How to Plan for a Summer You’re not Sure how to Plan For
Are you feeling like summer is quickly approaching but you have almost nothing actually planned? Well, friend, you are not alone. We try and leave our summers fairly open but one thing we do every summer is go camping. Our life allows for shorter over the weekend trips (which, ultimately, based on the ages of our younger kids, is actually ideal — because EVERYONE is really tired from a few late nights and no one sleeping in. Ever.) However, this year I missed the launch date for camping and when I remembered (4 days later), every weekend was booked from May-September for the campgrounds we were interested in. So there went that idea. And then I was left with… “So now what?”
The reality is I am at home almost full time with the kids and my husband works full time Monday to Friday, with some evenings and Saturday’s mixed in there. So I am wearing the parenting hat for sure during the day and wanted to find some fun and easy activities to keep the kids busy and make for a memorable summer as we stick closer to home this year.
So, I went to Walmart and Canadian Tire and found some cool things, all under $50 that our kids are so excited about:
Inflatable paddling pool. It is nothing fancy, friends, but the kids love cooling off and splashing in there. Make sure to grab one of these for the kids to step in and out on to keep grass/dirt out of the pool!
2. Water guns! Everyone has a water gun and we’ve already had a few water gun fights — great way to cool off and get everyone running!
3. Slip and Slide! There are single slip and slides, and also multi run ones. We went with the triple run, with the vision of many races. (This will serve another purpose — helping to water our not so great lawn!)
4. Floaties. Oh man. There are so many to choose from, and so fun for at the lake or in a full sized pool! We picked up some flamingo’s from Canadian Tire (the one with the donut hole), and a mermaid tail and narwal from Walmart. Heads up: the mermaid tale is relaxing and the kids can ride on it on their own, but the narwal is like sitting on a ball on the water. So be prepared to be in the water with your kiddos if you try that one out!
5. Water balloons. Did you know that you can get a pack of balloons that fill up in seconds? They’re called Bunch O’ Balloons and make getting ready for water balloon wars much faster and easier! Get it here!
6. Bubbles. Bubbles are hours of entertainment. Get individual bubble containers or bubble blowers at the store, or make your own with this simple, 3 ingredient recipe
7. Popsicles! Walmart had the cutest little popsicle moulds for $2.50. The girls were so excited that we came home and made some immediately with juice and popped some frozen mango in!
8. Sand toys. Sand toys = many hours spent in the sandbox or the beach. This year we would like to have a sandcastle making competition at the beach...stay tuned for how that goes!
9. Sprinkler. You might be noticing a theme here, but staying cool in the water is the name of the game in summer. You could use a regular garden sprinkler or a fun kid one like this one for some extra giggles.
10. S'more supplies! You don't have to leave your house to have a s'more! Have a campfire? Roast your marshmallows the traditional way and enjoy some extra fresh air. Don't have a backyard or access to a campfire? Assemble your s'more on a plate and warm in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, just long enough to warm up the marshmallow and melt the chocolate. Make sure to watch these or you could have a big mess!
So there you have it. Our plan is to make memories at home, at the beach, at swimming lessons, and at day camps this year. I think it’s going to be an incredible summer. What about you?
