100 things to do with kids this summer

Ok, I’ll admit . . . choosing 100 things to do before September sounded way too ambitious for our (slacker) version of summer.  But a friend passed the idea along (she’s doing it with her teenage daughter) and my kids ages 4, 6, 9, and 13, were full of great ideas.  

I warned them that the “Go to Disney World” kind of suggestions were off limits for this round.  This is about things we can, will, and actually want to do.  I said it can’t cost much, if any, money.

I had to cut them off at 100.  They could have brainstormed for hours and are still asking to add or trade new ideas.  I’m hoping that the trick is to make most of them very doable.  And then have some that are just great ideas you might never do unless you included them on a list.   And then add a few that will stretch you; in good ways.

Oddly enough, I was telling my six-year-old about the list, and he started firing ideas at me in the car while we were on our way to a birthday party.  One of his ideas was to “meet a firefighter and get in a fire truck”.  Seemed totally doable.  

Since the birthday party was in East Falls, not ten minutes later, we walked past a fire station.  Outside there was . . . a firefighter!  Normally, I know we would have waved and kept on walking, but since we’d just put it on the list, we stopped and said hello.  

The firefighter was super nice.  He showed my son the gear, the truck, and then let him get in; engine revving, flashing lights, and all!  He was beyond thrilled, and it made me realize the power of the list. 

We’ll also be taking photos of each item we check off and creating our own private blog to help us look back on our summer of fun.  (Blogger or WordPress will let you create a free blog in about 30 seconds.)   So here’s our list. It was plenty fun brainstorming, but the real hope is that we’ll continue to cross things off (most are clickable links for more information):

Blow bubbles.
Have a glow stick bath.
Make a fairy village.
Make a kid wash.
Make berry cobbler.
Bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch.
Paint on a canvas.
Write a poem using magnetic poetry.
Make an alphabet with photos of friends.
Take a(n) historical tour.
Make play dough.
Make a stop-motion Lego movie.
Have a scavenger hunt.
Roller skate.
Make fairy dust.
Make sidewalk paint.
Paint garden logs.
Mail cool things to people.
Make a DVD writing case.
Elephant toothpaste.
Send a hug.
Play road trip bingo.
Play laser tag.
Create an indoor “laser” obstacle course.
See a Broadway show.
Make a new cd.
Yarn bomb!
Go to the candy store.
Go to a theme park.
Go for a bike ride.
Eat water ice.
Go roller skating.
Go bowling.
Build a sand castle.
Read a book in hammock.
Tie dye.
Make necklaces.
Knit.
Write a book.
Have relay races.
Play kick the can.
Catch fireflies in a jar.
Write a love letter and send it.
Send a postcard to a friend.
Have a Nerf gun war.
Make a Lego sculpture.
Organize your room (yes, moms get to put ideas on the list too)
Read a book to a friend.
Go to the library.
Go to a spray-ground.
Have a water balloon fight.
Run through a sprinkler.
Go to a water park.
Have a concert.
Do Star Wars origami.
Make a fort.
Sleep in a tent.
Make ice cream cones with lots of sprinkle stuff.
Make star wars crafts.
Have our teachers babysit.
Do a service project.
Play card games.
Go to a parade.
See fireworks.
Go to the beach.
Play tennis.
Go to the boardwalk.
Surf.
Donate clothes and toys and books.
Kiss a baby.
Go to the zoo.
Go to the mall.
Have a picnic.
Ride the train.
Movie night.
Take a hike.
Jump rope.
Fly a kite.
Go to a concert.
Make a robot.
Mini golf.
Kids make dinner.
Find a new playground.
Make paper airplanes.
Visit grandparents.
Have breakfast in bed.
Have breakfast for dinner.
Go fishing.
Play catch.
Make a koosh ball.
Catch frogs at Pastorius Park.
Walkie talkies.
Have a sleepover.
Go to the science center.
Go to the art museum.
Give food to people who need it.
Meet a firefighter.
Watch a movie outside.
Have a campfire.
Make an outdoor waterbed.

So what’s on your list of things to do this summer?  What do you think your kids would propose?

Northwest Philly Parents is a partnership between NewsWorks and Germantown Avenue Parents.