5 Bucket List Items for Your Family this Summer

Since today is the official first day of Summer, I thought I would share 5 of bucket list items to do as a family during the Summer.  I love all the bucket lists on Pinterest but boy are they overwhelming!  Some of them list 100+ things to do over the summer.  I would be exhausted if we did all those activities.  Here are my top five that we do every year as a family over the summer.    

1.  Go camping, rent a cabin or stay at a resort - I have posted about this before but I can not say enough about how wonderful camping is for a family. It forces you to unplug, slow down and all enjoy the outdoors.  If you hate the idea of tenting, rent a cabin or stay at a resort in the outdoors.  The whole goal is to spend time together in nature.

2.  Go on a picnic.  Might sound so simple but when was the last time you all went on a picnic somewhere?  Pack up a lunch, grab a picnic blanket and enjoy an afternoon at the park or a lake.  My kids LOVE when we do this.  

3.  Explore water.  Maybe it is swimming, maybe it is boating or maybe just splashing around in a creek.  I happen to love water anything so we do this all summer long.  

4.  Go hiking.  Take at least one hike.  I know this can seem like a daunting task if you have littles ones like we have had for the past 16 years!  Trust me you will enjoy it just don't expect that you will log thousands of steps on your Fitbit.  I usually "research" online for a simple hike of which my definition is a loop that is less than one mile.  Everyone should be able to walk the whole time except maybe the two year old.  I avoid hikes with ledges and narrow paths just because I don't want to be a "nervous Nellie" the whole time telling the kids to be careful.  You will feel like you made a huge accomplishment together!

5.  Visit your local library.  I can't say enough about libraries.  When I was a child, I have very fond memories of library story times and activities.  Now libraries have really upped their game and have so many wonderful and usually free activities.  The kids will get some entertainment and my husband and I take turns exploring the bookshelves.

What is your favorite summer time activity?

Want more family bucket list ideas?  

Check out the Family Bucket List Growing Play Cards Set. This set of cards includes 50 things to experience as a family before the kids grow up and move out.  Write down the date you complete the activity.  Have fun together as a family - they are only young once.  Find out more information GrowingPlay.com.     

10 Nature Challenges for Your Family

Here are 10 ideas to get your creative juices flowing to head outdoors!

1.  Go on One Hike:  Head outdoors for at least one hike.  I love hiking with the family as long as we pick appropriate trails.  I like well marked, short jaunts (maximum 2 miles round trip) that are not too hilly.  For me, I do not like any cliffs or extreme drop offs (plus I drive my husband crazy saying be careful every two seconds).   I try and plan our hikes by researching on the internet or using trail books to determine appropriate trails for the family.

2.  Start a Nature Collection:  Pick one item that you will collect this summer.  It can be anything general or specific i.e. a rock collection or maybe only white rocks, seashells or only tiny shells.

3.  Follow a Trail Map:  Children learn so much by bringing along a trail maps and trying to lead the way.  Again, research this and go for a walk where maps will be available and appropriate for children to guide you along the way.  We have found that most nature centers usually have trail maps that children can easily follow.

4.  Grow Something From Seed:  There is a nice sense of accomplishment to start something from seed.  Whatever you choose, flower, vegetable or fruit, let the children do it from start to finish.  Lettuce is sure to be successful. 

5.  One Hour, No Plan:  Head outdoors in the yard, at the park or in the forest with no plan.  Let the children guide what to do and just follow along.

6.  Go birdwatching:  Sounds boring to some but this is actually quite interesting.  Again, this is a good one to research a bit before you head out.  Maybe the kids can research what birds live where you are heading.  Print out a picture and see if you can spot that bird while hiking or enjoying a picnic. 

7.  Climb a Tree:  This one is easy but let your children climb trees.

8.  Sketch Something in Nature:  I loved this as a child.  Head outdoors with a sketch pad and a pencil.  Find a cozy spot and sit down and sketch what you see. 

9.  Find Animal Tracks:  Go walking to find any type of animal tracks and identify them.

10.  Explore a Stream: Sounds simple and maybe a little wet but my children have spent hours exploring and crossing streams.   If you are worried about their feet make sure they wear puddle boots or crocs.   Looking for crayfish, minnows and frog hunting is a super fun experience.  Half of my kids love to catch frogs and half won't touch them.  Bring along nets or wear garden gloves if children are hesitant.  We always catch and release the animals. 

Whatever challenges and goals you set for your family, everyone benefits from spending time outdoors.

5 Reasons Why Every Family Should Go Camping

I am starting to get super excited.  It is almost time to go camping here in the Northeast.  When I was a child, each year we went camping together as a family.  Now we have a camping trailer that we use each season from May through October on a beautiful lake.  Here are the 5 reasons why I recommend that every family should go camping:

1.  Less responsibility.  We have a busy household during the school year.  When we leave to go camping, I don't have to do laundry, we have minimal dishes and I plan super easy meals.  All of our lives get a little easier and less stressful.

2.   Less whining.  Our kids are never bored when we are camping.  Whether it be swimming, fishing, frogging or reading there seems to always be something to do.  The littlest ones require the least amount of entertainment when exploring the outdoors.

3.  Time to unplug.  Many campgrounds will have poor service so you have no choice but to ditch the smartphone. Many campers/RVs come with televisions.  We have a no TV or movie watching rule while camping.  We watch the campfire instead.  Instead of video games, try some games that require no equipment.  

4.  Amazing views.  Whether you go hiking, boating, exploring or just stay on your campsite you will have amazing views of your children.  To watch a child interact with nature is something no parents wants to miss.  Slow down and just watch them swim, fish or dig in the dirt.

5.  Making memories.  My entire family would agree that our best memories are when we are camping all together. Rainy days especially when we all get a little giddy and wound up from the bad weather.  Games get played for hours.  We have gone on scavenger hunts, created campfire cooking challenges and swam at midnight in the lake.  I would not trade that for any vacation!

Can You Set the Record?

The Set the Record download is a collection of 25 different finger testing, singing and physical activity challenges.  Pick a challenge and see who can set the record for the fastest, longest, most, shortest and tallest skills! Write down the top scores to keep track of who holds the records for each challenge.  Print as full size pages or smaller cards for travel size. You will need some household items to complete the challenges such as paper, pencils, coins, etc.  Download a free challenge page and try to be the fastest.    Set the Record is also available as a card set.

Only $1.99.  Add to the shopping cart and check out.  You will receive an email with a link to download the games immediately!

Check out all the other Family Game Night Ideas!

5 Ways to Make Time for the Family

I started to write this post since our life has been so chaotic recently with everyone going in different directions. The amount of time that our family of 8 is all together seems to be dwindling. Partially it is because the kids are getting older and have more obligations and partially it is just that we have a lot of kids! I wanted to write a list of 5 ways to make more family time for us. I am hoping I am able to follow the suggestions. Even as I was writing them I realize that some will be easier than others.

1.  Put aside a certain time during the week or write on the Calendar FAMILY TIME. In today's fast paced, over worked, over scheduled life sometimes hours turn into days turn into weeks, etc. before you know it so much time has gone by without anyone ever taking time out to enjoy the family.  We did this last weekend and it was quite successful.  We had to cut down the Christmas tree and decorate in within a small window of time.  All of us made sure to not schedule anything Saturday morning.  It worked!  We were all together cutting down the tree and decorating the tree before noon. Family time completed and Christmas tree up and decorated - woohoo! We frequently get together for family game nights.  We gather around the dining room table or the table in the camper and play games or card games.  When my husband and I are old and gray (oh wait a minute we already are haha) so maybe older and grayer, I know we will look back so fondly on our game nights.

2.  To create uninterrupted family time occasionally turn off all electronics including the phone. Even better, toss them in a basket so no one even is tempted from the vibration. Take time just to socialize and enjoy each other's company.

3.  Don't over schedule the kids. Sometimes we spend so much time running everyone around and never just all staying home together. We have a one sport rule per season in our house. The only problem is this doesn't eliminate other activities such as school play, church activities, odyssey of the mind teams, etc. so with six kids there are certainly days where we are over scheduled.

4.  Say no sometimes. We definitely need this suggestion. We say yes to way too many things. On one hand it is great to help out with coaching, cooking, rides, babysitting, etc I truly get so much satisfaction in life by helping others. But that being said at times our life is chaotic because of it. We all go in different directions to this meeting or that game. We do try and volunteer together as a family a few times a year.  This will probably be the hardest one for my to follow.

5.  Family time can come in all shapes and sizes by making every day routines more special. It can be really nice to drive to a game with only one child in the car. Whether it be my husband or myself, we frequently stop for a special treat - coffee for the adult and candy for the child.  I love these moments and really look forward to them. Very simple yes but special family bonding that works for us. As my children get older I realize that family time doesn't have to mean all of us doing something together. We just need to make time to enjoy each other and live in the moment.

Need ideas for family time?  Check out the instant downloads for family game nights here.

Top 5 Family Christmas Traditions

Throughout the years, our large family has participated in different Christmas traditions.  There is something so comforting about family traditions.  They can strengthen a family bond, create stability, provide familiarity and increase emotional ties.  Here are my top 5 family Christmas traditions:

1.  BAKE COOKIES TOGETHER - The taste of the cookie dough, the smells in the house and the tasty final result always make it worthwhile.  Sure you could do without the mess but you will instilling a love of cooking and cookies all at the same time!  Pass some on to friends and extended family and you will certainly bring some holiday cheer to that person.  

My mother bakes so many different kinds of cookies every year and hands out trays of the grand assortment.  Each of us has our favorites that get eaten right away.  Sometimes it is a classic peanut blossom cookie but for others it may be her ginger cookies or my personally favorite the peanut chews.  

2.  HOMEMADE SECRET SANTA - For years, we did not exchange gifts with the extended family (ie nieces and nephews, cousins, etc).  It was just too large of a crowd.  Last year we decided to start a homemade secret santa gift exchange.  If you were interested in participating your name goes into the hat.  Every one then picks a name out of the hat.  The one rule is that the present has to be homemade.  We had all sorts of gifts last year from homemade hot cocoa mix to paper weights to paintings.  It was so fun to see what everyone created for each other and to see some people were much more talented that we thought.

3.  CUTTING DOWN THE CHRISTMAS TREE - This is definitely one of my most favorite activities although each year it becomes harder to find the time (which is sad...).    When I was a child, we would go and shop for a fresh Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.  I was the youngest of 7 and money was tight so my dad wanted to get a good deal on a tree.  I think part of the fun was just for him to haggle with the tree guy to knock a few bucks off the cost of the tree.  I have great memories of going with my dad.  For many years it was just him and I who would go together to pick out the perfect tree. 

Now going with my husband and 6 kids I still find it very comforting although we don't go on Christmas Eve.  There is nothing like watching my husband teach the children how to cut the tree down and the youngest ones yelling "timber".  I have many great pictures of the kids helping to carry/drag the tree back to the car.  And lots of funny memories of how bad we tie the tree to the top of the car (hint: don't follow us we seriously stink at tying the tree down).  

4.  CHRISTMAS GAMES/SONGS - When we all get together at my sister's house on Christmas day we try to participate in a group game.  For the last two years we have played the Name Game (the directions for this game will have to be in another blog post so stay tuned).  One year I created a family scavenger hunt for the kids.  There were quiz questions about family members and the kids had to solve who was who.  This year we will try the Christmas Doodle Find game and see who will hold the record for the shortest amount of time to find all the Christmas pictures.  I also plan on making a Christmas time line. Not sure how I will do this yet.

As the day starts to wind down, we all gather in the living room to sing Christmas carols. The last song is the 12 Days of Christmas where my parents (79 and 80 years old) are the Two Turtle Doves. I have been doing this as long as I can remember and I am 45 years old so that is one long Christmas tradition.  Except for the one year I missed when I was on bedrest when pregnant with our oldest daughter.  

5.  CHRISTMAS PAGEANT - For at least the past 8 years the children have participated in the Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve.  It is so beautiful each year to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas at mass listening to the children sing.  

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?