There
is nothing like a throwback to simple summers past to round up a little
seasonal fun for the boredom bunch hanging around your home. If the kids could use something less
electronic to fill their day, rely on go-to activities with some old school
flair. You remember, don’t you?
Sidewalk
chalk can keep them entertained outside for some time. Use the driveway or patio as an oversized
canvas for a creative display. Fill the
cups in a muffin tin with water based paints they could use in their
masterpiece as well. One water hose and
some drying time, and there’s a fresh slate to work with all over again.
Blowing
bubbles has gotten fancier over the years with better solution and more
complicated plastic wands. Stock up on
some bottles, introduce a fan, and watch the fun fly. Additionally, anything water related is a
great time passer at home. Soaker guns
can offer a little cool-off backyard competition, as can an ice chest full of
carefully filled and tied water balloons.
Bring a little bit of the beach to your place by using bags of
playground sand to build your own dune.
Traditional plastic buckets, shovels, and molds will give them a taste
of being oceanside
For
the youngest in the bunch, craft projects can keep them entertained
indoors. The bird feeder made with
toilet paper rolls, string, peanut butter, and bird seed is a classic. A craft store beading aisle is chalk full of
supplies for making necklaces and bracelets by hand. Scrapbooking paper, brads, tape, and colored
straws can become pinwheels. And
crosscut sections of vegetables like potatoes, okra, and celery make surprising
stamps for ink pad art on cup towels.
What’s
an old school summer without fitting snacks?
S’mores are the quintessential build-your-own treat with a toasty
outdoor twist. The build-your-own set up
also is perfect for ice cream sundaes, hot dogs, burgers, and taco salads. For a sweet afternoon snack, make your own
popsicles, mixing juices and diced fruit in paper cups with craft sticks to
freeze in the centers.
It
doesn’t have to be bright, shiny, and new to be a summer ton of fun. Kids today may or may not have experienced
some of these time-honored activities.
This is a chance to make sure they can add to their memory bank the
simple things you used to enjoy in summers gone by.
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star July 7th.
