With school out and summer in full swing, you may be trying to conjure up some fun summer activities for the whole family. You may take a few trips to the water park or beach, maybe go camping or take a vacation for a week and those things are great, but make sure to spend quality time with one another wherever possible.
Studies find that on average, families only spend 4 hours of quality time together a week, but spending time with the family doesn’t always mean you have to take a vacation or spend a ton of money to do so. Keep reading for 3 fun summer activities, that the whole family will enjoy without costing you an arm and a leg.
1. Backyard Obstacle Course
Fans of the show Double Dare may remember the amazing obstacle course at the end of each episode. Well, why not fulfill your childhood dream and create your own backyard obstacle course. This is an activity that everyone will love and can be as wet and as messy as you will allow.
Kids and parents will have a great time coming up with obstacles for the course and an even better time racing through it. Some ideas might include:
- Slip and slide with shaving cream or whipped cream on it
- Kiddie Pool filled with orbeez
- Place pool noodles on the ground like a rainbow to create a tunnel
- Balloons filled with water and hung upside down with a flag hidden in one
Come up with your own obstacles and don’t forget to hide a flag among each one for a truly authentic Double Dare theme, bonus if you add slime to your obstacle course!
2. Go on a Treasure Hunt
Did you know you don’t have to be a pirate to look for treasure? Geocaching is a great summer activity that will have everyone addicted to the outdoors. There are over 1 million geocaches located around the world and this can be a fun way to get your children up and out of the house over summer break.
You will have to rely on your eyes, as geocaches can be camouflaged to look like anything, including logs. You will also need to rely on your GPS and map skills to locate these little treasure boxes, but once you do your children will be longing to find more.
When you locate a geocache there will be a log you can put your names into, and basically, the rule is to take an item out and replace it with one of your own ensuring that the next person who finds it will be just as satisfied. So grab your sun hats and get to geocaching!
3. Nightime Hike
Hiking at night may not be something we typically think to, do but you would be amazed at how much fun this can be. Grab your flashlights and lanterns and choose hiking paths that maybe don’t involve climbing, then go and enjoy nature from an owl’s point of view.
Have your kids see if they can spot anything different they would not have normally seen during the day and have fun exploring the forest at night. One really cool thing you can bring along with you is some wintergreen Lifesavers.
Turn off the lights, pop one into your mouth and you should be able to see blue sparks caused by triboluminescence from inside each other’s mouths. This can be done using any candy but the wintergreen oil enhances the light more with these lifesavers.
Summer Activities All Year
These fun summer activities can be done any time of the year, but the important thing is that you are doing things you normally may not do as a family and bonding over new experiences. Your kids are only in the home for a short time so enjoy them while it lasts.
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