Summer is quickly coming to an end. So I thought it might be fun to share a list of some of our favorite and easy summer activities for kids.
I don’t know about you guys but we’ve really had to dig deep and get creative this summer. Turns out, you can only stick your kiddos on educational apps for so long. Some of these may be ideas you’ve already come up with and tried. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a quick list when you’re coming up with something on the fly. That’s why I’ve come up with these (cheap) summer activities to do with your kids before school starts back.
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Our 6 Favorite Activities
- Tie Dye – Being a kid of the 90’s, this one was an obvious choice for me. We took a package of white undershirts and transformed them into groovy perfection! The kids loved it! They literally have tried to Tie Dye everything in the house. Chad and I ended up dying a few shirts for ourselves too! We managed to dye all of the shirts with very minimal mess. That’s a huge bonus when finding summer activities to survive boredom.
- Grow a Garden – This one has been such a learning experience for all of us. It has taught us a lot about the importance of taking care of our environment, responsibility and hard work. The kids really look forward to going out and caring for the garden each day. It’s even more exciting when there are things ready for us to pick! Even if you don’t have space for a garden like ours, an herb garden in the kitchen would still do the trick. There is something so special about watching things grow!
- Summer Restaurant – I’ll be honest, this was precious and I loved it, but it did take more time and prep compared to some of the other activities. Luke was away on a sleepover so the girls decided to treat their daddy to a special dinner. They looked up recipes in one of my cookbooks, checked for ingredients and made their own grocery list. They even took requests. I assisted with the cooking but they made a menu, set the table and served the food all by themselves. They even asked Alexa to play “Lady and the Tramp” music to set the mood for the evening. Such sweet memories were made and their daddy was smitten.
- Nature Scavenger Hunt – We have done several of these. I have created most of them myself or printed off free ones that I found on the internet. This last one was actually a nature hunt bingo. I found these cute little cards at the Target dollar spot. Evidently it’s way more fun to slide the tab when you find something. I’ve also found a similar bingo set with dry erase markers. We really had fun with these around the house. They could totally be played at the park or around town too.
- Book Clubs – Ok, so I may have totally tricked the kids on this one. Being a reading teacher makes me a little bit of a crazy person when it comes to summer reading. I want my kids reading all summer and I want them to actually enjoy it. Each kiddo picks their favorite book each week. Then that’s the one that either they or I will read to everyone. When it’s their turn, they get to share their favorite parts, dress like a character or maybe even help us make a craft that goes along with it. This might not work if your kids are older but mine feel so important when it’s their turn to lead our book club. We also listen to the Stories Podcast in the car sometimes. I’m a huge fan of podcasts and this one has a new story every week. They’re so engaging and the kids love them.
- Movie Night – Classic! We try to only do this a few times a month so that it still feels like a special treat. We clear out the living room to make a giant pallet on the floor. Pop some popcorn and add in some M&Ms and you’re set! We have Disney+ so Chad and I love picking our own childhood favorites for the kids to watch. Movie nights are always my favorite!
Summer Activities We Want to Try
We still have a few more weeks before school to soak up as much family time as we can. Here are a few more summer activities that we still want to try out or maybe do again.
- Make Your Own Bubbles – Everyone loves bubbles! Making your own just adds to the fun and they last longer! All you need is water, dish soap and little corn syrup.
- Create a Water Park – By water park, I mean get creative with the water hose and sprinklers. It’s too hot in Texas to not include water in our outdoor activities.
- Freeze Dance Party – Ask Alexa to play “Freeze Dance Party” and see how many toys your kids can pick up before they freeze. They’re cleaning and having fun! Suckas!
- Flashlight Hide and Seek – Because why not?!
- Make Ice Cream in a Bag – I haven’t done this since Girl Scouts but I’m sure it would still be a big hit!
I loved creating this list of summer activities for kids almost as much as I enjoyed participating in them. What other creative activities has your family come up with this summer? I’d love to hear them so we can try those out too!
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So, why The Yellow Rose Farmhouse? I just want to start by saying thanks for even reading this far. I’d love to tell you what my intentions are for this blog but I honestly don’t even know myself. I love to write but it’s always been just for my own enjoyment. I have kept a journal of some form for as long as I can remember. It’s always been a way for me to capture my thoughts, concerns, hopes and dreams. I enjoy going back and reading some of my old entries and reflecting on where my heart was. I’m usually humbled because I’m able to see, with a different perspective, the things God was working out all along. I can see how it all tied into who and where I am today.
The two things that bring me the most joy in life, of course, are my family and my home. They will be the topics I discuss the most but everyday is a new adventure here so you never know.
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Home
I am a homebody. I love people and adventures but I am usually anticipating getting home where I can find my true rest. There are few things that make me happier than sitting in my comfiest clothes, drinking coffee and enjoying a peaceful view.
I’ve discovered over the years that decorating my home is my creative outlet and truly does bring me joy. There’s something about turning inanimate objects into sentimental pieces to feel more like us that makes my heart so happy. My style seems to constantly evolve and grow just like my family and I. I feel as though my decor style and life are somehow a symbolic metaphor. I’ve learned from mistakes, laughed off poor choices and grown to appreciate the present just a little more.
Chad and I’s favorite topics to discuss are parenting wins/fails and our adoption process. So many thoughts and emotions! Seriously, I have enough to say about being a wife and mom of four that I could write a book. I’ll try to explain as briefly as possible a little about our family and choice to adopt. Chad and I would’ve never believed that we’d be living on a farm in Millsap (our hometown) with four children all under the age of eight but here we are. As cliche as it may sound, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it! We are chaotic and offbeat but also full of love, laughter and joy.
Family is Forever
Although we had always talked about adopting, it seemed so far off until it wasn’t and we were in the trenches of paperwork, interviews and home studies. It’s funny to try and remember what our lives were like before because it all just seems so “normal” now. We have one biological daughter, Clancy, who is 7 and we adopted a sibling group out of foster care a few years ago. Now there’s Luke, 7 (He and Clancy are only 8 days apart. We stayed in birth order which was something that, foolishly, we were really stressed about. Yay us!), Evie, 6 and last but certainly not least, Joon, 4.
We are living out what we were called to do and we believe this was the plan for our family all along.
One of my main reasons for starting The Yellow Rose Farmhouse is to educate others on how awesome adopting children can be. Don’t get me wrong, it is also extremely hard and emotionally exhausting but isn’t parenting just like that??? There are more than a few misconceptions out there about adopting and hopefully we’ll clear a few of those up.
We get told a lot that we are “special people” for being the parents of our four kiddos. Please believe me when I say we are not special at all and we are far from perfect! I’m just like every other mom out there who has absolutely no clue what I’m doing and our kids are just like any other kids. If you follow this journey with us for long, I’m sure you’ll be able to see that for yourself.
My “Why”
So there you have it. My “why” for The Yellow Rose Farmhouse in a nutshell. Although it makes me feel a little vulnerable, I hope my thoughts and experiences will encourage you and perhaps lead to personal reflection and inspire a little bit of joy.
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