I don't know how many people can say this... but I am so thankful to say that I had an amazing childhood - especially in the summer time. To her credit, my mother literally made summer magic. I don't ever remember being bored.
 |
| Vintage summer under the sun circa 1989. |
Now that I'm the mom, I struggle to keep the tradition alive and have run into a couple of obstacles. First, I want to do simple things that don't cost a ton of money and don't leave us feeling overwhelmed and over-scheduled. Second, we live in a rural area, so the "places to go and things to do" list is a short one.
With the inclination of today's children to veg out in front of the TV and play video games, I know each summer that it is going to take more than a little effort to make summer magic.
My attempt at a modern recipe for my mom's vintage summer magic looks a little like this...
We make stuff and get messy... we might sidewalk chalk the entire driveway or paint a picture... I keep an array of dollar store art supplies on hand at all times.
We take twilight walks down the dirt road and enjoy the sun set while getting out that last little bit of pent up energy. The kids can run or walk or throw dirt clods at each other... I let them get dirty!
One of the best investments I ever made was a medium sized above ground pool for around $250. It is on its second summer. I let them swim a couple of times a day. It keeps them cool and we all get some sun!
Going to the park and splashing in creeks, trying to catch tadpoles has made a great pass time. I will admit that I'm not quite as "into it" as the boys, but they never want to leave, so I know it's worth it.
We played baseball the first part of the summer and it was the perfect amount of time - not so much that it consumed our whole summer, but enough to keep the boys busy. Sports can be a huge summer burden if your family takes on too much!
I'm not opposed to pulling old movies out of the vault. After spending an ample amount of energy playing outside, everyone enjoys sitting quietly in the cool of the living room watching movies. I've introduced them to some of our all time favorites this summer: The Gnome Mobile, The Parent Trap, the old version of C.S. Lewis' The Loin, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Gus, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and of course Summer Magic. If you've never heard of some of these, they're old - Google them. You won't be disappointed. You can also find a comprehensive list of Disney movies since the dawn of time
here.
The public library is a great source of free activities throughout the summer. For our age group, they offer a movie day and an arts and crafts hour, not to mention a guest appearance from Mad Science! The reading incentive program has helped keep them reading over the summer. Every time they read 10 books, they can enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.
The specific ingredients seem to change year after year, but I have come to the conclusion that the recipe for summer magic lies in making the effort to spend time with your family away from the television - finding the fun little activities that pop up in our area in the summer, while stirring in the occasional opportunity to go on a family vacation or to the big amusement park or water park.
Even though it's been a few years, here is a snippet of what I personally remember about my own childhood summers: swimming, girl scout camp, the zoo, frozen grapes, snow cones, First Baptist Church Vacation Bible School, Disney movies, family get-togethers, fireworks, the old Sulphur Springs Public Library, building tree houses, jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath, trips to Red River, parades, hours of fun at the park, Canton Trade Days and blanket tents.... to name a few. Thanks, Mom!
My hope is that when my own children look back, they will remember summer time as pure magic. What will your kids remember?
