Summer Activities: Travel or Nature Journal

Here's the first installment of Summer Activities. I hope that you enjoy coming back everyday to find out what's new and follow me on Pinterest to see all the activities I have. 

This summer I plan on going to quite a few places around my city and nearby towns. We also have one big trip planned to Big Sky Montana too. It should be a lot of fun. I wanted to make sure my kids had something to write down their new discoveries and journal about their days. 

Here are the directions on making a journal.

The little travel journals I made here are the done the same way just in a smaller size. I let the kids decorate them with letters and stickers.

 The Happy Gang with the Nature Journals

Here's this weeks line up.

Week 1:

Sunday: Travel/Nature Journals

Monday: Library Trip

Tuesday: Pet Store

Wednesday: Summer Reading

Thursday:  Binoculars

Friday: Root Beer Floats

Saturday: Pet Rocks

Family Game Night

Family time is so important. We enjoy playing together as a family. There are days when it’s not so easy, when one child doesn’t want to do what the other does but when it come together it’s magic.

I found the best way to work in family game time is by getting dinner done by 5pm. That gives us enough time to eat and play. Everything that needs to be cleaned up gets put on hold until after we are done playing. However, we do put the left over food away first. If this won't work for your family pick another time that does. It might be that a certain day or the weekend will work best.

One of the boys favorite things to do is throwing a ball around outside. We get out the football and chase each other around. The last couple of days have been great weather for getting out and playing. We also play basketball.

On those days we don’t feel like running around we will do something like sidewalk chalk drawings, nature walks or go to the park. 

When the weather doesn’t hold up and we are stuck inside we play board games. Board games are becoming a thing of the past but they are a wonderful resource for learning and having a good time together. There are so many board games out there that teach math skills, money saving, life lessons, spelling and creativity. 

We also like to play the Wii. There are some great family games out on the market. We like Wii Sports, Carnival Games, Rock Band, Just Dance and the Wii Fit. It’s been a good investment for our family because it gives us something to do together. My boys are 12, 5 and 9 months and finding something we can all do together is really hard. The Wii makes that possible. It can turn game time into something competitive and exciting. 

This is his bowling pose. 

Family Time doesn’t have to cost money it’s just takes time. Time is important for your FAMILY. Take the time to find things to do together and enjoy being with each other. 

10 FREE & Fun Rainy Day Activities

1. Play in the rain. If the rain is warm and it's safe put on some rain boots and grab an umbrella.  

2. Have a car race. Take some cars and have races around the kitchen floor or down the hallway. Winner gets to choose dinner, free day of chores or something special.

3. Camp indoors. Put up a small tent or make your own with blankets and chairs. Get sleeping bags or make a big pallet on the floor. Sing campfire songs and tell stories.

4. Make silly faces. Take magazines and cut out noses, mouths, ears and eyes. Glue them on a piece of paper and make a funny face.

5. Make play dough. Kids love cooking and they love play dough. Make a batch together. There are quite a few recipes out there. Some you can even eat.

6. Watch a movie together.  Make it a great family movie with popcorn and candy. Find a movie at Redbox for free using one of these codes. DVDONME or BREAKROOM.

7. Draw pictures of each other. Sit down and have each person sit still for a little while and draw each other. Don't draw very well. Use stick figures and magazines. 

8. Do a puzzle together. Find one that is going to be just the right challenge for your family.  Make your own puzzle by finding a picture in a magazine and gluing it onto a piece of card stock. Cut out pieces and put it together again.

9. Measure the rain. Take two cups that are the same. Put one in the front yard and one in the backyard. Which one will get more rain? Take guesses on which yard gets more rain and how many cups will fall.

10. Have a talent show. Each person in the family gets to stand up and show a talent they have. Can you put your leg over your head, make shapes with your tongue, play spoons or something else interesting. Show your talent.