Things to Learn
• Projects to Work On
• Goals to Accomplish

There was some overlap between the headings (a few things we debated momentarily about which list to put them on), but the headings were really just to help spur on our creative thinking.  I wrote down pretty much anything the kids said unless it was clearly too dangerous (Sorry Mr E, no rock throwing fights!), not possible in our current situation (We don’t have an appropriate tree for a tree fort, so that’s out. We’ve already decided that an inexpensive “in state” summer vacation is in our budget this year, so we didn’t write down, “Go to Colorado” for this year), or just generally not possible (Mr. K, you will have to be a grown-up before you can become an astronaut or a race car driver!).    I also explained to the kids that we might not do everything on our list.  We only have so much time and money.  Some ideas might work just as well during the school year, or we may save some for future summers.

Looking for some summer activity inspiration? Check out my Summer Fun Pinterest board! And here are some of the ideas we came up with for Summer 2012:

Place to Go (Local to the Twin Cities, aka Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN and surrounding area):

• “Chutes and Ladders” Park (aka Hyland Lake Park Reserve)
• Eagles Nest indoor play area
• Dave’s Popcorn (neighborhood popcorn/ice cream shop)
• Gale Woods Farm
• Science Museum of MN (See Pirate exhibit!)
• MN History Center (See Constitution exhibit!)
• Children’s Museum of MN (See Curious George exhibit!)
• MN Zoo (See Dinosaur statues)
• Air Expo
• Ride a real train
• Ride the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
• Go to a Baseball Game
• Go to the State Fair
• Concerts and/or Movies  in the Minneapolis Parks
• Richfield Pool (we bought at pass, so we’ll be there frequently!)
• Favorite wading pools and splash pads
• Vacation Bible Camp at church
• Picnic at the parks/beach
• Bike to the beach
• Bike around the lakes

Things to Do Outside at Home:

• Treasure Hunt
• Fire in our Firepit
• Water Gun/Water Balloon Fight
• Food Fight
• Silly String Fight (hmmm..I see a theme here!)
• Backyard wading pool
• Sprinkler
• Bubbles
• Sidewalk chalk/paint
• Put on a play
• Get all wet in a hose fight
• Lemonade stand
• Picnic outside at home

Things to do Inside at Home

• Play-doh
• Pillow Fight
• Make a Movie
• Have a “Backwards Day”
• Arts and Crafts
• Make an Angry Birds level out of toys
• Make a Robot out of Legos
• Raise Monarch Caterpillars
• Play games with balloons

Yummy Things to Eat:

• Homemade Popsicles
• Mix Vanilla Ice Cream with Popsicles
• Homemade Ice Cream
• Make Preserves or Jam
• Go out for Ice Cream
• Eat homegrown Lettuce and tomatoes
• Try new vegetables we’ve never had before

Things to Learn:

Miss M wants to learn about:  Sewing, Tennis and Swimming

Mr E wants to learn about:

• Spiders
• How houses are built
• How lotion is made
• How paper is made
• How to play soccer
• Reading and writing
• Electricity

I want the kids to learn about:

• New chores (we might have a “chore bootcamp!”)
• Cooking
• Bible studies on Biblical character traits

Plans to Make

• Playdates with Friends
• A BBQ for 4th of July
• Look into Pottery classes for M and E
• Games for the Block Party
• Summer Adventure camp (Miss M wants to have her own camp with her friends!)
• Meeting friends at the pool
• More camping trips

What’s on your “Bucket List” this summer?