I hereby declare that your children will not spend all summer in front of the television! I also decree that they will not play videogames all day long, nor will they tell their parents “I’m bored!”
That’s pushing it, isn’t it? It doesn’t hurt to dream though. 
You may or may not have seen my family’s summer schedule. This is not a do or die thing – My husband is a SAHD for most of the summer and it just helps keep everyone on track on those days that nothing is going on.
I promised when I wrote that I would give you all ideas of what we like to do for our Indoor & Outdoor Adventures. Also. They are all seriously awesome summer fun.
Geocaching
This is the coolest thing since whatever was the coolest thing since 14 things after the coolest thing since Sliced Bread. It’s the biggest treasure hunt in the entire world. And there is stuff hidden EVERYWHERE. I kid you not. I’m sitting in the middle of downtown right now at work and when I ask the geocaching app to find out how many things are hidden within half a mile from me – 23. 23!! That makes me want to leave here for lunch and go find some of them, but then I wouldn’t get to finish this post and how sad would that be? (The answer is “very”) The app has everything you need to have a successful treasure hunt – even letting you know the difficulty so you know whether it something the little ones would enjoy too.
Museums
Yeah – I know what you’re thinking. Been there. Done that – but I doubt it. Of course most of you have visited all the “big” history and art museums in your area. If you haven’t, fix that post haste. Anyway – I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about all the tiny, and usually free museums all over your town that few people ever go to. Two things about these museums - the people working in them are really excited you came in and will tell you all kinds of things you never knew before. They may even give you a guided tour. The other thing is that most of them end up being a different kind of “hidden treasure” – a cool, educational and uncrowded family experience. In Funky Town we have a museum at the first firehouse here that is now in the corner of a random parking garage downtown, a tiny one-room city history museum that houses the second longest burning light bulb in the entire world (since 1908!), and a cool civil war museum that offers a scavenger hunt. I would probably say half the people in my city don’t even know we have these museums – and I’ve only listed 3 out of a probably 100 or so (not including all the ‘famous’ ones.) Look in your area! You’ll be surprised at what you find.
How It’s Made
Call the local big manufacturers and factories in your area and ask if they do tours. Many of them do and they usually don’t advertise it on their websites. The majority of them are completely free and since they want you as a customer – there are usually freebies at the end of the tour. It’s like a 3-D version of the Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” (Hah – I crack myself up!). Some of the options we have in town are an enormous bakery, a brewing plant, a car manufacturer and a place where they make real money. Again – put your Google to work and find out what you have in your neck of the woods.
Let me be the first to say I am terrible at Pinterest. TERRIBLE. I pin and pin and pin elventy million things and have made approximately eleven of them. BUT – summer is the perfect time to catch up those with the ones that your kids can help with. Make your own gak. Use tape and cheap wrong color paint from Lowe’s to create easy wall art or spruce up that “baby” dresser your tween doesn’t like anymore. Make a water blob. There are so many free to low cost kid-friendly projects on Pinterest when you have the time.
Library
While I feel this should be a given, it seems like a lot people don’t go to the library anymore and I don’t know why. I love the library. Air conditioned, a million books, peaceful and all kinds of cool and free activities going on pretty much every day during the summer. This is one of our “regularly scheduled ” trips so we can make sure books get back on time.
Nature![nature]()
Summer is hot. Stupid hot. And in North Texas, it’s ridonkulous hot. Because of this, we plan most of our outdoor activities first thing in the morning. I know there are a lot of you who relish sleeping in during the summer, but it’s worth it to get up a little earlier once or twice a week. We have four amazing nature reserves in our area with hiking trails out the wazoo, zoos, wildlife refuges, parks, botanical gardens of all sizes and varieties – some of these things are free and some or not – but we have learned to be there about 10 minutes prior to opening. Why? Because no one else is there and the temperature is tolerable, if not pleasant. Two to three hours later, just around the time you and/or your kiddos are finished and/or tuckered out, it’s lunchtime, the place is starting to get packed, and it’s getting HOT. So you walk out to car, parked right at the front, usually followed by 18 people waiting about to honk at each other over your spot, and you’ve had an amazing morning. Now you can go home, eat and take a nap. Let all those other people clamor for parking with their hungry, hot and grouchy family, right?
City Building![box-fort]()
When was the last time you made a tent city or a box city? I’m not talking a tent or a box house. I’m talking tent or box city. Multiple tents and multiple boxes. Yesterday? Oh. You can skip this paragraph then. If that’s not you – get to work! Your kitchen becomes a grocery store, your television becomes the drive in theatre complete with box “cars” for sitting in while viewing – the possibilities are endless, bound only by yours and your kids imagination.
Construction Crew
Lowe’s and Home Depot both do building workshops for kids and they are usually free. They get to build something awesome and learn to use all sorts of nifty tools. The “I made this all by myself” face is one of my favorite kid faces ever. These fill up insanely fast though, so you will definitely need to plan in advance.
Cooking With Kids![cooking-with-kids]()
The best part about cooking is that you have something to eat afterwards and I love eating. Use ramekins or small bowls to divide out the ingredients for your mini-mes and don’t forget to include a set for you. Then begin your impression of your favorite HGTV cook and go to town. Kids learn how to cook, properly use kitchen tools, mess is usually minimal when you pre-prepare the ingredients, and finally you get that fabulous “”I made this all by myself” face. Also. Don’t be um, so…um…meticulous (SO not the word(s) I wanted to use) - they will learn from their mistakes. Let them cook under your guidance and keep your hands out and off. You can of course handle the oven, stove, etc if your child isn’t old enough for that yet – BUT – It doesn’t matter if their pizza isn’t round or there is too much sauce on one side – you are not preparing food for her majesty.
Okay peeps. That should be enough to get you started.