Summer Bucket List!

Dear Aimee,

My kids are turning into couch potatoes this summer. Do you have any tips or ideas for keeping them active and off the couch?

Needing Some Fun in the Sun – Elk City, OK

My family looks forward to the reduction in activities and schedules during the summer. However, I do understand there are people who thrive on order, so an unproductive unplanned summer vacation day can feel more stressful than relaxing. My blogging friend, Greta Funk at www.gfunkified.com posted a fabulous idea for making sure the summer includes all the fun and activity a family can imagine. It’s called the Summer Bucket List. I have done a little research and found there are several variations of the idea, but the underlying theme is cheap family fun designed and organized by the family. Greta used index cards hanging on a ribbon, but you could just stick them to the fridge, pin them to a cork board, or use a piece of poster board as a display. On each card the kids and parents write something they want to accomplish during the summer as a family. It’s simply a creative, interactive, and visual to-do list, but a great reminder to take time and indulge your kids in the little things of life. So many times we plan a summer around big events such as trips and camps, but overlook the many activity opportunities that are in our own backyards. Here is a list of a few things my family came up with: sleep outside in a tent, learn to play tennis, go play laser tag, watch a sunset together, family bike ride, trip to the zoo, go fishing, teach kids to cook a meal, go to a drive-in movie, sit around a campfire, visit the aquarium, read a classic novel together, the ideas are endless and don’t have to cost much or require a lot of time or travel. As the goals are accomplished , the cards are removed and replaced with pictures of the family participating in the various activities. Before you know it the season will be winding down and you will have a fridge or poster covered with images and reminders of a fun and fabulous summer 2012! Make your Family Summer Bucket Lists and share a pic with me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ajoneswrites. Have fun and be safe!