Today was a class mom duty day for me. Can I say that although I love doing this for my Neatnik, some of the kids stress me out? Like the one that steps on another child's fingers and doesn't understand why I said to apologize to the kid with the sore digits.
Oh, well, school is done early next month and then we can do some fun summer stuff. So, in light of the impending summer vacation from school, we shall open the contest. Remember, one entry per person. Leave me a comment with a suggestion for fun stuff to do with the Neatnik this summer. Neatnik is 4½ and she will be starting kindergarten in the fall.
Tell your friends to come play, too.
We need to reach 145 comments! Contest ends June 1st. Prizes to be announced at a later date.
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Updated 02 May 2007, 3:22pm
By the way, international readers are also encouraged to enter. That is all.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Contest
Posts
220 yarns:
My suggestion is join the public library's summer reading program and go to all the fun activities, etc. Also fly a kite.
Have fun!
One thing I did with my boys when they were little was go to the zoo with a list of things or animals to spy. We cut out pictures of the things and when they found them, we checked them off.
We also had a great picnic lunch
Try making your own sidewalk chalk or sidewalk chalk paint. I've done both of those with a class of 20 preschoolers and every one of us (teachers included) had a blast!
Have art day every week and try different arts/crafts projects.
I don't remember how old neatnick is, but a lot of children enjoy geocaching with their parents.
(the startup costs for a good GPSr can be a bit steep for some people, but you get a lot of use out of the little buggers)
Emma bet me to the idea of the summer reading program. My kids always loved it!!
A certain day of the week for park day with friends. Moms can sit and visit while the kids play. We still do that and the kids are 17 and 13!!
Along the lines of geocaching is letterboxing. http://www.letterboxing.org/
Visiting farmers market, or u-pick farms.
You've got a long way to go :o)
If you have a nearby state or national park, how about joining a jr ranger program?
My kids are slightly older (7&9) but last summer each child had a cooking night....whereby each was in charge of thinking of something we could make for dinner, then helping me make it.
My favorite - tacos in a bag.
Crush the doritos then open an individual size bag of doritos, add a spoonful of taco meat (we used premade to minimize use of the stove with little people), and a dollop of sour cream, and some shredded lettuce and cheese and eat with a fork!
Hmm...how about a nature scavenger hunt? You can make a list of things to look for (leaves, things that are brown, squirrels) then bring the camera and take pictures. Then you can do some fun scrapbooking stuff which will let Neatnik practice her writing and, later, reading.
And it's a great way to squeeze in a walk!
ess and i go on nature walks. Somtimes they are specific like flower walks or leaf walks. Maybe even a bird walk? Jess and I stick to things she can pick up and look at closely due to her vision, but she loves it.
Since someone has already mentioned geocaching (a family favorite in the Krafty1 house!), we're looking forward to learning about gum this summer...http://www.gleegum.com/make-gum-kit.htm
Parks ARE good (and usually include benches for people with bum ankles). And I like the summer reading program idea. For that matter, read TOGETHER. Pick a book that would be ahead of her reading level and read it/discuss it together.... Of course, loving reading so much, I LIVED for all my reading time during summer vacation!
See if there are any local stores that have tours, this is always fun. If there is a local candy making store, they do it most often.
One thing is see if you local botanical garden has kids programs like where they can grow there own vegetables or go to the zoo.
Pick up some neat, cheap beads at Michaels or some such other spot, and some cord. Neatnik can make necklaces and bracelets for the universe.
Have and 'event' with her one day a week, e.g. a picnic, or a tea party, etc.
Go to a rocky beach and investigate all the critters in the tidepools. See how many different critters you can find. If you're feeling ambitious, take pictures of them, then go home and look up their common and scientific names.
Or, if the beach is too far away, go to the nearest woods or meadow and do the same thing with flowers or birds.
I once knew someone who challenged their child to try a different national cuisine every day for a specified period. It gives you an opportunity to study other countries, as well, looking for the reason why their cuisine differs from other regions. Instead of daily, you could try weekly or bi-weekly, to space out the experiment. Add simple cooking lessons and you've got a great summer unit study.
I'll be watching these comments to gather ideas as well! What about plant a small veggie garden?
My kids LOVE going to the science centre. There's so much to do there, and best of all, it's air-conditioned, which totally rocks in August.
Save a jar that you've emptied and go outside after dark and collect lightening bugs! I still remember how much fun that was when I was a kid.
Enjoy your summer, whatever you do.
Sheri in GA
Research and plant a butterfly garden. Build a butterfly house. Buy one of those kits where you can raise your own butterflies then release them in your garden. We did this when my daughter was 4 and it was great fun. (Although, we've never had anything in the house.) There is an indoor butterfly exhibit near us that we visited, too.
Some really nice ideas thus far... I personally like the Martha Stewart KIDS magazine... has a lot of good cooking and crafts ideas of various levels of difficulty and simplicity. Also perhaps roam the dharma trading company website and think about some tie dying.
My kids made puppets, the younger one used a pig potholder. They worked on the puppets all summer and worked on a puppet show with my 2 cousins. At Christmas they presented "Jingle Theatre" my favorite act in the show was "Anything you can do I Can Do Better", Ethel Merman Style. We still bring the video out at Christmas and watch it. My kids are 23 & 25 now.
I came across this yesterday and it may not be something you'd want to do every day, but on www.gleegum.com you can get a kit to make your own natural chewing gum. I think it might be fun for a rainy day :) Making your own chewing gum from scratch :)
Cheers Eva
link to kit is
http://www.gleegum.com/make-gum-kit.htm
Grow sunflowers.
Make ooblek.
Get a tie-dye kit and make t-shirts.
My idea is to learn about a different state everyday. You could eat their state foods, learn the capital, their geography and interesting things to see. Then maybe plan a trip to a close state or two and see in person what you learned.
Karen
http://nothingbutknit.blog-city.com/
One game my brother and I always liked to play on car trips when we were kids was seeing how many different license plates we could spot on cars. You can get a US map (I believe there are even books that have pictures of the license plates from each state) and learn some geography while spotting cars. We've seen some from as far away as Alaska and Guam over the years.
find a free beach, garden (let them have a plant--my daugther had a sunflower last year to measure against her height), library.
is that enough??
Wow, great ideas! How about...if you have a fairly local county fair...make something with her to enter for a prize!
Lisa in Oregon
www.saharaknits.wordpress.com
My boy who is the about the same age as your little one loves going to the zoo and he makes me take pictures of all the animals. Then when we get home he likes to make a book--like the Stanley book of animals.
It would be great if you could get her one of those cheap digital cameras and let her take a few of the pictures herself then you can have a computer date and show her how to download them and print them. After printing them, you can have scissors, glue, and crayons ready for her to make her own book :).
Go to the shore, and take a dolphin cruise. :)
Helen
http://baycolonyfarm.typepad.com/bcf2/
Letz see, this summer I had planned to go to the philly zoo, cape may zoo, camden aquerium, discovery museum, and much more. We plan to do 1 a week. I hope! You are more than welcome to join us.
It's a simple thing but my kids love setting the tent up in the back yard and having a camp out in it, with family or their friends, it seems so thrilling to bed down in their own yard.
Zoo, bike rides, day trips to free or nearly free local attractions (Your state website will have a list!), plant something together and watch it grow. We grew tomatoes and sunflowers. Library reading program. Have a campfire and or campout in the backyard. Make smores. Play in the sprinkler. Go fishing.
My kids loved--actually, still love--to play in the rain. A nice warm non-thunderstorm-y rainy day is perfect for prancing around outside. It's also perfect for an indoor picnic--we set up on the family room floor, spread out a blanket, use the picnic basket, the whole deal.
We also create a big poster-board list of things we think would be fun to do during the summer. Then, whenever boredom strikes, we look at the list and pick something.
Finger paint, draw every day, grab a nature book and go for little walks, run through a sprinkler.
Visit a local farm and learn about growing, livestock, etc.
Buy some melt and pour soap molds and some small plastic bugs or other small plastic items to put into the soap and let them make their own soap. Use coloring - ETC. Lots of free ideas on the web.
www.butterflyjones03@yahoo.com
You could also try letterboxing:
http://www.letterboxing.org/GettingStarted/getstart_finding.htm
Similar concept as geocacheing but start up is a stamp and a book....
Its like treasure hunting
Throw an old sheet over your clothes line and have a picnic in the "tent" - enjoy the summer!
My first grader went to a local nature preserve last week with her school, and had a blast! Here is the link for the one in our town. Maybe they have something similar in your neck of the woods? Also, we have The Little Loomhouse, and I'm going to take her there over the summer, another idea to look and see if there are similar in your area... Stephani
http://www.blackacrefoundation.org/
http://www.littleloomhouse.org/
You could try growing beans in a small vase, or "science experiments" like putting very salty water in a dish, and strongly sugared water in another dish and letting it evaporate to form crystals. You both could make a bet (over ice-cream ;) ) on what plate would evaporate first.
You could also try easy cooking experiences.
I used to love going to the park and feeding the ducks. Of course, that all depends on if you have a park with ducks... I also loved building forts with the sofa cushins!
Sometimes I wish I was a kid again, because summer really was fun!
I used to beg my mom really hard to go to the park (two blocks away) and we only went once in a while. That would have made me happy all day - even the walk there and back was fun with mom - but she got tired too easily, (I was the youngest, born much later than my siblings)
I agree with the kite idea as well - going to the river or lake to collect stones and shells, wandering our back yard or the woods nearby to identify plants and looking for change and pop cans to recycle from a large parking lot at our local hockey arena/community center (also a few blocks from home). My father was a part-time scrap dealer and we did a lot of metal recycling back then.
It's amazing to me that it's almost time for school to be out again! So fast!
My teens are not as much fun this summer!!! All the fun stuff is just "not cool" anymore. I'm surprised no one suggested homemade play-doh. Fun experiment in color mixing. Also the summer is perfect for a Flat Stanley project. Who doesn't like to get mail??? Don't forget Vacation Bible School (if you are so inclined). We also try to do one service project/summer. There is a place in our town that runs a free lunch/day camp for kids during the summer who get free lunch at school (and might not get lunch during the summer)and we help out there. They always need extra hands and the kids love meeting new friends.
This may be too mainstream or costly, but have you looked at the Discovery Store's learning/craft/science kits? I bought my god-daughters them for Christmas (jewelry and chewing gum) and I would have had a great summer when I was a kid if I got to work my way through some of those.
How about weaving on one of those potholder looms? Look at garage sales for the old metal ones, not the new plastic ones. There are more teeth on the old ones. Don't use the stretchy band, use left over yarn and actually weave. My Dad used to make me any size frame I wanted. Mom used to give me yarn scraps and I'd sit and weave. (And they wonder why I wanted to be a fine arts major) Neatnik can try out all sorts of color combos for you. Bind off the sides and you'll have tons of very nice looking coasters.
Vegetable garden! Kids love picking out their own seeds, planting and caring for them, seeing them come to life, and then EATING them.
Learn archery! :)
I always loved the days when we went crabbing in the summer. Long day so of sun and water and seeing what animals besides crabs were attracted to a chicken thigh on a string.
You mean Neatnik isn't already planning to devoting the entire summer to learning how to horseback ride? What's up with that?
Er... lie on the sofa all day watching the tv with a big bag of crisps and a bag of sweets? No?
OK then - one of the best activities I've done with mine is simply to put out a washing up bowl full of water and let them paddle in it, and make wet footprints, and scoop up water and pour it all over the patio flagstones - kept them entertained for ages, and all for free.
Erm ... given that the most fun thing I did as a kid during summer was volunteer work, I may not be the best person to ask. Unless Neatnik is one of those weirdos like me!
We always enjoyed going outside in swimsuits (or even shorts and t-shirts) and playing with bubble soap. We'd turn on the sprinkler after we were done and run through it to wash off the soap that ended up all over our arms, legs, etc. It was fun and a nice way to cool off.
One thing my daughter and I like to do is make a tent using the clothesline and sheets and then sit inside and read books to each other. Lemonade goes great w/ this one. It's even better if they are freshly washed and still wet...it's the best smelling tent in the world!
I have terribly fond memories of when I was little and my mother would take me for a "girls day out": the highlight of the day was always going to a fancy teashop/cafe, and being dressup just a little bit :)
Plant an edible garden, then experiment with cooking - new recipes, new cuisines, etc. It's a great way to get exercise, do something fun, learn about the environment and sustainability, learn about budgeting (planning menus, shopping for additional ingredients, etc.), learn about other cultures, and learn to cook for when they're on their own, among other benefits.
Plus, it is soooo much fun to be covered in dirt in the garden!
OHHHHHH let's see. I'm sure there have been plenty of clever suggestions so far. But I don't have time to read them all. So you'll have to sift thru my repeats. Sorry. :)
You could visit the zoo, make paper dolls, dye yarn together, make a stuffed dolly or animal, make sock puppets, make a sock monkey, cook together, plant flowers or vegetables, get a manicure or pedicure together, count to 1000, write numbers to 1000 or 10,000, look at the clouds and see if they resemble anything, go to a movie at the theater, play "I'm thinking of an animal" (like 21 questions), play the ABC game (take turns saying something that starts with the next letter - bigger kids can do this with a theme like vacation, beach, bedtime, holidays, seasons), have a tea party, sing songs, visit Daddy or a friend for lunch, grocery shop together, go to a summer church picnic at a different parish (you're Catholic, right?), get a paint-by-number kit and paint it, get a collage frame and put pictures in it for a Father's Day gift, print photos and turn into Mother's Day cards, string pony beads on a plastic cord for a necklace, go pick strawberries or something at a u-pick place, make the fruit into jam, play "three favorite things" every evening at dinner - naming your three favorite things about the day.
I can't think of any more right this minute, but I know there are millions of things. I'm sure you already do a lot of these things. Have a nice summer! :)
I suggest doing something that neither one of you has ever done before...a craft or a sport or a musical instrument. I think it is so fun to learn alongside a little one. Who knows, she may pick it up faster than you :)
I remember making home made bubble soap with my dad. We'd make a vat of it and shape up wire coat hangers to run around the yard with.
There's a good recipe here http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/craftyrecipes/a/blhmbubbles.htm
What a fun idea for a contest? I suggest stargazing - get a telescope or go to a nearby astronomy club or something. Learn all of the constellations in the summer sky. She'll remember it for the rest of her life. If you finish that, learn to navigate by the stars. ;)
I definitely suggest blowing bubbles, making bubble blowers with things that you find around the house.
Or, painting cheap flowerpots, and growing fun things in them. :)
Music day, where you make your own musical instruments and form your own band.
Waxed paper over combs, rubber bands on kleenex boxes, paper cups taped together with dry beans in them.
Make a big map with photos of your loved ones, friends, acquaintences, blog buddies, famous people you'd like to meet, etc, glued on it and yarn (!) connecting them to you. Maybe do a bit o math to figure out how long it would take to get from there to here. (I know this is NOT as much fun as a park/beach...but it's different...)
Teach her to knit, of course! Or crochet.
I was going to suggest star gazing, but Kim beat me to it!
How about finding local rail trails where you can ride your bikes? Exercise, fresh air (on a day that's not too hot), and you can identify birds and plants too if you're so inclined.
You could also volunteer once a week at your local animal shelter if you're not allergic. They need people to walk dogs and play with the kittens & puppies to socialize them, to get them ready for adoption.
I always liked arts & crafts type projects, so a set of watercolors might be fun to use outside, to paint something you've shared together during your day. I think the beaded necklaces are a great idea, and a jigsaw puzzle of a favorite image could be left out on a table to work on too. My father used to make puzzles with us when I lived at home and I always enjoyed it. You could put a book on CD on to listen to while making the puzzle.
No matter what other activities you choose, start the summer with a journal to write in, stick things in, and sketch things. A cheap sketch book will give you lots of space for creativity.
While you are making oobleck, try a super ball! It will take white glue and...is it borax? That is fun! I would say play camoflage, but as you really don't like bugs, it might not be the best. Still, it takes a lot of interest in your environment to make an object blend into your environment.
You could take her along for a bike ride. I don't think she's quite old enough to ride far on her own, but you could settle her in one of those neat yellow carriages and attach it to your bike and take a long family bike trip. That would be awesome. I want to do that. =D
Cover a box with aluminum foil and make a solar oven. Bake something and notice how the oven has to be moved as the day goes on. Talk about solar energy, look at houses with panels, ponder where it works well and not so well. Supervision required, of course.
Favourite things we have just done over the summer:
Swimming at the local pool.
Fishing off a wharf
Walking in the forest
Biking around (even just in our local school)
Visiting our local pet store (always a favourite)
Exploring the area we live in - we found all sorts of little walkways tucked away.
Local playgrounds - one you don't normally go to is a huge treat
Keep your eye open for holiday programmes at library, pool etc - there are often free and fun activities happening.
Make and fly a kite - there are some simple but fun ones around.
plant a garden - even a pot of flowers.
Depending on age (my 5yo loves it) - rock climbing in a wall is lots of fun.
Go somewhere and let the kid(s) be in charge of the digicam. It's amazing what they come up with. Binoculars and magnifying glasses are fun to take on walks as well.
if you have a planetarium near you a visit there is always popular. My 3yo went last weekend with her big brothers and really enjoyed it.
Have fun together!
I've always enjoyed somewhat-pointless road trips with my parents, where the drive lasted longer than the actual event. Maybe a museum, or odd road-side attraction that takes a few hours to get to?
how about dyeing yarn? it's a great way to learn about colors and the way they mix!
One day a week could involve doing something helpful for others...perhaps, visit someone who lives alone or is in a care facility, do a household chore for someone who needs help, take cookies to someone, pull weeds, draw a picture...the sorts of activities--however simple--that bless another person.
Have a glorious summer!
:)
Hmm. Host a movie marathon- in your backyard. Hang a sheet and then watch a trilogy. Star Wars, LOTR, Indiana Jones... :)
Popcorn good idea too.
make some lip balm!
http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/recipes/lipbalm.html
good luck reaching the magic number...is it because 1+4+5 equals 10?
Go to the pool or lake, or take swimming lessons. Dye yarn with kool-aid. Make sunlight prints.
Open a lemonade, cookies and crafts stand.
That's what my girls and I are going to do.
Hmmm, how about go on a picnic?? That's what DH always wants to do, and I consider him a kid at heart!!
Camping and hiking are great fun. I've always wanted to try geocaching. I've heard it's lots of fun.
Blowing bubbles, definitely. I remember having hours of fun just blowing bubbles in the yard.
On the hottest day ever, get a big watermelon, sit outside, eat the melon, have a seed spitting contest, and use the garden hose to clean the sticky hands a faces.
I'm going to suggest Geocaching again. My kids love it, only we call it "treasure hunting". There is also letterboxing if you don't have a GPS receiver. Letterboxing is popular in the UK. Have a grand summer! :-)
When I was her age, I spent a lot of time swimming - we have a lot of rivers and lakes around here.
I also enjoyed collecting rocks. It might be fun to buy or make one of those little kits with samples of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and learn how to identify a few kinds.
Rainy Day Ideas:
Indoor Picnic (complete with tablecloth on the floor & picnic basket)
Make Homemade Play Dough & create stuff out of it (make beads that you can later string up on another day??)
Make her own book - she can make the drawings, and you can help her with any text she wants to include. You can bind it, photocopy it & send it off to your relatives as gifts later on...
Hi
Neatnik may be young, but how 'bout he make his own blog (just for private consumption--friends & family)? He could take pix of all the fun things he does all day, but at night, with your help, he could blog away. It could be a great memory-maker.
I have a 4.5 year old DD as well but she will have one more year of preschool next year due to the time of her birthday and our districts age cutoffs.
Anyway. I have not read all of the comments but I know my DD LOVES craft stuff, glue, glitter glue, beads, pipe cleaners, finger paint, watercolors are a huge hit. How about setting up a still life with her and having her paint the still life?
Enjoy the summer and good luck with the contest
Hi - Three ideas for ya:
Kool-Aid yarn dyeing! Knitty.com has very easy instructions, plus it is good for rainy or sunny days. My kids & I used the microwave, but this summer we want to try putting the yarn and Kool-Aid in a zippie bag and leaving it outside in the sun. Solar energy at work!
Good, old-fashioned running through the sprinkler.
Make your own popsicles with juice and a ice pop mold.
Have fun!
Let's see -- fishing, homemade bubbles, homemade play-doh, shadow puppets are great on a sheet outside. We also like to "paint" the house and cars. I give the boys a bucket of water and a paint brush they paint their designs and then it dries and you can do it all again. Nature walks, flower pot gardening, swimming both in pools and lakes/beaches. Also petting zoos or farms that you can tour.
Just like Heather T. I was going to suggest trying some kool-aid dyeing. Help your daughter dye some yarn and then knit the yarn into a pair of socks for her. I did that with my two children last summer and they LOVE their socks!
This is kind of silly but how about playing in the sprinkler in the front yard and playing in the sandbox. My kids love it.
Take an egg carton and color each well different colors. Then go to a park or somewhere, and try to find as many items in the different colors as possible! Don't stop until you have at least one thing of each color. I saw this in a Family Fun magazine, and it looked like so much fun!
I know where there is a planetarium in the area. How about an afternoon at a water park or just running through the sprinkler? Or a visit to the local state park (starts with an A...) with the train you can ride? We used to take a "shepherd's lunch" - bread, cheese, fruit - when we had an outing.
I finally thought of something. It's fairly new and alot of families are getting into it. It's geocaching. Have you heard of it?
Make your own chapstick! Directions to be found on-line, or order a kit at marthastewart online, but basically, you melt beeswax in a double boiler type setup, add your favorite oil (we like almond chez bySarah) and scent/flavor, or coloring. It is so much fun!
I would suggest planting a few plants in your garden - like a tomato, green pepper, and maybe squash. Then create meals from your crop.
How about going to a nursing home where she could either play games or do crafts with the residents. They love the visits from little ones. Or maybe she could adopt one of the residents as a grandparent. You could call the nursing home and see what they think. She'd be having fun and doing something good at the same time :)
Wet felting could be very interesting (and much safer than needle felting): wool roving, water, soap, and a little elbow grease are basically all that is needed to create a fun work of art.
Somebody already suggested dyeing yarn, but you could also try Kool Aid dyeing on natural roving to get the colors you need for that wet felted masterpiece.
And while you'll be playing with roving, why not making a CD spindle and give spindle spinning a try? If you go to a sheep and wool festival, you'll certainly have the opportunity to watch someone doing it and see if it seems to be interesting to Neatnik.
Have a great summer!
Josiane
kimianak [at] gmail [dot] com
Collect batches of local plants, mash them and boil them a little (separately), and see what colors of dye you get. Watercolor or dye eggs or dye wool.
Teach simple knitting.
Teach spinning.
Have each child make up a story and write it down; then the author illustrates it. Make a book.
my suggestion?
Buy things to paint coasters for family members for Chrissie. Coasters....places mats..the whole set thingy!
My girls (7 1/2 and almost 5) are doing that at the moment for my MIL for mothers day..They are LOVING IT!!! You can buy cheap kids paints, cheap stencils, paint brushes...and a matt spray/paint thing to seal it (thats my fun part not the kids)..
very personal, very fun for kids, cheap....and covers some Chrissie pressies too!! :-D
More to further the cause than the contest, I suggest this:
Pinhole photography.
I cant get my browser to let me post most punctuation, so I cant post a link, but its in Wiki under pinhole camera. The Neatnik may be too young, but its something to consider for later.
I have a daughter about the same age as yours and I'm loving the ideas people are posting.
My suggestion is to go rollerskating!
How about a potluck picnic? This is a last-minute kind of activity. Decide on a place to go, grab something from the cupboard/fridge, stop at friends' houses, pick them up and whatever food is in their house, repeat until you figure you've got enough, then go on to your destination.
You must have lots and lots of tea parties! My daughter's favorite thing around that age was to just sit in the shade of the big oak tree with me and her dollies and quaff tons of "tea" (lemonade).
Hey, I came over from Knit-and-Run's blog.
One thing that's fun to do (I've not tried it with kids, just adults) is make-your-own-t-shirts with fabric paint. Most art supply places now carry fabric paint, and it's not just the poofty glitter stuff that comes in a bottle (although that's fun too). You can cut out shapes in negative in wax paper, iron them on, then paint the middle. Or find (or make) shaped sponges to use as stamps. Or there's always freehand. Fabric paints are pretty nontoxic, though you'd probably not want to eat them. The paint is fixed by a)drying on high in a commercial dryer, b)ironing on hottest setting for about 30 seconds, or c) (if you are brave and watchful), cooking in your oven. Some paints don't even need the heat fixing. The paints will have come with instructions.
Have a great summer!
Lay down in the grass and stare at the clouds in the sky and find the pictures in the clouds. I loved doing this as a kid.
I learned to swim around that age.
Well I suspect you already do a lot of these things with your daughter!
My first thought was to design and build a kite (saw it on the list) BUT also buy one and have a contest to see which one flies best.
There's a book: Painting on Rocks for Kids by Lin Wellford. Lots of neat ideas including painting words on rocks and arranging them in the garden as poetry. Rearrange them next time you visit the garden and you have a new poem!
My favorite in the book collected egg shaped rocks and built a pretend nest. Painted on some of the rocks were cracking eggs and some of them had creature eyes peeping out of the pretend openings. Made you wonder what would emerge from the egg. Cute or scary eyes...some added claws at the edge of the cracking egg.
You probably already did this, but how about a yarn crawl so the Neatnik can can pick her own project and yarn. Then lunch, then home to a movie of her choice so she can start her summer project:)
I keep trying to comment but blogger is giving me a hard time! How about a moon garden? Beautiful scents and smells at night time, and they almost glow in the dark. Here's a link but I'm sure there are many more:
http://www.northscaping.com/InfoZone/IS-0089/IS-0089.shtml
Have a terrific day!
Being a librarian I love the idea of taking her to the summer reading programs but that is already been mentioned.
One thing my daughter loved when she was that age was being inside a bubble. You need a wading pool, hula hoop and some homemade bubbles recipe here http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/craftyrecipes/a/blhmbubbles.htm
You have to make alot of the bubble solution and put it in the pool. Put your daughter in the pool and use the hula hoop to make a bubble with her inside it. My girl is 13 and still remembers doing this!
Hi - I'm not sure where you are in NJ (I'm in southern Bergen county). Here are a few of my suggestions:
Van Saun Park - Paramus NJ. They have a zoo, train, carousel, pony rides and play area.
IKEA Paramus - kid's play area. They change the balls in the ball pit - sometimes they are red, at other times they are blue. They also have milk & cookies in the afternoon in the cafe.
Children's Museum in Paramus
Newark Museum - part art museum, part science museum. They also have kid's activities. There is parking on site.
Make and take activities at AC Moore.
Kathleen
Start a vegatable garden. Veggies grow quick and that way she can see progress. Also you could make stepping stones to put in the garden. They sell those kits so that you can decorate them.
what about growing some stuff. You might have time to plant lettuces and get them to harvestable size. Or a supply of different sprouted beans, and try out the different flavours. They take about 4 days to sprout (depending on what you grow).
I thought I had posted, but I'll try again. Kids Concoctions by John & Danita Thomas contains some amazing ideas such as homemade lipgloss. Even as an adult, I'm tempted by it. Try eBaY.
Gillian
Check into the local historical sites. They may have some festival days planned for weekends. Also, sometimes they have children's activities to help them learn about life in the time of the place.
You should get to 145 very soon now. Good luck.
Lynn
Hmmmm.. summer activities... 4 1/2... that's around the age I learned to read... however, I'm an amusement park junkie, so I'd have to advocate early exposure to rides, or at least plenty of quality time at a neighborhood playground.
Do you have a children's museum in your area. My almost four year old loves to go there and they also learn a little while they're having fun.
On rainy days I like to make playdough with them or they choose any activity out the kid's conncotions books which you can find on amazon.
Do you have a community center. Sometimes they have programs that you could participate in like arts, crafts, music, etc. That would be great and someone else organizes it. All you have to do is show up!
I havent read all the comments but i think on them very hot days you would make some lemonade ofcourse she will help then let her help you with laundry and help fold. then let her help you make lunch and cleaning up ..kids that age love to help and play. After all that hard work leave and go and get a ice cream cone.
hugs kat
can i come with you all
Well, as a public librarian I have to throw out the summer reading program at your local library. Usually in addition to the reading and prizes, there are special, very fun programs. Failing that, the ZOO!
Hi Trek,
I have been trying to think of something fun to do in the summer and about the only thing I can think of that I don't think has been mentioned yet is going to county fairs. I know when I grew up, going to the fair was fun for me (granted I was also a participant since I was in 4-H) and I still get a kick out of going to the fair as an adult.
My daughters always enjoyed going to the aquarium (they still do as a matter of fact) Hope there is one close enough for you to enjoy this activity.
We will be letterboxing this spring and summer with our gaggle of kids, ages 1 up to 17 (including our 4 1/2 yr old).
Much cheaper startup than geocaching and still lots of fun.
I'm always a fan of a day flying kites on the beach. :) Make a giant sandcastle on the playground. Have a day with coloring books where the goal is to color everything the opposite of what it normally is.
I think I posted to the wrong place, so forgive me if this is a repeat. Have a picnics with knitting, story telling and frisbees for activity.
My suggestion: Feed a frog a firefly. Do you live in an area with fireflies or lightenting bugs? My son caught a frog one summer and we kept him on the back porch. We fed him fireflies at night and honest to Pete, the frog ate them and the firefly would blink inside the frog for a few moments. It was like magic.
My kids are a little younger but last year we filled up a kiddy pool with some water and then filled up water ballons and put them in the pool. We played games with the ballons and had a blast!
hmmm, one of our favorites is to go for a hike and collect little "treasures" to put in our treasure chest. The chest is just one of those cardboard boxes from the craft store that we paint. Lots of fun!
One thing my kids love is to go for ice cream, which we did every time we rode bikes. They knew it was coming and looked forward to it so much!
I think you've gotten some great ideas already. I like the outdoors, scavenger hunts, hikes, nature walks. Keep it simple (and it doesn't cost anything!).
There’s story day at the library….always one of my granddaughters favorites. Kayaking on town lake (they rent all kinds of boats and life vests). The wildflower center has a wonderful day camp with tons of craft projects to get involved with. The parks department has different things going in parks around town as does the "Y"….maybe you have something similar in your area.
One of the things that I really loved about going to an American school was the really long summer vacation. I remember spending so much time riding around on my BMX bike. I have to say that my favourite activity of all time was reading the Miss Bianca books - I had a tiny toy koala who I used to dress up and pretend she was Miss Bianca. I think the best things you can do with Neatnik are those which fire her imagination. If she has a character she particularly likes, you could get a teddy and dress it up accordingly and make up stories about the character :)
Sigh.. I WISH I was about to start a long summer vacation from school again!!
How about making stepping stones for the garden? She could make 1 a week and think about how she wanted to decorate it during the week. Here is a link:
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/stones.html
My kids always love 'helping' with the yard work. They love planting and caring for plants. They also love 'camping' in the back yard. We build a fire in our fire pit and roast marshmallows and hotdogs.
Are you in the twin cities? camping in the boundary waters!
(I'm a friend of Stumbling Over Chaos)
Have a great summer.
what about having a tea party with either just you and your daughter or with a few of her friends and their moms. You all could get dressed up and have little finger sandwhichs and little cups of juice or something. You could make it real fancy or as casual as you'd like. My daughter's only 3 1/2 and I debate if she's old enough for this or not. I really want to do a tea party with her and some friends...maybe this summer.
Hmm...summer fun for a 4.5 yr old? We used to have a summer craft program at our local volunteer fire department that was so much fun. Beyond that, I'd suggest a yard full of rocks for her to lift up and check for worms. Hella fun for a kid.
a friend of mine used a bunch of stuff off This Page
Also, something my mom did with me when I was little was every evening before bed, instead of just reading me a story, we WROTE one together! We would make up stories, a chapters worth each night, and she would write them down in a book so we could make pictures to go along with the story too. I still have one or two of them (and wish I had the others! Such fond memories!!)
I say lemonade stand....too fun!!
Or tie dye your own shirts. That is fun too!!
Whatever you decide, have fun!!!
We're so close! I am number 142. :)
Bunny hugs,
=:8
Sign her up for some fun swaps over on Swapbot.They have a kids flip flop swap going on now.
Browse the thrift stores in your area or go garage sale shopping.Even if you don't buy anything its fun to look!
Then there's always swimming!Thats what we will be doing all summer.
Painting rocks...collect a big box of rocks, get some paints and let her go crazy. Outside, of course.
When i was a kid, we would go to the town pool every day. it was cheap, and fun. Sometimes they had craft festivals and rides in the parkinglot. I remember eating frozen charleston chews...yum!!!
Have a fun summer! Can't wait...
Oooh - looks like you got there! According to this I'm comment 146! Good for you!
Many of my ideas were already taken, but I will add storytime - many local bookstores and libraries around here read a story and do a craft at least once a week. It's a great free activity. Have a great summer!
I wish I would make the time to go back to swimming every day. But, alas, it's time to grade some more papers!
Oh! Oh! Is it a repeat to say "Make homemade ice cream together with an old fashioned hand crank type of ice cream freezer!" ??? We have an antique ice cream freezer and the kids just LOVE getting to make ice cream in the summer.
have you tried the light sensitive photo paper before? or you can get a big roll of butcher paper and fill spray bottles with diluted paint and let her go to town! The kids and I started going on hikes at a near by state park. You could also try making your own butter. My favorite thing to do with my kids in the summer is PJ ice cream run. I get the kids ready for bed (bathed, pj's on) and when it time to brush their teeth I tell them to get ready to go into town because we need ice cream! We have a blast sitting at DQ eating our cones. The kids love the surprise : )
I posted my post in the wrong place--so you've probably read my idea---story tiime at Barnes and Noble or the library---it is the best summer time routine!!! xo
Long time reader, 1st time commenter- your blog is a very fun read.
Now my suggestions. 1st, make bookmarks by cutting pieces of construction paper 1/2 inch narrower than wide clear packing tape, decorate the paper strips, then seal then with a long strip of the clear packing tape on either side. You can make them more fancy by punching a hole near the top and tying yarn through it.
My 2nd idea is a bit simpler, pressing flowers. You and Neatnik could gather flowers and leaves near the beginning of the summer, press them all summer, then make things like the bookmarks out of them. You can use a stack of heavy books to press, or you can buy comercial flower presses. Hope these ideas help, and have a fun summer!
I can't believe I almost missed posting on summer things to do.
My daughter and I like to explore or neighbor hood, we take different directions each time, we also like going to do crafts at a artist shop in town. I like making homemade play dough, packing picnics and going hiking in our nature area.
We also started a try a new food item last summer, where we went to the market and bought something we have never tried, and lots of sun and swimming.
Hmmm...most of my ideas have been submitted already. Since she already knits, how about teaching her to crochet? Or get a lucet for her to try. I think hiking is a great summer activity too, if you have good trails nearby.
swimming,skipping,bike rides, the zoo, treasure hunts in the garden.
When I was a kid, we went out to various outdoorsy places and had crafts at each location that incorporated natural items at the location, e.g. seed pods or acorns. That was great fun, and I suspect I learned a lot about the plants in Michigan because I retain it to this day.
Have a great summer!
I'm thinking maybe an overarching weekly rhythm-- Monday is art day, Tuesday is garden day, Wednesday is hiking day, Thursday is cooking and house project day... or a daily pattern, similarly, as in "every day we start with breakfast, then we go for a walk, then we have an art project, then lunch, then A Quiet Hour...
And definitely, definitely have an after lunch Quiet Hour-- it makes a huge difference in the quality of a parent's life.
To try? Mexican Lanterns. Papermaking, crayon rubbings of plants and leaves, pressed flowers, gifts for grandparents. There is a book called Natural Parenting that is a really good foundation for parenting, and it has a great array of beautiful ways to encounter the outdoors.
My kids are seven and nine, now, but we spent time learning to spin yarn with spindles, weaving, exploring a variety of Klutz book crafts, making leaf rubbings and mailing them to people. Some days I simply set plastic trays at the kids' table places, with a set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, and eye droppers, to see how long we could go.
The sky's the limit. Whatever you do, life without television is really, really worth striving for, especially in summer, especially at this age.
Not sure if anyone said this, I didn't have time to read all the latest posts. My suggestion is how about visiting a fish hatchery? There was no cost when I brought my boys, and my dad used to bring me when I was little. My boys loved seeing all the fish in one place, and usually there are educational pamphlets to explain the local fisheries conservation and such.
I don't have a blog but if I win you can e-mail me at buzzbomm@earthlink.net!
Buy a big sheet of poster board and together paint a tree with lots of branches but no leaves. Then on a separate piece of poster board draw and paint or marker lots of big leaves and cut them out.
Everytime you read a book together she gets to tape a leaf onto the tree. When you have reached a certain amount of leaves on the tree (small amount) you get to have a celebration...like going to the libray and getting more books...and then when a bigger goal is met you get to have an ice cream party! I have 7 kids and this really helped then become more interesed in reading.
www.sheknits7.blogspot.com
Create a kids craft group with other kids/parents -- take turns hosting and teaching a different craft project each week. Even works well with different ages because the older ones like helping the younger ones.
When I had my nieces and nephews for most of the summer (their stay at home dad broke his ankle), we did swimming lessons! They loved it, helped use up their energy and the Bellevue Aquatic Center had AWESOME instructors. The kids learned so much and learned to LOVE swimming.
Woo hoo! Aim High!
I aimed high once, my goal in life to be taller than my mother. I'm 5'4. She's just 5'1. Perhaps I should have aimed more toward dad at 6'5!
As for summer, I loved "fingerweaving" from Girl Scouts as a kid. It's a nice fiber activity and a skein of Red Heart will last for days!
Hope you make 4 digit comments!
My Pookie was 4 1/2 when she got her first library card. We made a big deal of it and really hyped it up for her. Then we spent the summer going to the library and reading outside on the deck.
The kiddo and I are doing our best to spend as much time outside as possible... the park, the beach, a few container gardens, etc.
I'll say it again.. kites. Check out this site: http://www.intothewind.com/ they have great kites at all prices.. and they fly WAAAY easier than those stupid paper ones we had when we were kids.. They have lots of colorful cheap kites that would be just right. Have the little one "pack the lunch" put the kites in the car and find a spot. Fresh air, sunshine, grins and giggles.. can't be beat :-)
Or you could also teach the wonders of all the string games like "cats cradle"...
Summer reading program is a hands down must-do. Camping in the backyard is fun, or in the living room for the air-conditioning. Cooking projects are fun too.
OK I cannot read all these comments! So, if you've had this suggested 59 times, I'm sorry!
How about ordering one of those butterfly cocoons? They'll send you everything you need to get through the transformation. Pretty neat for the kiddos-we're thinking about ordering :~)And then you could plant some flowers that butterflies enjoy around your home!
Not sure if it's original - but I'd say teach her to knit or crochet, so she can share in your love! :)
Many great suggestions! Barnes and Noble is coming out with a summer reading program... read a book write about it enter the contest and win a prize!
Also for a rainy day suggestion... make your own memory cards... you know the game where you try to find the matches. You can draw things or use rubber stamps to make the cards... even on fun color paper instead of white. A few activity! Good luck and enjoy the summer with your daughter!
Now it's nearly impossible to come up with anything new! How about learning a foreign language together? My mother did it when I was four and both of us enjoyed it.
Iris
This is probably a repeat comment, but here goes: My kids loved to help me plant flower seeds. You can start them inside in a cup on a windowsill, or outside. She can help with the actual planting and watering, and everyday it will be exciting to wait and eventually watch as it grows and (hopefully) blooms. The other thing we did together was picnics. You can have one in a different place every week, from a remote corner of your backyard to somewhere you must drive to. On a rainy day it's fun to have a picnic inside in a room with big plants on the floor and maybe even a small inflatable pool filled with water...just use your imagination!
find your nearest stable and sign Neatnik up for beginner leadline classes. i was about 4 when i started and my mom lost a bunch of weight walking around the ring, leading the horse. i got my stepson when he was 10, and the first time we bonded was over horses. equine therapy is the best, and less expensive than you might think.
Not having children myself, I only have experience with spoiling the nieces and nephews.
Nature preserves are great places for small children. My newphew James, who's about Neatnik's age, is enchanted by the ocean and tidepools.
Picnic!
Watch children's television shows in a foreign language together.
Arts and crafts galore!
Bake something simple (smores in the microwave) together.
Build a fort.
Oh, and best of luck with getting 145 comments!
Wow, lots of ideas already! I'd suggest planting a little garden. Things like carrots are easy, and it's fun to see them grow (and eat them!) Nasturtiums grow like the dickens as well, which should keep a little one interested.
One of my favourite summer things was to collect a bucket of pollywogs from the pond and keep the bucket in a shaded spot and watch the pollywogs gradually turn into frogs over the course of the summer, then turn them loose back at the pond.
Go to yard sales, thrift stores, etc. and let her pick out some clothing for dress up on rainy days. Hats, cheap necklaces and all that jazz were all a big hit when my kiddo was small. Make her a feather boa out of novelty yarn.
She could also have some fun decorating a big box to store it all in with kraft paper for her to color on, and stickers to make it more fun.
Buy some of the soap making kits that do not have lye in them, and pick out some molds with fun shapes for her to make personal soaps for herself and some to save as gifts for grandmothers, teachers, etc.
blissfulknitterATgmailDOTcom
Swimming lessons are always fun. Keeps her cool (but not you I admit) and she can learn something new. Also go to the zoo (if you have one near you). And glue noodle shapes (all different ones -- let her pick them out) onto colored paper and then color the noodles with a marker.
You could have a Teach Me to Knit Party with all her little play mates and friends. Get some cheap plastic needles and cool fun (cheap) yarn and since Neatnik knows how she can be a teacher too. Fun party favors and everyone learns something (and the moms who don't already know how, could learn, too)
Or it could be a Pizza party - and everyone could make their own little pizza - Or a Knit/Pizza party everyone learning TWO things, yeah, yeah =)*)
I didn't read the other comments, so sorry if this is unoriginal
something yarny might be to let her kool-aid dye some yarn for you to knit her a scarf, sweater or some socks.
i always love the library. one is never too young for books. the reading game is fun and there are always summer activities for the kids.
Rent a good movie, make home made pizza, pop popcorn, watch in pjs on a rainy day, sleeping bags if weather isn't too hot, my daughter and i still do this and she is 15. It is like mommy and me time, no phone, no company, just us.
(blogger won't let me change my email to one that actually works, grrrrrrrrrrrrr)
Pack a picnic basket and bright blanket for indoor picnics on rainy days. Playing imaginary I-See games to name the things you see on your picnic adventure!
When my son was 4 or 5, I bought 3 little kiddie pools and filled them up with water in the backyard. We used to chase each other around from pool to pool and have fun splashing each other. At night, I would read him a large library book before bed and he'd check to see if I was crying at the sad stories...which I denied of course :)
We also bought two very small painted turtles and spent a good part of the day finding little ants for (Emma and Steed) to eat as well as worms and other bugs under rocks. Those turtles grew and grew for the next 18 years and got huge. One of the kiddie pools became their summer daytime home and they'd climb up on pieces of driftwood to sun themselves. Racoons go after them at night, so put them in a tank for night time.
One thing I definitely learned with turtles though is not to put them in the bathtub. The soap and cleaner left over hurts their eyes and makes them blind...but we never did that with Emma and Steed.
I hope you have a wonderful summer.
Making a sheet tent over the clothesline sounds like a great idea, as well as having the kiddie pools, the backyard could become a summer home.
Water activities are always wonderful to associate with summers off. Maybe you can start some early school shopping together too and then personalize some of the items together.
POND DIPPING!!! I love pond dipping and I'm ahem 21 years old. I'm a conservation ranger and we go pond dipping during the summer months. All the children love it and it's educational as well. You get to have a paddle in the water and see all the little bugs in the water and all the dragonflies and damselflies buzzing around. You know if you paid my flights I'd come over and take you out pond dipping myself :P Other then that I think anything to do with nature and getting outside in the fresh air is a great idea. Things like bug hunting, catching butterflies, nature hunts, feeding the ducks, anything! Hope this helps fill your summer, take care. EtSu from lovely England!
Whew! Is the contest closed - due to the number of responses? I haven't been able to go through them all so I don't know if this has already been suggested.
On a car ride or a bus ride, make a contest of reading the license plates. That way, Neatnik can practise her numbers and letters for kindergarten.
Janey
janeyknitting AT yahoo DOT ca
Plant a vegetable with her that she gets to take care of and watch grow and develop.
Backyard bingo...or just call it summer fun bingo...have her draw or cut out pictures of things she might see this summer and put them on a piece of paper, bingo-style...and stamp them as she sees them. One thing might be a Clownfish that she may see at the zoo/aquarium/pet store, one thing might be a praying mantis (maybe in the back yard?), a red sports car, a picture of Shrek ... you get the idea, I'm sure. :)
If there are any art museums in your area, check them out to see if they do any fun kid-camps.
OR, head to the local Hobby Lobby (or other type store) and get a garden stepping stone kit. I did one with my niece (2 years old) and we had a ball and a fun little momento for summer 2007.
And of course, the old standby: the zoo. The zoo I work at has kid camps and sleepovers all through the summer and I know many other zoos' do this as well.
Visit the Crayola factory and store in Easton, PA. While you are there, you can take a canal boat ride too or go a little further and visit Dorney Park.
Karin
http://make-one.blogspot.com
Neatnik might be a little young, but I remember having a kids cookbook and learning how to make simple recipes. I think it was from Better Homes and Gardens-had the red plaid cover. I see they still have one called the Junior Cookbook
Have fun!
Learn astronomy together & spend clear nights out in the grass somewhere looking at the stars
How about growing sugar crystals? (Rock candy) My boy is starting kindergarten in the fall too... he loves sciency-things!
Trip to the zoo, most libraries have programs. Swim program at the local Y. Vacation bible school. Trip to the local firehouse - call first. Overnight camp-out in the backyard. Nearby museum, county fair.
lizard_knits AT hotmail DOT com
If you have a kids mueseum nearby that's always neat. They usually have lots of hands on activities for the kids.
My kids always loved taking pictures. Maybe you could create a scrapbook or picture album of everything you;ve done over the summer.
I made my children holiday themed pillow cases one summer. They choose a fabric for each season or holiday (easter, st paddy's day, 4th of july, christmas, halloween, birthday, etc) and I sewed it into a pillow case. They still remember to dig out the appropriate one when seasons change or a holiday is near. They are 9 & 11.
Have fun this summer.
My daughter and I started making her own cookbook about this age. We got a scrapbook and I typed the first receipe for her. Then she drew a picture to illustrate it. The receipe was simple: Canned biscuits rolled into log shapes, sprinkled with water and then rolled in crushed rice crispies. Bake until done. Serve with jam and butter. Must include a tea party. Over the years she continued to add her 'special receipes'
Lordy I don't remember when I was almostfive, so the only suggestion I have is to make potholders out of those big stretchy potholder making things on a potholder loom. You know...you weave under and over and under and over, then you 'bind off' a la knitting. Very fun.
I think i was a bit older that neatnik, but she is a very capable young lady! One summer some friends were visiting, and we all went out side. Mom took fabric scraps about 5 inches by 1 1/2" that had been cut with pinking shears, and had us tie them around ponytail holders. If you tie enough on, they make really cute (and somewhat early 90's style) ponytail holders. I held on to mine for quite a few years.
Another idea is painting yarn in the back yard with koolaid dyes! always fun, that ;) Knitty.com has a great article about koolaid dyeing.
My five and half year old is very interested in growing things. Why not let Neatnik make a little garden? I'm not sure about your climate, but we have carrots, squash, parsley, chives and wild strawberries, things that the kids like to eat and that grows quickly.
We have also planted lemon seeds (in a pot indoors) and it's very exciting to see the little plants come up. Today he asked to plant apple seeds too.
Favorite summer activities around here:
1) Washing the car. The little ones get kitchen sponges and I get the car sponge.
2) Squirters and a big bucket of water. We have some squirters made of pvc pipe and some rubber washers (basically a giant suction straw.) Anything that shoots or holds water will do. A couple of plastic cups and a bucket works, too.
3) Scavenger hunt someplace cool. An aquarium, art museum, or store is a fun place for a pictoral scavenger hunt.
4) Bubbles (of course.)
5) Decorate a pot and plant something that grows quickly - marigolds and beans are favorites.
Have fun!
A theme garden would be fun. Herbs, evening blooming plants, fragrance plants, butterfly garden or just color themes.
LOL, I have 6 children and now I have to think of something specifically fun for you to do my mind has gone blank! How about collecting buttons and glueing them onto a picture frame or mirror frame. If you have no buttons, the thrift store is bound to have some for little cost. Make some homemade musical instruments and have a 'jam' session (pebbles, rice, beans etc in empty plastic bottles).
Share a hammock and a good book on a sunny afternoon. What could be better?
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