WEEK 1

Welcome to Fun Times in Fifty Days! I hope you find more than a few things to keep you busy and having a great time as the weather heats up outside. Keep in mind that none of these activities are date-specific (not really, anyway) - you are more than welcome to mix them up to fit your schedule. Feel free to comment and add your own ideas as well.



And away we go!

MONDAY: Homemade playdough day! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I'm starting with something sticky, icky and what a lot of people say, um NO! to. As a preschool teacher, I love homemade playdough, and it is TRES easy to make. Plus, if you keep it in ziplock bags, it makes a ton and your kids can play with it all the time...it is tons better than what you buy in the store!

JUDY'S HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH:
You will need:
1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food coloring
What to do:
Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring all the time. When the dough has a good consistency, take it off the heat and allow to cool.


TUESDAY: Tent Day! Time to turn the house into a campground! My boys actually love to do this all the time, and even though it means we have to spend about 20 minutes cleaning the living room, that's OKAY! They enjoy it that much. Tent day doesn't mean you have to get all technical and whip out the pup tent (although we do just because it is easy to put up), you can also drape a blanket between two chairs and "camp out". Complete the experience with hot dogs for lunch, S'mores in the microwave, and a hike around the yard. We are even going to go "fish" in the bathtub tonight (magnetic fishing poles and magnetic fish or tie a string on a stick with a magnet and fish for things with paper clips on them!). If you live in a milder climate, you might try setting up a tent in the back yard and playing out there. However, in the oven of Texas, we don't do much in the way of long-term play outside, so the "real" tent is only on the rare occasion that our temperature is lower than 95 degrees.

WEDNESDAY: Library Day - today is our first day to sign up for the summer reading club, so going to the library is a MUST. I'm planning on doing this every Wednesday as our library has a storytime for the kids that involves a craft and a SNACK (the latter obviously being the more important feature for my boys). The challenge of the reading program is enough to keep Travis reading this summer and Tyler interested in learning more about how the library works. And, I'm going to look into an adult reading club for this summer. It doesn't mean I'll DO it, but I'm going to look into it! HAHA We're actually doing two reading clubs - the library one and another one sponsored by HEB...gotta love a free t-shirt!

THURSDAY: Let's Paint! No, I have NOT lost my mind. But, it is hot here and the kids need to cool off! Today's activity will involve buckets, big paint brushes, a bunch of water, and the backyard. I'm cutting them loose with their supplies and letting them paint until their hearts content with water. If it gets on them, not a problem. Paint the fence? Go right ahead! Douse your brother? Alrighty!

FRIDAY: Take a hike! This can be as simple as a walk around the block, or make it an excursion and hit up a local park or hiking trail! We're going to tackle one of our town's hiking trails that we have never encountered before and make an evening of it! WAHOO!





Let me know what worked for you!