Go letterboxing!!!! If you have never heard of it just do a search in your area, example: letterboxing in Connecticut - then hit search - just put your states name and town. It gets the kids outdoors, exercise, discover nature, learn to read and understand maps and they use a compass sometimes.

Basically you go on a "treasure" hunt.

I have gone on LBNA's website (letter boxing of north america) But its ALL over the world!!!! It's soooo much fun - and most maps will let you know if its child friendly and the rating of difficulty.  Usually if it doesn't say anything -its for all ages.

Hope this helps!!! And have fun:)

I am homeschooling my girls over the summer, they are 12 month kids in a 9 month system.  We have one theme per week and we do activities related to the theme.  We also read and do school type work too.    Check with your library they may have a summer reading program you can also incorporate in your plans.  Dollar stores are good places to look for materials, as well as a charity resale store.  I made a donation to a resale store this week and while I was there found several board games for $.75 to $2.00 each--score! Sideline to visiting inexpensive stores is giving each child a couple of dollars and have them budget their money. They buy what they want as long as they stay within budget.    Here are some websites with activities that can help. These are all free sites and the links are good.   www.Learningpage.com  It is a free site, but you have to sign up and they send an email about once a month. They have "funsheets" galore, including beginning writing and numbers, fact cards, puzzles and review sheets. They also have about 30 free books, including one  my girls really like where you can mix up animal parts to get different animals.  I have one in book form and another cut up as a puzzle.  For preschool/kindergarten to grade 3.   www.crayola.com  lots of coloring and crafts   http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/teachers/minibooks.html  I found this one recently and I am still exploring it. It has free mini book links.    http://www.highlightskids.com/  puzzles, stories, science experiments, all kinds of stuff    http://www.dltk-kids.com/   http://www.dltk-teach.com/   http://www.dltk-cards.com/     These are related. They have lots of stuff. This last one can print kids writing paper for a theme with the divided lines   http://www.educationalpress.org/#PickWorksheetType  you can pick premade worksheets to trace words or make one of your own.  My daughter's kindergarten teacher likes this one. I found it by accident.   http://66.113.195.73/  Like the last one, but does not offer as much versatility.  Great for repetition.   http://www.uptoten.com/ has online games   www.nickjr.com  games and printable   www.noggin.com   online games and printable   http://family.go.com/  arts and crafts, parenting stuff   http://kids.discovery.com/  on line games   www.warnerbros.com   They have games and stuff.    http://www.kaboose.com/    printables etc   http://www.bry-backmanor.org/index.html   printables etc   www.craftbits.com    artsy craftsy stuff   www.michaels.com  have all kinds of artsy craftsy stuff   www.onebillionmazes.com/?t=919990 has one billion mazes that you can print.   Other Activities:   Make your own books, ex take pictures of signs around town or cut from magazines and create a book. kids write their own text.   Make a memory game based on weeks theme.   Have a cheap theme party, such as a dirt and water party.  They can plant seeds, do water experiments, make bubbles, and have a dirt snack (that cake thing that looks like dirt) and a liquid beverage. Social event and cheap to do.   Go on a bug safari.   Our themes this summer include:   Signs plants and seeds water stars pets 4th of July Foriegn week, 1 country each day, we are going to celebrate Bastille Day, Autrallia, Japan, Mexico and Canada. bugs the body  Dinosaurs Castles Back to School

 

books "I Get Wet" by Vicki Cobb

"Prime Time Together…with kids Creative Ideas, Activities, Games and Projects: by Donna Erickson

The Williamson Little Hands series...lots of books with ideas to choose from.

Great Big Book of Children's Games, by Derba Wise ...has games for children 3 to 14.

hello  I have 3 children  ages 7 6 and 3   two girls and a baby boy. I t is hard for my baby boy because he wants to play  with his sisters but his sisters want to play with dolls  and he has no one to play trains with. What I do is have them pick an activity for a day that way they feel important and my baby boy gets to play  trains  or what ever he wants to do on his day  .                             happy.

 

My last summer vacation from school was the summer of '74. It was the height of the Watergate scandal, with Nixon facing impeachment (but of course, he ended up resigning), and the start of the disco era.

Since I grew up in the 60's and 70's, my summer vacations were typical of any child. I'd go swimming, go out and play with my girlfriends, babysat my handicapped brother, go to the mall, go visit relatives, take short trips with my family, as well as listen to the latest tunes on the radio.  And since it's now exactly 40 years since the so-called Summer of Love (1967), it was nothing but another ordinary summer vacation from school.