

Can you believe it’s August already? In just a few short weeks, kids will be heading back to school and the weather will change from dreadfully humid to oh-so-cold. Why does summer have to be so short?
I remember how long summertime felt when I was a kid. Now as I sit here, the last month of the summer is on the calendar already and I can’t for the life of me understand where all the time went! My kids and I have a handful of must-do’s on our summer bucket list this year and we’ve been able to check a few of them off, but the list is not done yet and if we’re not careful, summer will be over soon(!).
Don’t let the time go by without checking everything off your summer bucket list! Here are 10 activities you must do with your kids before the summer ends – the countdown is on!
1. Try a few new flavours of ice cream: My kids love ice cream and trying new (gluten-free) flavors is something they’re really excited about.
2. Make our own bubbles: My girls especially love playing with bubbles and I know my youngest, who is 7-months old, will get a kick out of them too. You can get the recipe for your own bubbles on Exploratorium and try it at home.
3. Set up a lemonade stand to raise money for charity: Setting up your own lemonade stand is something every kid should do, and raising money for a local charity just makes it better for everyone.
4. Lay on the grass and spot shapes in the clouds: Spotting fun shapes out of the clouds fosters imagination and always is a good time.
5. Visit the zoo: Hit up the local zoo or the bigger one just a few hours away. My kids love to visit their favourite animals and say hello!
6. Have a water blaster fight: Water fights are too fun not to do at least once in the summer.
7. Make homemade chalk and colour the sidewalk: Nothing will make passersby smile more than seeing a mural on the sidewalk drawn by kids. If you’d like to make your own chalk, you can get the how-to from Martha Stewart or buy some quality chalk!
8. Go on a picnic after spending the morning making the food: My kids are really getting into cooking and who doesn’t love a picnic? We plan to spend some time at the farmers market shopping for a picnic, then making the food the next morning and enjoying the time at our favourite park. There are some really great picnic baskets available too, so it will be a breeze!
9. Make sand angels at the beach: The winter has snow angels and the summer has sand angels (which do your kids prefer?)
10. Run through the sprinklers: I am hoping we can do this more than once in the August heat because it always makes for a fun afternoon for all the kids…and the bonus for us parents is it really wears them out!
What activities do you have on your must-do summer list?


Devan McGuinness is the editor-in-chief and founder of byDevan.com. Previously blogging at AccustomedChaos.com, Devan branched out to start byDevan.com — a resource for busy people who still want time for exceptional. She has been married to her high-school sweetheart for 10 years and they are parents to 4 children, who they home school. Diagnosed with celiac disease and casein intolerance, the allergy-friendly recipes on byDevan are real meals she and her family actually eat at home.
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