Now that school is out, the kids are ready to adventure and have a fun summer! Many people like to go travel and have vacations this time of year, but that has been more and more difficult over the past few weeks. Gas prices are at an all-time high and parents are looking to drive less. So, we have decided to share some of our favorite activities that can be done at home this summer! Some of these might require a little preparation or materials, but they can all be easily found at a local store or online.
THE CROWD FAVORITE
BUBBLES. The kids love playing with bubbles. Let’s be honest, a lot of adults do too. We have a recipe to make huge bubbles and how to make a really simple set of tools to make them with.
THE MIX
The mix to make the bubbles is easy to put together. The recipe we followed is:
• 1 cup water
• 2tbsp glycerin
• 2tbsp dish soap
Glycerin is easy to find online. You might have trouble finding it at some stores, but amazon has plenty to choose from that can be delivered to your door. This is a simple compound that is used in a lot of products and is commonly used to make most soaps. Its also not toxic if you get it on your skin and shouldn’t cause you any issues. I would still be careful about kids consuming any of the bubble mix, as that might lead to serious issues from the dish soap. That can be poisonous if ingested, but isn’t harmful on the skin.
THE TOOLS
Some people opt for the stakes and strings, and some use a wire hanger. With the wire hanger, you can just use it as is, or bend it around to make a bubble wand that works best for you. We liked using 2 pieces of scrap wood, or garden stakes, and attaching string to them. The pieces of wood should be on the longer side with strings attached between the tops and then a longer piece that drapes between them. This longer piece also comes from the top and is weighted down with a washer or something similar. You could also find them for about 10 dollars on amazon if you don’t want to deal with making your own.
BACKYARD OBSTACLE COURSE
This one can be a collaborative project. Put your creative minds together with your kids and come up with a little course using whatever household objects you can find. If you have multiple kids, you can make it a little race with a stopwatch or even race vs mommy and daddy.
MAKE SOME SNACKS
Teach your kids a little about making healthy tasty snacks for the summer, things like granola, or “banana ice cream”, or popsicles with their favorite drink. Everyone has their own granola recipe and you can figure out what works best for your family. The banana ice cream is a really healthy, 1 ingredient snack if you use this guide. All you have to do, is chop a banana into discs and put them on a plate in the freezer. Then, once they’ve frozen, blend them up. It’ll come out with a smooth but cold consistency like regular ice cream, but with much better nutrition.
These are some pretty simple ideas, but it opens up the door to be creative this summer. The most important thing is to keep it fun and light. Enjoy the time playing with the kids and making memories!
