Summer 2013 Family Bucket List

The further we get into our summer, the less I want to do school! Hah! While we still have to keep on top of math, everything else is moving down to the optional list as we plan out some things that we would like to do this summer. This is the first summer we’re not going camping with my husband’s family, and while we’re sad to miss it, we needed a break! I wasn’t looking forward to figuring out solid foods with a baby and how to heat them up on a campsite!

We are staying relatively close to home, and I always love exploring new and old things over the summer. The kids also had some great ideas! Here’s what we’re hoping to do:

Go bowling (hurrah for the FREE BOWLING PROGRAM!)
Roast marshmallows on the BBQ (no fires in the city :D)
Go to the cottage
Swimming lessons
Soccer camp (we HAD sworn off organized sports over the summer, BUT just a couple weeks ago we signed both boys up for softball :D
VBS
Zip-lining (the boys’ idea – I’m shocked and pretty sure they’re still too small to do it :0/)
Explore the caves in Collingwood
Learn how to BBQ (that would be me – cough cough :D)
Go to Canada’s Wonderland

Each week I’m planning on giving them the List of 100 Things to Do This Summer and letting them each pick one from there for that week. Many of them can be combined (like having an outdoor games day playing frisbee, badminton, obstacle course, etc.). Some of the activities we’ll “enhance” from the ideas on 100 Free things to do with your kids this summer.

I always have grand ideas of what I’d like to do, but never quite get around to planning them! This way the kids keep me accountable to our plans each week, AND they have some great input into what they’d like to do.

A few of my favourite ideas on these lists include:

visiting a Planetarium – The kids chose to study astronomy with Apologia next year, and we’ve been really enjoying our Big Book of Earth and Sky! Next step – Planetarium! And there’s a GREAT one at the University of Toronto which looks phenomenal, as well as the Ontario Science Center.
Nature tour with duct tape on your wrists to pick up as much nature as you can!
Make tye-dye shirts
Factory tour (hmm, but where to go?)
Service project
Playground scavenger hunt

We’re also hoping to spend lots of time with cousins and enjoy some down time at the grandparents for a week while they’re at day camp.

On top of it all, my sister is getting married in August, so we’re heavily involved in the plans and preparations! All the 3 older kids and myself are in the wedding party, and we are looking forward to rockin’ it in a couple months!