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summer fun cards: making the most of our summer

by Teach Mama

summer fun cardsOne 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.

summer fun cards

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

summer fun cards

. . . 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.

summer fun cards

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

 

summer fun cards

Our Summer Fun Cards finished–

summer fun cards

–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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11 comments

Carolyn Wilhelm June 19, 2012 - 5:10 pm

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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Susan June 20, 2012 - 11:26 pm

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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amy June 22, 2012 - 9:28 am

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!

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Jules Bronte June 26, 2012 - 11:42 am

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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amy June 28, 2012 - 8:24 pm

thanks Jules, for writing–and thank you for referencing your blog. Look forward to checking it out!

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