There’s no reason every weekend this summer should be the same. You can plan (with your kids) for weekends at home to have a theme, special food, and fun activities outdoors. Here’s a few ideas to get you started.

Backyard Beach
Got a sandbox? Add a patio umbrella, patio chairs, beach towels and a sprinkler or baby pool. Make sandcastles. Bury shells and excavate them. Make a beach song playlist for your festivities and keep lunch and drinks in a cooler outside. Spend the weekend in your swimsuit and flip flops outside. If you’ve got a tent, you can even “camp” on your beach overnight.

Safari Fun
Turn your backyard into a “jungle”! Use binoculars to hunt for wildlife (butterflies, bugs, birds, and squirrels). Camp in the wild of our backyard and listen to the sounds of nature and read about explorers from history. Be sure to document your finds with drawings and notes in a journal like a real explorer.

How Does Your Garden Grow?
Kids can plan, draw, and help you plant a garden of vegetables and herbs. They can pick what they’d like to eat from their garden and take care of their little plants all summer long. Every weekend , set aside a little time to weed and feed and point out the progress. Draw pictures of the plants along the way, and cook a special meal at harvest time in which the kids use their homegrown foods.