Let's Enjoy Summer!

Try out some of our creative ideas for indoor or outdoor fun in the summer.

10 Summer Crafts/Activities Just for a rainy day, these activities will make staying indoors fun and exciting! 1.     Treasure Hunt– Argh - Ahoy mates! Get your eye patch on and your parrot ready... this activity will keep little pirates busy. Draw a map with obvious landmarks (e.g. the red couch, the stairs, etc.) leading your little one to a special treasure. What kind of treasure? Maybe some new homemade playdough, or some "loot" - some shiny necklaces and rings from the dollar store. 2.      Create signature stationery – Help your child decide what image they want on their stamp (e.g. a heart, a "B" for Billy...) and help them carve the simple shape from half a potato. Armed with some ink pads and a stack of paper, show your child how to stamp across the top of the paper so it can be used for letters or a gift for someone.

3.     Sneezy Train  - What are you going to do with all those tissue boxes left from the winter's colds and flus? Use them to make the Sneezy Express! Cover the boxes in paper - wrapping paper, construction paper or newspaper, leaving the hole open. Let your child decorate each box car, and attach them with strings and holes. A long string for a handle at the front will help your little Engineer to navigate around the house, and now there are plenty of seats for his stuffed animal friends!

4.      Build a box city - Starting with the lid of a pizza box as the base, use small boxes and cardboard cutouts, markers, stickers, and toy cars to create your own city. Once you've made it, you're ready to play with it.

5.     Make a pinata -  Mix flour and water to make a paste and cut newspaper into strips. Using a balloon, dip the strips of paper into the paste, before applying to the balloon. Let it dry for 24 hours before popping and removing the balloon, and wait until the inside dries before adding treats. Add small toys, stickers and small treats. Then seal with paper mache and let dry. The next time you are ready to celebrate, hang the pinata and take turns trying to break it open! It could be a summer or birthday pinata, or a Just Because pinata.

6.      Window painting – What a fun way to spend an afternoon and decorate your house for the coming holidays at the same time! Using a mixture of icing sugar, food colouring and a few drops of water to make it a paint-like consistency, and lots of smocks and newspapers to minimize the mess, paint some windows in your house with flowers and bumblebees. Be as creative as you can! What a great way to welcome summer!

7.   Make a bouquet - Even if you don't have a green thumb, you can still have blooms inside. Cut squares of coloured tissue paper and stack. Fold like an accordion, and wrap a pipe cleaner around the stack. When you fluff out the tissue paper, you will have colourful flowers!

8.    Grocery store treasure hunt -This is a great idea to make a grocery shopping trip more fun for your preschooler. While in the store, talk about the different items. Challenge your child to find a fruit or vegetable they have never tried, and bring it home to test together!

9.     Indoor basketball - What a great game for your little MVP. Crumple up sheets of newspaper or other paper to make balls. Using a laundry basket, try to get the balls in. Try it until it gets easy and then add challenges: try further away, with your eyes closed, or even backwards!

10.   Windowsill gardening -  Try gardening in the comfort of your home. Click here to view the windowsill gardening activity.

Outdoor Activities 1.     Bug detectives- With a couple of inexpensive magnifying glasses in hand and some rubber boots on for puddle stomping, head outside to look for bugs. Look closely at insects, tree bark and blooms. 2.     Snow/Mud Sports– With your baseball or soccer ball gear, head outdoors. In the mud, you just get to be really dirty, and that is always fun! 3.     Have a snowy/wet picnic  - When the snow is still here, or the ground is really marshy, set up a picnic table and bring out your picnic anyway! If it is still chilly, bring a thermos of hot chocolate! Finish the picnic up with a swing on the swingset or walk to the playground. 4.     Nature hike rubbings - While on your neighbourhood walk, take along some wax crayons and some construction paper. Find some things that have texture and journal your hike. When you come back,  discuss where each rubbing came from: the pine tree, the slide at the park etc.

5.     Gardening - Let your child help you pick weeds and water the flowers.  What a great way to start an interest in gardening!

6.     Classic outdoor games – Play the classic outdoor games, and maybe have tournaments! Games like Simon Says, hopscotch, Red Light Green Light and jumprope never get old!

7.    Run an obstacle course - Create a fun obstacle course. You have to jump over the mud, slide down the slide and avoid the crocodile pit... there are no limits to the real and imaginary obstacles that can be added to your course.

8.     Act out your favourite story - Using stories you have read recently, act out the story. For example, you can pretend to be Goldilocks, trying out the porridge and beds in the home of the three bears, or the gingerbread man running from all the forest animals.

9.     Look at the night sky - For children who are a little older, or on nights when sundown comes earlier, bundle up and head outside to see the stars. If it's warm enough, lay on a blanket. Point out airplanes, shooting stars, and constellations.

10.   Learn about the weather - Make a calendar with big spaces on the days. Each day, head outside and have your child describe the weather. Then head back indoors to colour a picture of the weather for your records!