30 Activities for the summertime blues
Submitted by: Kevin Chertkow

Looking for ideas to remedy the summer time blues? Here is an idea or two for you.

Find a large jar, coffee can or bucket. Get some ping pong balls or construction paper. If you use construction paper, cut them into different shapes and sizes. Sit down with your child(ren) and think of all the fun activities they like to do and some you may have never done before.

You could make it into a game to see who can come up with the most ideas. Then write them on the ping pong balls or on the different shapes of paper and put them into the container. Then throughout the week you can pick at random an activity to do. You could even make it a reward for doing extra things like helping out around the house.

Here are some activities you could add to get you started...

1. Picnic in the park
2. Go to the zoo
3. Go fishing
4. Learn an instrument
5. Video Game Day
6. Attend "story time" at your local library
7. Set up a lemonade or snow-cone stand
8. Go on a family camping trip
9. Make home-made play-doh
10. Turn your driveway into an art canvas
11. Make Paper Airplanes
12. Finger painting
13. Write a letter to a friend
14. Go Swimming
15. Shoot your own short movie
16. Indoor treasure hunt
17. Perform a puppet show or play
18. Turn your living room into a movie theatre
19. Make a family scrapbook
20. Fly kites
21. Feed the ducks or swans at a local pond
22. Make homemade ice cream
23. Go to a beach
24. Make your own pizza
25. Water balloon fight
26. Plant a garden
27. Build a "fort" in the living room
28. Go bowling
29. Make your own board game

There are so many more activities to suggest, half the fun is dreaming up your own.