42. String beads into jewelry. 43. Make a bird house out of Popsicle sticks. 44. Learn about stargazing and identify as many constellations as possible-- see if there are any local astronomy groups for kids. 45. Create leis with wildflowers. 46. Go fossil hunting near a lake. 47. Break out your baseball gloves and start a game, sandlot style.( 3 baseball games you can play without a team) 48. Make paper boats and race them in a kiddie pool using straws to propel them. 49. Play mini-golf-- or set up a course in your driveway by laying different size containers on their sides. 50. Make your own colored sand and create sand art. 51. Get a map of the United States and mark off all the exciting places you want to visit-- create the ultimate road trip.
52. Set up a net and play badminton and volleyball. Or try one of these 11 Backyard Games for Kids. 53. Visit an amusement park or water park. 54. Wade through a stream and search for minnows or tadpoles. 55. Go zip-lining. 56. Have a tricycle race at the park. 57. Investigate an ethnic grocery store and make lunch using interesting spices and kid-friendly international recipes. 58. Visit a fire station. 59. Collect rocks and paint them to use as paperweights or pet rocks. 60. Go roller skating. 61. Visit a zoo or aquarium to learn about animals. 62. Run through the sprinklers. 63. Blend your own smoothie. 64. Set up a bike wash and raise money for a local charity. 65. Batter up at a batting cage. 66. Let kids paint the sidewalk or patio with plain old water and sponge brushes. When their creation dries, they can begin again.
67. Bake cupcakes in ice cream cones and then decorate them.
68. Assemble a family cookbook with all your favorite recipes. 69. Go horseback riding. 70. Make popsicles in Dixie cups using fruit juices. 71. Catch fireflies in a jar( and let them go at the end of the night). 72. Stage your own Summer Olympics with races, hurdles and relays. 73. Create a backyard circus-- kids can pretend to be animals and dress up as clowns. 74. Decorate bikes and have a neighborhood Fourth of July parade. 75. Take a sewing / crochet / knitting class. 76. Make Mexican paper flowers using different colored tissue paper. 77. Go to a flea market. 78. Volunteer at an animal adoption organization. 79. Visit a retirement home and read stories to residents. 80. Attend an outdoor festival or concert. 81. Pick a nearby town to visit for the day. 82. Visit a cave. 83. Get a map of your area, mark off all the local parks-- then visit them, take pictures and vote for your favorite. 84. Take in a fireworks exhibit. 85. Make crafts with recyclable items like stickers using old photos, magazines and repositionable glue.
86. Make your own hard-to-pop bubbles with 1 cup of distilled water, 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap and 1 tablespoon of glycerin.
87. Paint canvas sneakers with fabric paint pens or acrylic paint.
88. Create three dimensional buildings using toothpicks and mini marshmallows.
89. Make bird feeders by covering pine cones with peanut butter and rolling in birdseed.
90. Paint with ice by freezing ice cube trays with washable tempera paint.
91. Create unusual s’ mores by experimenting with ingredients like cookies, bananas, flavored marshmallows and white chocolate. 92. Have a fancy tea party. 93. Make a giant slip-n-slide with a painter’ s tarp and shaving cream. 94. Go camping in the backyard or at a campsite. Follow these tips for camping with kids. 95. Let kids paint each other with washable tempera paint, then wash it off in the sprinklers. 96. Visit a national park and help the kids earn a junior ranger badge. 97. Go to a ballgame and teach your kids( and yourself!) how to keep a scorecard. 98. Set up a tent in the backyard to use as a summer playhouse. 99. Take a free kid’ s workshop at stores like Lowe’ s, Home
Depot or Pottery Barn. 100. Have a game night with charades, Pictionary and bingo.
101. Take a boring brown paper bag and have kids brainstorm creative things to do with it-- you’ ll be surprised at how many things you can come up with.
May and June Edition 23