Fun Family Activities for Summer
At the Beach
Scavenger Hunt
There’s no better place to scavenge about then at the beach! Look for different shell varieties, various seaweeds, interesting driftwood, coloured sea glass, sea-loving creatures, different types of birds, etc. A family could spend a whole day just exploring and observing and sharing their finds with one another.
Beach Art:
Collect seashells, seaweed, sea glass, driftwood and other cool beach debris and then get creative! Write messages in the sand, create 2 or 3 dimensional pictures or sculptures, or just arrange it all into interesting patterns. Remember to capture a photo of your temporary art to display when you return home!
Sunscreen Art:
After applying your first layer of sunscreen, try decorating each other up with sunscreen (or if applying that first layer is a struggle with the younger members of the family, make it more enjoyable for all by using this method before smearing it all in). The trick with sunscreen art is to stay as simple as possible: happy faces, kitty cats, a sun, moon and stars motif, or little fishies are all pretty easy and will cover a body rather quickly when rubbed in.
Sand Dough
Ingredients:
1 cup cornstarch
½ Tbsp cream of tartar
2 cups sand
1 ½ cups water
Stir together in an old pan (avoid non-stick surfaces) over medium heat until thick (about 5-10 mins). Cool and store in a sealed container until ready to use.
When you’re ready, pull it out and create whatever your heart desires, though sand castles do come to mind as the perfect form for this dough. Decorate with shells and sticks and leave it out in the sun for a few days to dry and harden. If you want to use molds with this dough, be sure to oil the mold before packing it in to make it easy to remove after. Molded dough makes great wall hangings.
In the Garden
Bubbles
Bubbles are such terrific fun! This is a great activity when you find yourself overwhelmed by this and that in life. Make a great batch of bubble solution, a couple of different wands, then sit with your kids and immerse yourself in the moment. Watch where your bubbles dance to and enjoy the company.
Bubble solution:
1 part corn syrup or glycerin (glycerin can be found at any drug store)
4 parts liquid dish soap (Dawn works really well)
16 parts water
for example:
¼ cup corn syrup or glycerin
1 cup dish soap
4 cups water
Wand ideas:
Shaped Pipe cleaners
Re-shaped Coat hangers (you’ll need a big bucket of bubble solution to make these wonderfully giant bubbles)
Copper wire or jewelry wire – shaped as big or as little as you’d like
If you’re feeling creative, make your wands with a double bubble blowing head, or add a pretty ribbon onto the bottom to create a magic wand! Get inspired!
Mud Pie Delight
Been awhile since you’ve all gotten good and dirty together? Tired of trying to keep everyone clean? Let it go and embrace the mud by making a big pit for yourselves and have a family party in it. If it hasn’t rained lately, just grab a bucket of water and pour it on whatever patch of dirt you can find.
Let it squish between your toes and fingers, draw in it with your fingers and sticks, make mud pies and mud muffins and mud cakes, create fabulous works of art by adding stones and leaves and flowers and whatever else you can find and just enjoy it. If you’re really worried about the mess, have a bucket of water on hand to play in right after.
Water bottle bowling
Recycled fun
Before tossing those individual water bottles into the recycling bin, have some fun with them! Line them up into a bowling formation, and bowl them down with an outdoor ball (any ball will do, really). This is a great indoor or outdoor game, but if it’s a little windy outside, fill the empty bottles ½ full of water to give them some weight and make it more difficult for the wind (and players) to knock down.
To make the fun last longer, spend time decorating the “pins” before you play. You can use markers directly on the plastic bottle, or you can beautify papers from the recycling bin, then wrap the paper around the bottle and tape it on.
Make an Inuksuk
Have you ever seen those piles of carefully balanced stones and wondered what they were? Powerful symbols of the Arctic, inuksuit (plural) were traditionally built by the Inuit to represent messengers. Some have stood on the Arctic tundra for thousands of years. Recently, they've become popular outside the Arctic, where intrigued people are erecting them in a wide variety of settings. Traditionally, they were arranged in the likeness of a person and they were used to mark trails, food sources, or nearby people.
Make your own inuksuk out of rocks this summer in your garden, or, if working with younger children, make a playdough and rock inuksuk for an indoor locale.
Dandelion jewelry
The height of summer fashion
Make dandelion chains to wear with pride in celebration of the Summer Solstice, occurring on June 20th this year. The wonderful yellow heads of the dandelion are cheery symbols of our life-giving sun and can easily be fashioned into necklaces, bracelets, anklets and even waist sashes. Start your chain by knotting the stem of one dandelion to the stem of another, then knot that stem to a 3rd flower stem. Continue until you have a chain long enough for the jewelry you want to fashion, then close the chain by knotting the last one to the first one.
Dandelion paintbrushes
This is a fun way to get to use those cheerful yellow little flowers that are hunted so mercilessly. Be sure to only use flowers from areas that are not sprayed with chemicals!
Pick a great big dandelion bouquet of varying lengths and sizes just before bringing to your art area where you’ll have paper and paints (we recommend watercolours for this project, but really, any non-toxic paint will work just fine). Now start experimenting! Create modern art by dabbing, wiping, spraying and playing with your dandelion paintbrushes, or create a picture with the same techniques. Be prepared for a bit of a mess, but a whole lot of fun.
Sidewalk Chalk
Drawing on sidewalks is a ton of fun, and making your own chalk makes it even sweeter. You’ll need:
1 cup plaster of paris
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp powdered tempera paint
empty toilet paper rolls (1 for each piece of chalk you want to make)
wax paper
elastic bands (1 for each piece of chalk you want to make
Start by covering one end of the toilet paper rolls with waxed paper held in place by the elastic band. Mix the plaster of paris and powdered paint together, then stir in the water, adding more ½ Tbsp at a time until you get a smooth consistency. Pour into your toilet paper roll molds and let dry completely (this can take up to 3 or 4 days, so patience is needed). When dry, remove the toilet paper rolls and draw to your heart’s content (if you remove the mold before the chalk is totally dry, no problem; just set aside to air dry for another 12-24 hours). To make quicker drying chalk, use smaller molds such as cookie cutters placed on wax paper, or chocolate or candy molds.
Lavender Wands
Lavender Wands are fun to make and smell fantastic! Use them to scent closets or dresser drawers or give them as gifts.
You’ll need:
An odd number of long-stemmed lavender buds (keep as much of the stem as possible and get them just before the flowers open); a minimum of 7 but as many as you want – the more you use, the thicker your wand will be
1/8 – ¼ inch ribbon
scissors – to cut the lavender buds, ribbon, etc.
Line up the bottom of the lavender buds and tie your ribbon at the bottom of them. Turn upside down and gently fold the stems over the ribbon knot and lavender buds, enclosing the short ribbon end within. Now wind the ribbon in and out of the stems, around and around until you have enclosed all of the flower buds. Tie the ribbon off and cut it loose from the spool – as long or as short as you want.
Travelling
Strapped into car seats and plane seats and nothing to do? Remember that life is all about attitude and instead of dreading this time, think of it as a great way to kick off and close down your vacation. Pack lots of healthy snacks, water and small toys (and be sure to pull just one thing out at a time to extend their time-value). Great toys to take for the very young: a roll of masking tape, a large sheet of stickers, books, string or yarn and cardboard with lots of holes punched in it to “sew” with, magnets and a little metal box to keep them in and play on, Try some of these games and activities to keep you occupied and involved with one another.
A-Z Anything!
Take turns naming things that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Choose a topic and the first person starts by naming something from your category that begins with A, the next person does B, the next person C, and so on. Choose from topics such as fruit (apples, bananas, cherries...); things you’ll do on your vacation (arrive at the beach, board a plane, camp...); things you’ve packed (atlas, band-aids, checkered pants...); towns in your province/state; countries of the world; things you like about summer; movie star names; songs…well, you get the idea. For long trips, let everyone have a chance to choose a topic.
I See It!
Have someone (anyone but the driver) write up a list of things you might possibly see on your trip. Think blue cars, buses, RV’s, specific animals (wildlife and domestic), specific trees, flowers, rest stops, speed limit signs, etc. Then spend the next ½ hour (or other time limit that works for the ages of your family) all looking for your items. How many blue cars did you all see? How about pine trees or cows?
License Plate Game
Make up silly names or descriptions from the license plates of others you see on the road. For example: TJB 239 may stand for Tall Junkyard Baron; or SFH 783 may stand for Silly Fingered Harry.
Old Favourites:
Get creative, and pull out the old favourites to keep the good times rolling. Think Hangman, Tic Tac Toe, 20 Questions, Name that Tune, I Spy…
Sing Along:
If you don’t know very many songs that you can all sing together, borrow a tape or CD from the library, or pick one up before you head out. Or, ask everyone to bring one to share with the rest of the family.
Map Plotting:
Most kids love maps and map reading is a great skill to learn on a distance trip. Give each child a map so they can keep track of where you’re going and note the towns and attractions as you pass them.
Guess What Number I’m Thinking of
Take turns picking a number between 1 and 10. Everyone else can guess which number the person who is “it” is thinking of. The person who gets it right gets to be “it”, and so on, and so on…
Books on Tape/CD
Buy or borrow a book on tape that the whole family will enjoy. Kids can draw pictures of the story they are listening to.
Practice Tongue Twisters:
Here are a few to get you started:
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He'd chop as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
She sells seashells by the seashore
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
Greek grape
Reading
Wherever you’re going, whatever your plans are, bring a book the whole family will enjoy and take turns reading to one another. Some family favourites: Charlotte’s Web (of course), The Journey of Natty Gann (about one young girl’s adventures during the Great Depression), Harry Potter (always worth another read), the Secret Garden, Little Women, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little House on the Prairie…
Rainy Vacation Activities
Even the most well-planned, flexible family vacations can include rainy days and a little boredom for young family members. While a little rain doesn’t have to deter a family bent on having a good time outdoors, sometimes there is just a touch too much. Try a these activities to keep the vacation fun-filled and smooth.
Collage or Scrapbook
Glue, scissors, and paper, pencils…the rest can be found wherever you are. Make beach collages or vacation scrapbooks (hotel stationary, ticket stubs, pressed flowers or leaves, hand-drawn pictures of what you have seen and done, maps…). Besides a great activity to keep your family having fun, you also get a fantastic memento.
Rubbings
Wherever you go, there’s sure to be some sort of trees or plants or other great textured pieces of nature. Collect a small sample (one leaf or so) of different types of natural objects to save for some downtime. When the pocket of time presents itself, bring out all you have collected and make rubbings by placing them beneath paper and lightly rubbing the paper with a crayon or pencil. All sorts of beautiful designs can be found!
Sand Dough
Ingredients:
1 cup cornstarch
½ Tbsp cream of tartar
2 cups sand
1 ½ cups water
Stir together in an old pan (avoid non-stick surfaces) over medium heat until thick (about 5-10 mins). Cool and store in a sealed container until ready to use.
When you’re ready, pull it out and create whatever your heart desires, though sand castles do come to mind as the perfect form for this dough. Decorate with shells and sticks and leave it out in the sun for a few days to dry and harden. If you want to use molds with this dough, be sure to oil the mold before packing it in to make it easy to remove after. Molded dough makes great wall hangings.
Toddler Activities
1-3 year olds have far more of an interest in the process of an activity than the final product. If rain keeps you from the beach or the park, the following items can help keep your young ones enjoying life inside:
• a roll of masking tape and a piece of paper
• a roll of ribbon or string and a pair of scissors
• a spray bottle of water and a rag to “clean” with
• sand toys in the bathtub (or a few well-chosen kitchen items: funnels, a ladle, a turkey baster, plastic bowls, squirt bottles…)
• a bucket of sand or dirt on the porch or on an old towel or sheet on the kitchen floor (add a watering can or squirt bottle of water for extra, albeit messier, fun)
In Your Neighbourhood
Go for a Sense Walk and really pay attention to the total experience while you’re on the alert for the following sounds, sights, smells, and feels of summer (or another list that you make with your family before you head out):
Sounds:
1. People laughing
2. Birds singing
3. Crickets chirping
4. Frogs croaking
5. Lawnmower
Sights:
1. Red Flowers
2. Blue flowers
3. Bumblebee
4. Ladybug
Smells:
1. Barbecue
2. Freshly mown grass
Feel:
1. Water from a sprinkler
2. Sunshine on your face
Make & Sail Bark Boats
From the Bruderhof Saving Childhood Forum
Make a simple little boat with a leaf sail. Take a trip to your local park and collect lots of leaves, twigs and pieces of bark.
With a drill, knitting needle or other sharp object, bore a hole in the center of a piece of bark to hold the mast for the sail. Now push a twig into the hole making sure it fits tightly so each child can “thread” on a leaf by poking the twig through it twice to hold it firmly.
Now off to the nearest stream or river to sail them.
Other fun family activities to check out during the summer:
Berry Picking
Camping
Attending local summer festivals
Biking
Water parks
Buy fresh, local produce at farmer’s markets
Hiking
Picnicking
Fabulous Family Summer Recipes
Watermelon Cilantro Salad
1 small red onion
2-4 limes
½ large sweet, ripe watermelon
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (goat’s milk feta can be used)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
3/4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very thin half-moons. Squeeze the lime juice over them and leave them to marinate. Cut the rind off the watermelon, deseed it, then cut into bite-size chunks. Place in a large non-aluminum bowl, add the crumbled feta, cilantro and mint. Pour the onion and lime juice over the mixture, then add the olive oil and black pepper to taste. Toss gently and add more lime juice to taste.
Herbed Potato Salad
Perfect Picnic Pickings
Kindly provided by In a Vegetarian Kitchen with Nava Atlas
Serves: 6
5 medium red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed, cooked, cooled, and diced
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
1 cup steamed fresh or thawed frozen green peas
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped black olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup natural low-fat vinaigrette dressing
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss together thoroughly.
Cover and refrigerate until needed. Pack into a tightly lidded plastic container to transport.
Mango and Black Bean Salad
1 mango, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 cups cooked (or canned) black beans (if using canned, be sure to rinse them well in a colander to remove excess salt)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
½ tomato, seeded and diced
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups salad greens, washed and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup tortilla chips, crushed into bite-sized pieces
Dressing:
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and stirring until the honey is totally dissolved. Toss the salad ingredients together with the dressing and serve. If you want to make this ahead of time, just leave out the salad greens and tortilla chips and add them just before serving.
BBQ Lentils
Perfect picnic food
These Barbecued Lentils make a great take-along picnic food. They taste just like summer.
1 cup lentils
2 cups water
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
1 Tbsp Sucanat (less refined sugar – you can also use date sugar)
½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
1 cup pureed tomatoes
2 Tbsp minced onions
Cook lentils in water for about 30 minutes until tender. Transfer to a casserole dish, stir in remaining ingredients and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Serve hot, or pack up and take along for a picnic.YUMMY!
Summer Salad Rolls
Light and lovely
Salad rolls are one of those things that look like they take a lot of work, but are actually quite easy to make. They’re perfect for taking to potlucks, for serving as a fun lunch or for a relaxed dinner.
Ingredients:
Rice paper (found in most major grocery stores or Asian markets)
Any and/or all of the following:
Marinated tofu (we like to marinate it overnight in a watered down tamari mixture)
Vermicelli Rice noodles
Mung Bean sprouts
Shredded lettuce or spinach
Julienned veggies (carrots and bell peppers are really tasty and make a colourful addition, seeded cucumbers are refreshing and )
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro or basil
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Soften a few pieces of the round rice paper sheets in warm water. Take them out one at a time, place on a flat tea towel and place a small amount of each additional ingredient on top. Roll up like a burrito, ensuring that both ends are tucked in well. Second verse – same as the first. Continue until you have as many rolls as you want. 2-3/person for lunch is usually sufficient, an extra 1-2/person for dinner. We really like this dish served with Tahini dipping sauce (recipe below), but it can also be served with a peanut sauce or even a tamari-rice vinegar sauce.
Tahini Sauce:
½ cup finely diced onion
1 Tbsp safflower or sunflower oil
1 cup tahini (ground sesame seed paste)
1 cup water
3 Tbsp tamari OR 2 Tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminoes
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp grated ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Sauté the onion in the oil until soft, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over very low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Drain the excess oil off the top before serving. Very good hot or cold.
Power Popsicles
Super tasty and nutritious!
When the weather gets incredibly hot, appetites usually take a plunge. Try these nutrient-packed popsicles for a cool treat.
1 cup soymilk
½ cup apple cider
1 banana
2/3 cup fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries…)
½ Tbsp flax oil or hemp oil
1 Tbsp protein powder
Blend thoroughly in a blender, pour into popsicle molds and freeze. Whew – that was easy work of a nutritious snack!
Strawberry Avocado Parfait
Ingredients:
- 2 avocados, seeded, peeled and cubed
- 6 large fresh or thawed frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup strawberry flavoured yogurt
- 1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Shredded coconut, optional
Directions:
Place strawberries in a bowl; lightly mash with fork. Add avocado cubes and gently mix together. Spoon strawberr/avocado mixture into four long-stemmed wine glasses. Combine yogurt, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle yogurt mixture over strawberries and avocado and sprinkle with coconut.
Make up recipe for strawberry shake, using sorbet, soy milk, etc.
Toasted Trail Mix
A healthy on-the-go snack
Trail mix packs along just about anywhere quite easily. Try this toasted mix with cranberries for a seasonal taste. This mix is also great eaten when the nuts and seeds are still warm from the pan.
Pecans
Almonds
Cashews
Sunflower Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Whole Wheat Pastry Dough
For Summer Sweets
(Yield: 9-inch crust)
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp Sucanat
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking powder
8 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
4 ½ Tbsp ice cold water
Procedure
In food processor, combine flour, Sucanat, salt and baking powder and pulse on and off until blended. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 3 Tbsp water and combine only until mixture is evenly dampened. Sprinkle with remaining water and process until dough almost comes together. Transfer to work surface and form into a flattened disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. Follow desired recipe for tarts, pies, etc.
Peach and Blueberry Cobbler
Breakfast or dessert?
Peaches and Blueberries – the perfect summer combination, and packed full of anti-oxidants for optimal health. This cobbler can be served as dessert, but it’s also healthy enough to start a day off with a mega dose of nutrients and therefore can be served as breakfast.
Fruit mix
5-6 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced, pit discarded
1 ½ cups blueberries
1 Tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine or butter
1 Tbsp Sucanat or brown sugar
Topping:
½ Cup brown rice or whole wheat flour
½ Cup ground almonds
2 Tbsp tapioca flour (required only if using brown rice flour – if using whole wheat flour, tapioca can be omitted)
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold-pressed vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
Place peaches and blueberries into baking dish, sprinkle Sucanat or brown sugar over top, and crumble butter or non-hydrogenated margarine on top of butter. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 375 F oven.
While it is baking, combine the dry topping ingredients, then add the honey and oil. Stir until a crumbly mixture is formed. Sprinkle over top of the fruit after it has cooked for 15 minutes. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve warm or cold for breakfast or dessert.
Peachy Banana “Ice Cream”
A no sugar, scrumptious treat!
Healthy enough for breakfast and revered as a summer evening treat, this fruity blend is a simply fabulous ice cream alternative and is ultra-easy to make.
2 frozen bananas, cut into chunks
1 very ripe peach, peeled, pitted and sliced (retaining as much juice as possible)
1-3 Tablespoons apple cider or water
Toss the bananas, peach, and 1 Tablespoon of the water or apple cider into the blender and blend thoroughly, scraping the sides as necessary. Blend until you have a soft “ice cream” formed, adding more liquid ½ tablespoon at a time as required. Serve immediately.
KITCHEN TIP: Keep a stash of frozen bananas on hand by peeling, slicing and freezing any bananas “on the brink” (I buy bags of very-ripe discounted bananas for just this purpose). Use them in this recipe, in fruit smoothies, or as little treats all on their own. High in potassium, offering calcium, vitamin A, and various B vitamins, bananas are fabulous nutritional storehouses.
Great Baking Recipe eBook - Delicious, Nutritious Baking. We highly recommend it!
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