Summer fun now available in jars

HOORAY!  It’s official, summer is here and it seems to have arrived in full force with a whole lot of heat and sunshine.  This year more than any other (that I can remember) I was starting to fray at the edges as we neared the end of the school year.

I was feeling frazzled. Not only was the school year ending but so too were many of our other activities and commitments so our calendar was full. I’m still not sure how I managed the numerous year-end parties, school assemblies, tournaments, banquets, ceremonies, and recitals. Not to mention the gift buying, card writing, assignment submissions and library book returning. But finally, I’m staring summer holidays in the face. Phew!

Now I notice the summer calendar is filling up.  This calendar consists of many things we are anticipating with excitement. A week of camp to attend, swim club & swim meets, play dates and parties, a trip to the cabin, local fairs, parades, exhibitions, a family wedding and birthday celebrations, backyard barbeques and other great events.

There are still a lot of blanks on the calendar which don’t bother me. But while we are no longer be slaves to our schedule, there a two nasty school-holiday words every parent fears – ‘I’m bored’.

I decided to have a plan for those days when we are going a little stir crazy and need something to put the thrill back into summer. I sat my five chicklets down and handed them little pieces of paper to jot down a few top day trip choices or activity ideas they’d like to do this summer.  We tried to narrow it down to fairly local and free day trips. We then reviewed (and weeded out a few of) their ideas and placed them in our new Summer Fun Jar.  So now when we are looking for summer fun we just reach into our jar and pull out an idea.

To help you make your own summer fun, I thought I’d share a few of the ideas we came up with:

• Making a small bonfire to burn any unwanted schoolwork,
• Beach combing in Whiterock or Belcarra,
• A trip to Harrison with a stop at Bridal Falls and Agassiz visiting local attractions along the way
• Cycling some of our favourite local trails – Matsqui flats, along the Fraser or Sumas Flats, Fort Langley,
• Fishing or gold panning on the river in Chilliwack,
• Geocaching for treasure,
• Getting a map of local parks and visiting them all to discover which one we like best,
• Climbing Teapot hill in search of hidden teapots along the trail before heading to the beach for a swim in Cultus Lake.

If you have any additional ideas for our Summer Fun Jar please let us know via our Facebook Page.

Let the summer fun begin!