SUMMER HERE WE COME! I can’t wait. I love lazy summer days…staying in pajamas until noon, swimming, popsicles, summer night bbqs, road trips, etc…and I know my kids can’t wait either.
So…to kick off your summer, I have a Summer Fun Chart to share with you today. It is great to have a list of fun ideas so you can make your plans and fill your family’s summer with FUN! My kids are at a really fun age…they are so excited about everything we do. Together we created a list of 50 fun things to do together this summer…50 sounds like a lot but really most activities are simple and quick like getting a snowcone. I posted a similar chart last year, & Nikkala shared her awesome Science Camp idea. This year I added PENNANTS to the chart…which I am LOVING!
Here are some summer fun ideas from OUR list, but leave a comment if you have another fun idea-What is something you will do this summer? We would love to know!
1. Backyard camp out  {    }
2. Read-a-thon   {     }
3. Family Movie Night  {     }
4. Go to the Library   {     }
5. Go to the movies   {     }
6. Backyard swim party   {     }
7. Go to Lagoon   {     }
8. Neighborhood drive-in    {     }
9. Go to the Splash Pad   {     }
10. Make Summer Smoothies  {     }
11. Dinosaur Park   {     }
12. Make a puppet show   {     }
13. Run through Sprinklers  {     }
14. Ride the Frontrunner   {     }
15. Go on a Nature Walk   {     }
16. Go to a parade   {     }
17. Fireworks Show   {     }
18. Blow Bubbles   {     }
19. Walk to the Pie Pantry   {     }
20. Watermelon Night   {     }
21. Water Balloon Fun   {     }
22. Paint with Pudding   {     }
23. Celebrate an Unbirthday  {     }
24. Family Picnic   {     }
25. Side Walk Chalk Art   {     }
26. Go miniature golfing   {     }
27. Go to Boondocks   {     }
28. Eat snow cones   {     }
29. Grow strawberries   {     }
30. Make ice cream   {     }
31. Go on a Roadtrip  {     }
32. Night Stargazing   {     }
33. Play frisbee   {     }
34. Children’s Museum   {     }
35. Build a Fort   {     }
36. Family Game Night     {     }
37. Make homemade playdoh  {     }
38. Build a Sandcastle   {     }
39. Pizza Party! {Â Â Â Â Â }
40. Make rootbeer floats   {     }
41. Go to the ZOOÂ Â Â {Â Â Â Â Â }
42. Gateway Fun  {     }
43. Play at a Beach   {     }
44. Airplane Museum   {     }
45. IMAX show   {     }
& then I left the last 5 blank-so we can add a few more. My kids can add a sticker to each # after we do the activity. They are really excited about that.
I thought it would be fun to create a photo journal as we go….I wanted to make something simple (something we would actually finish). {I am the queen of starting…but not finishing…projects}Â I made this journal using my Cinch Machine & some art I made in photoshop to match the Summer Chart.
Here is the tutorial on how to use the Cinch binding machine…I {Heart} it. https://thecraftingchicks.com/page/7
Since we LOVE our readers….I want to share both my Summer Fun Chart (a version where you can print and write your own ideas) & my Journal cover art with YOU!
Personal USE Only Please!
For the Chart, I just uploaded the .jpeg image at Costco and printed it 16×20. You can also have it mounted or adhere it to foam board as well.
SUMMER FUN CHART:Â download- http://www.4shared.com/photo/pbUzSFAY/2011_summer_fun_chart_vertical.html
SUMMER PHOTO JOURNAL FRONT:Â download- http://www.4shared.com/photo/6BDeBlfU/summer_fun_journal_art_for_cov.html
& today Crafting Chick Brooke and I will be sharing these and other fun summer ideas on KUTV’s Fresh Living- channel 2! You will love Brooke’s Activity Jars and her amazing Chore Charts!!
Jamie, Thank you so much for sharing this with us and for gifting us the fabulous chart to download. This will help to not have summer escape us (doesn’t it always fly by so fast?) without completing all the things we say we’d like to do or plan on doing. Having the chart up to remind us and 2 little girls who will make us adhere to it will be the perfect way to check our list off. Thank you! If it’s not too much trouble on your end, may I please request the horizontal chart you created also available to download? I love the layout of it as well, especially the room you made to add some fun family summer photos. Very nice touch. Thank you so much! 🙂
That is awesome, def. gonna have to use that!!!
Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBH Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, under the Page 3 post on May. 16, 2011. Thanks again.
Thank you for this – I love it and can’t wait to get started on ours!
danielle
Very cute! Some more ideas could be:
blueberry picking
tour local baseball field
free concerts in the park
neighborhood ice cream party {potluck style}
kickball game
LOVE IT!!! My boys would LOVE to tour a baseball field 🙂
Thank you!!! I just printed mine out! My boys will definitely thank you for it! If I have something hanging up like this, they are more likely to have a fun summer!
great idea! love it & am definitely doing one! we have an older son, but with some revisions it will be terrific, plus there is still lots to do on your he will love! here are another few ideas:
build your own sundae bar/night
concert in the park
cloud watching (ya know, what does that cloud look like game)
rafting
strawberry picking
go to pool/waterpark
anything music related…lol!
as always, thanks for sharing so many wonderful ideas with us all…you chicks ROCK!
This is fantastic! Not only will it be fun to do, but it will save as a fun keepsake. I can’t figure out how to type in the “things to do.” When I download it, it saves as a file in my photoshop and it won’t allow me to cut and paste. Any ideas?
I love this! It is so cute!!! Very fun summer ideas too 🙂 Gets me excited for summer!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea!!!
A couple I will add are PJ day (my kids LOVE this), go bowling, go to a baseball game, and fly a kite. Thanks for all the great ideas 🙂
I’ve got this printed out and working on our 50 fun activities. This is SUCH a great idea. Gives us so many fun reasons to be excited. And when we get bored, we’ll just look at our list.
This is awesome! Can’t wait to link to this – lists with purpose!
JAMIE, you are the BEST!!. These are adorable like always 🙂
Just wanted to let you know that your idea is brilliant! I just posted your idea and my version (from your JPEG) on my blog. Thanks for the idea!
This is so adorable-I love it! Thanks for sharing this!
This is awesome! Please come link it up at my party tomorrow, http://www.smallfineprint.com! (and any other projects you wish!)
AWESOME! My girls are going to love this! And I’m so excited I have the ability to switch out some of the activities to mesh with our state! THANK YOU!
I want to make this chart into a 50th wedding anniversary poster for my parents. Love the templates you used, but need to change colors and wording a bit. Would you mind telling me which templates you used or where you got them. Time is short and great ideas always come at the last minute! THANKS!
Thanks so much for sharing this and for the free download! This is awesome! I featured in on my friday favorites!
http://www.lilbitofus.com/2011/05/friday-favorites_27.html
I love your photo journal idea! I am bad about taking pictures, but I am going to really try to remember to do it this summer. I linked to it as part of my Summer Fun Days series 🙂
Love it! It’s clever and colorful. I came up with 10 weekly themes to plan our summer (and posted about it) but would love to incorporate some of your checklist too!
Thanks for sharing! I <3 the easy-to-finish photo journal.
I love so many of your ideas. I just posted a link to this idea on my blog . Thanks for sharing your ideas and creativity.
I love this idea. Is there any chance you’ll make the horizontal version of the chart available. I love the option of adding family photos to the list. Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us.
This is so wonderful! Thankyou!
I downloaded it and tried to get it to print at Costco, only it is saying the resolution isn’t good enough for a 16×20. I’d love to do the large copy, is there anyway I could download a larger file of the document?
Did you make this with photoshop?
Thanks for the idea! I love it. (I came over from Real Mom Kitchen)
So adorable – thanks for shairing both ideas and files. Can’t wait to link you after the summer.
I love this idea. Thank you so much for sharing with us. (My kids thank you too! 🙂 )
I love this summer fun chart! Any way I can get it updated with 2012!!!! I love your site! Thanks!
Jen
Was just wondering the same thing. Loved last year’s and would like another for 2012 🙂 Thanks so much!
This was such a fun and wonderful chart last summer. My kids really want to put one together for this year. Could i add my voice to the request for another one for 2012? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaassse… and THANK YOU! 🙂
Julia in Mesa
Check their site again. They just updated it for 2012. I found it last week! Super cute!
Hi! I loved the segment on Fresh Living! Good job! Such a fun idea. I wanted to download the photo journal front, but the download link at 4share isn’t working. Please help!! Thanks!
Will you be making a matching photo journal cover for your 2013 Summer Fun list??? Very interested in one, please and THANK YOU…..;0)