Simple Summer Activites

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! 

Danielle and I are slowly adjusting to our summer schedules, so we should be back to our normal five posts a week now. Today I want to share some of the stuff we have been up to lately. It's always hard to find ways to keep the kids entertained without spending a ton of money going places. Here are some free activities that Makenna and Matthew love to do over and over again.

After we pick Matthew up from camp we usually head to the park for a picnic. We pack up lunch, snacks and a blanket to use if there are no picnic tables available. They love to eat outside and watch all the kids play. Bonus, they usually finish all their lunch without any issue because they know they have to eat before they play. When lunch is finished we do all the regular fun park stuff; swings, slides and sand boxes. To keep the kids entertained a little longer, I started making up some other things to do. 

We usually have a ball of some sort or a little train in the car. One of the kids takes the item to the top of the slide and the other stands with a bucket at the end and tries to catch it. Then they switch places. They will do this for an hour non stop. 

Another activity that will keep them entertained for HOURS is water play. Every night when we make dinner, Makenna gets all her buckets, cups, spoons, shells and any random toy and sits on the deck. She loves to play with water and when its time to clean up she never wants to. So simple, but she has so much fun!

What kid doesn't like playing in water on a hot summer day? Another water activity they love is playing carwash. We take the bikes, scooters and play cars outside and set up a little carwash station. We make sure to dirty them up with some chalk if they are looking to clean. Some old rags with a bucket of soapy water and another bucket of clean water to rinse is all you need. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of this one! 

The last activity that the kids are loving this summer is pretend camping. Matthew got a really cool Thomas blow up bed. They pack up some necessities and camp out in the living room floor to watch a movie. We also build tent forts and read books inside.

So that's what we have been up to the last week. What are some fun activities you and the kids have done? Please share below! Danielle will be back tomorrow with a book review. 

-K

School's Out For Summer!

image via Google

Kids everywhere are celebrating and parents are crying just as thrilled. :) Now that Makenna no longer has preschool 3 mornings a week, I really wanted to keep her on a schedule this summer. We decided not to sign her up for camp, but Matthew is in camp 5 days a week until noon. Both of them thrive with a constant schedule. They like to know exactly what is going to happen each day, and Matthew can tell you down to a T what is planned for the week. So far he is LOVING camp. While he is in camp, I want to make sure Makenna is just not sitting around.

This is what our summer schedule looks like so far:

Monday: Library

Tuesday: Swim Class / Letter & Number reviews

Wednesday: Park/ Movie (depending on weather)

 Thursday: Swim Class

Friday: Our free day for just lounging around

I recently took Makenna to the Library for the first time. She is beyond obsessed with going there now. She asks every day if we can go. It is just our TINY town library but they have a cool kids section with computers. The computers have awesome learning games on them. They also have a story time starting in a couple of weeks. She loves to read! You will not find Makenna without a book somewhere close by. She "reads" them to anyone who will listen and just out loud to herself. I am a big reader also, so I am so happy she loves books just as much.

I signed Makenna up for swim classes at the local YMCA. She has only been in a big pool a couple times, clinging for life to me. I thought taking a swim class would be a fun way to help her get use to being in such a large body of water. Of course it's a mommy and me class so I have to get in a bathing suit twice a week also. BIG thumbs down. I'll keep you all updated on how this goes. 

I want to make sure this summer that Makenna doesn't experience any learning loss. She is pretty great at identifying any number below 20 and can count to around 25 without messing up. She also knows her ABC's and can identify about half of them. I want to work on nailing them all down. We have little activity books and flash cards, then we practice writing them out. I'm sure she'll have them down in no time. Matthew will also be working on this.    

I blogged earlier about the Summer Movie Express going on at Regal Theaters. On Wednesdays, we will definitely be heading to some of those movies. On days where it is just to gorgeous to stay inside, we will head to the park. There are a ton of really great parks in the area. Makenna loves to go on the swings. We are working on having her pump her legs. She is getting really good at it! We can head out early before it is too hot and bring a little picnic breakfast to enjoy.

Friday's are our day off from being with Matthew. So we have the whole day to just hang out and do whatever we feel like. I see play dates and just hanging in the backyard eating ice pops in our future.

After Matthew gets out of camp at noon every day, we also have some fun stuffed planned. We have a membership to pool and a local sports club. There are also little afternoon day trips I have planned and lot and lots of picnics at the park. These kids love to eat at the park and then run around like crazies. When the weather is bad out we can head inside and just relax. This is summer after all! It's okay to have a nice relaxing day of nothing!

What does everyone else have planned for this summer? Do you like to keep you kids on a schedule or just take it day by day?

-K

A Fun & Cheap Summer Activity

Finding activities to keep the kids entertained during the summer can be challenging if you are on a budget. Going to the movies is usually out of the question, especially with small kids. Movie theater prices are high and you never know if the kids will actually sit thorough the movie. It can end up being a total waste of money. That's why I am so glad I found this Summer program from Regal Cinemas. It's called Summer Movie Express. Nine weeks during the summer, starting June in most areas, Regal Cinemas will be featuring kid friendly movies. FOR ONLY $1!! On Tuesdays and Wednesdays with start times at 10:00am. I think it is a perfect morning activity and over just in time for lunch then naps :) Sounds like a great deal to me!

Here is a list of the movies that will be running each week:

Week	Title	Rating	Start Time
1	Hotel Transylvania	PG	10am
1	The Smurfs 2	PG	10am
2	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2	PG	10am
2	The Pirates: Band of Misfits	PG	10am
3	Arthur Christmas	PG	10am
3	Despicable Me 2	PG	10am
4	The Lego Movie	PG	10am
4	Free Birds	PG	10am
5	Adventures of TinTin	PG	10am
5	Rise of the Guardians	PG	10am
6	Kung Fu Panda 2	PG	10am
6	Madagascar 3	PG	10am
7	The Croods	PG	10am
7	Epic	PG	10am
8	Turbo	PG	10am
8	Walking with Dinosaurs	PG	10am
9	Mr. Peabody & Sherman	PG	10am
9	Rio 2	G	10am

 I have wanted to bring my daughter Makenna to see a movie in the theater for the longest time. I just didn't feel like wasting money on a ticket, because the chances of her sitting through the whole thing is slim. Now with this great deal, I am definitely going to be taking her. If she doesn't sit through the whole thing or makes to much noise, it won't be that big of a deal. I am lucky that we have a Regal Cinema right down the road from us. You can go to this link, Summer Movies, to find the closest participating Regal Cinemas. A portion of all the movie ticket proceeds goes to the Will Rogers Institute.

This would be a great rainy summer day activity. Instead of being stuck in the house, take the kids to the movies! It would even be fun to meet up to see a movie with a group of friends. Has anyone else found any fun and cheap summer activities? Feel free to share your tips below!!!

-K