Summer Activities that Blend Learning, Adventure, and Creativity
With summertime approaching and sunny days ahead, I decided to make a list of activities to do with my son. My hope is to create lasting memories of summer adventures while cultivating a lifelong love of nature in him. From nature walks and art projects to outdoor games, these fun-filled activities blend learning, adventure, and creativity. I hope you and your little ones enjoy them, too!
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of items to find, such as leaves, flowers, rocks, insects, and animals and get outside hunting. If you feel like stepping it up a notch, provide a visual of each item and bring a camera to snap photos of your discoveries. As you search, teach your little ones about the plants and animals they encounter to foster an appreciation for our environment.
Outdoor Art Adventure
Unleash your child’s creativity while connecting with nature. Set up a designated art station in the backyard or a neighborhood park using things like easels, canvases, paints, brushes, glue, and a variety of natural materials like leaves, flowers, rocks, and twigs. Encourage them to create nature-inspired masterpieces, such as leaf rubbings, nature collages, flower crowns, painted rocks, or rock sculptures - and remind them it’s okay to get dirty!
Backyard Music + Dance
Set up a backyard dance party using instruments like drums, shakers, and even homemade DIY instruments like rain sticks, coffee can drums, spin drums, can wind chimes, bottle cap click clackers, and paper plate tambourines. Kids can create their own rhythms, melodies, and dance moves inspired by nature. This activity promotes self-expression, rhythm, and movement while fostering an appreciation for music and the outdoors.
Outdoor Games
Organize classic games like tag, capture the flag, hide and seek, hop scotch, and relay races, or create your own backyard obstacle course using household items and natural materials (think cones, ropes for limbo, hula hoops, etc.). Alternatively, take advantage of nearby parks or playgrounds for activities such as hiking, biking, and flying a kite. Emphasize the importance of staying active and spending time outdoors for overall health and well-being. And on those especially warm days, add in some water play with a backyard sprinkler, slip and slide, water table, game of water balloon toss, or day at the pool.
Summer Mini Trips
There are endless day trips to add to the calendar - a day at the beach, a visit to a local farm for some fruit and veggie picking, an afternoon splashing in rain boots through a creek, a camping overnight, lemonade stand, and more. Get out your calendar and schedule a few of these mini trips so the summer doesn’t fly by without them!
With a little thought and planning, summer can be filled with enriching experiences that spark curiosity and imagination while fostering an appreciation for togetherness in the great outdoors!
By Hannah Price