summer fun cards: making the most of our summer

Jun 19, 2012 // 9 comments // Categories: foundations, parenting // Tags: family life, outdoor learning, traditions, travel.

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One of our most favorite parts of summer is making our Summer Fun Cards.

We’ve made them for the past three years, and each year I’m thrilled that each year the kids really seem to get into it. Summer Fun Cards are like our Christmas wish list for summer.

So when Maddy saw it on our calendar for last Friday, she asked every. Single. Day. if we could make them.

We ended up not waiting until Friday and rather doing them here and there Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Monday. And they’re filled with ideas new–and old–and we cannot wait to get to them.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Summer Fun Cards: We don’t make these fancy. They’re certainly not a beautiful work of art like my dear friend MaryLea’s.

But ours are pretty, and they do make a super-colorful hanging along our railing.

Cora works on the roller coaster in the picture for Dutch Wonderland. . .

. . . and Maddy draws a shark and a dolphin. (Huh?)

We started making them after lunch last Wednesday, much to Maddy’s prodding, and because the kids are already familiar with what they are, our Summer Fun Cards didn’t need much of an intro from me.

This year, our cards included some oldies but goodies:

ice-cream from Jimmie Cone

go to the beach

eat crabs

make s’mores

go berry picking

see July 4th fireworks

catch lightening bugs

eat breakfast outside

sleep at Nanny & Pap’s

But they also included some new-for-us ideas, some of which are just a tad bit silly:

go on a ropes course

swim with sharks and dolphins (and live)

see MA (something) 4! (translation: see Madagascar 3 at the movies)

go to the aquarium

swim in a new pool

go geocaching

Our Summer Fun Cards finished–

–and hung up so we see them every day!

And that’s it! Just a quickie, fun start to the summer–a sure-fire way that we make time for all of our favorite summertime things!

Happy Summer, all!

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I am sure you would do these fun things anyway but you got some learning included. I like wish lists as compared to Christmas lists. The term bucket list is so much less appealing to me. Looking forward is much of the fun! And your lists as cards are so pretty. Carolyn
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Carolyn Wilhelm
19/06/2012
Today my girl Emily (turning 5 next month!) thoroughly enjoyed making these fun cards!! She called it “my idea cards”. Among our brainstormed ideas are: go swimming, go to the beach, go to Bible camp, go to please touch museum, go on a picnic, and have a lemonade stand. These are so brilliant. Instead of simply jotting them down as a to-do list in the summer, she draws fun pictures that motivate me to want to fulfill these ideas. And she is so proud of her work! Thank you Amy for sharing these to us!!!
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Susan
20/06/2012
- Susan! I LOVE IT!!! Thank you so, so, so much for sharing! You have made my day–and I am so glad your Emily enjoyed making the cards–hopefully it will become a summertime tradition for your family, too!
  Reply
  amy
  22/06/2012
Thank you – this sounds like a wonderful idea – it will be something my youngster will love doing. Something to help create happy summer memories which I was mentioning in my blog today (http://books4dreams.com/bblog/). We look forward to making summer fun cards!
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Jules Bronte
26/06/2012
- thanks Jules, for writing–and thank you for referencing your blog. Look forward to checking it out!
  Reply
  amy
  28/06/2012