Summer Fun Activities #1

July 01, 2020
by: Chad Welch, Community Impact Coordinator – Education

Some of the best parenting advice I ever received was: “When it rains, play in the rain.” There are ways of making the best out of any situation, this one included. We have a unique opportunity here: We can make the COVID-19 crisis into a moment that will live vividly in our kids’ memories, so that in other times of uncertainty they’ll recall fondly how their family pulled together and made the best of things, and they’ll be able to do the same.

1. 1. Pull out any not-yet-used holiday gifts
   2.  Jump the river: An easy game, using just a ruler and a couple of pieces of string: Spread the strings just one inch apart (using the ruler to measure). Encourage each kid to “jump over the river.” Now widen the river by an inch each time. Explain the concepts of narrow and wide. See how far each kid can jump.  – How to play “jump the river”
   3. Make a timeline of each child’s milestones. If possible, get some pictures from each developmental stage, and tape or pin them to the appropriate place on the timeline.  – Instructions for making a timeline
   4. Read a good book
   5. Join Audible and listen to books together –   https://www.audible.com/
   6. Research your Family Tree –  https://www.ancestry.com/
   7. Have an indoor camp out – Pitch a sheet tent in the living room, plan a picnic on the rug. Instructions for indoor camp out
   8. Start some indoor seed plantings
   9. Indoor Scavenger Hunt. Our scavenger hunt uses the letters of the alphabet. I made 3 columns on a board starting with the letter A-Z and we go around the house looking for the letters or words that start with these letters.
   10. Build an indoor fort. Blankets will work, or if you’ve recently stocked up on toilet paper and paper towels, those work great as building materials!
   11. Build a blanket fort or tent  – https://porch.com/advice/15-diy-teepees-and-play-tents-your-kids-will-spend-all-summer-in
   12. Hand-Clapping games like Miss Mary Mack, Double Double, and Tic-Tac-Toe – https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=hand+clap+games
   13. Mad Libs
   14. Go on a Bear hunt-  
   15. Huckle Buckle Beanstalk – http://www.suzannewerkema.com/huckle-buckle-beanstalk-a-game.html
   16. Hide something sweet and create a Treasure Map for the kids to follow
   17. Learn Morse Code
       
   18. Invent your own code
   19. Build a house of cards
   20. Memorize the state capitals and test your knowledge here.