Mommy Tip: Summer Activities

I know a lot of moms panic when summer break comes and I probably will too when my kids are all in school. But for now, it's just another day with hot weather! Here are some activities that we've done so far:

We took a detour on our way home from dropping the older kids off at school (I know that's not summer break yet, but I want to do it again soon) and stopped by the temple. We walked a little bit and enjoyed the nice morning.

Another fun, but messy activity that I remembered doing in elementary school, but making bird feeders.

You need:

Pinecones

String of some kind

Scissors to cut string

Peanut butter

Bird Seed

Plates and a utensil to spread the peanut butter 

I tied the string to the top of the pinecone, before letting them spread the peanut butter, so I wouldn't get all sticky. I also put the peanut butter on the plate, so they wouldn't dip into the jar.

Like I said, a little messy.

After spreading the peanut butter I let them sprinkle on the seeds.

And I let them choose which tree they could hang them on, as long as I could reach a branch.

They loved this activity and it was something that they could do for a half hour while I had them cool off from the hot sun.

Speaking of cooling off. Another idea I had was to set out a cooler of water for the kids. They didn't want to keep coming inside to get drinks, so I put out paper cups and a trash bag. I set rules the first day that they were not to spill the water and keep filling up the cups. They have to drink all the water before filling up. They also have to throw their cups away after three refills, the cups are the cheap kind that just fall apart after a while. No playing in water. And it's worked!

Another activity that we've done several times is a slip and slide made from a tarp and soap. The kids love this and we don't have to buy an expensive pool from the store!

Happy Summer!!!