Friday, May 25, 2007

Summer fun!


Ok, I need some suggestions! We are working on our summer calender with the kids. I want to go, do, and have fun. I also want to give. With both of my kids being over the age of 4, I feel like we are pretty free to have some real "away from home time". We won't be packing any diapers or sippy cups, nap times are only optional anyway, and they both can walk a lot with no gadgets.


So we have plans for all of the "free" stuff in the area and even some visits to all of the attractions on the "half-price" days. That is the easy part.


The hard part is deciding what giving lessons we may need to learn. We have had a couple of brainstorms. First we thought that we would raise money all summer and then throw a big party at the local jump house place and invite the kids from Christ Haven (foster home).


I even saw on everything pink that you can win a limonade stand from sunkist to raise money for a local charity. (Great tip, Kristi!)


Then we thought that we could pay visits to the widows from our church. We could bake them cookies or find a sugar free snack. In order to futher develop Ashlynn's writing skills we thought that she could "interview" them about their childhood and then write about what each of them tells her. At the end of the summer we could put it all together in a "summer memory book" for her. The latter of these two ideas is probably going to be the winner. Do you have any thoughts or ways that we could improve that idea? Or do you have a "giving back" idea that you and your kids do together that is fun?

7 comments:

Stacy said...

WOW! Great ideas!
I'm not sure what else to add. We are going to plan the First Annual Darwin Ooey Gooey Day and have friends over to do messy science in the back yard. I'd like to have a craft day, too. My plans are to have Miranda keep a daily journal with drawings and "writings" to put in her box-o-stuff she's done in preschool.

I really like your service idea. Let me think about it, and I'll get back to you....
Stacy

Neva said...

You could make a picnic and take it to someone's house. You could also take pictures and then just print them on a computer to go in the "thank you card" your daughter writes to thank them for sharing your day.
Kevin Leggett on Massive Truth the other day did a post about his son being a superhero for the day. I thought everyone should get to be superhero for the day. You could all do it, pick an identity, pick a name, pick a special power, and choose the day's activities. It would be really fun, especially if Mommy and Daddy got to have a day, too.
Your ideas sound great--dont forget some down time so you can relax and just enjoy being together, too.
Peace
Neva

Matt said...

Really like your Ideas, One of my favorite memories is going and helping an older lady in our church weed and replant her flower bed. That would be the winner to me.
I think you and your kids will be blessed if you do that. I have to admit you are way ahead of me on the summer stuff I am lucky to be planning tomorrow at this point. I will think about this and get back to you if I can think of another idea.

The Preacher's Household: said...

I think it is a great idea to work giving and thinking of others into your summer plans. We have a full schedule but I didn't think to include that - I guess I have some replanning to do.
Thanks,
Kathy

Anonymous said...

Great ideas. I am going to brainstorm now and see what I can come up with for me and my children to do this summer to help others.

Service, isn't that what life is about, serving God through serving others.

Anonymous said...

Have a garage sale. Save the money back until next spring. In the spring, you hit the clearance aisles shopping for all kinds of hats, mittens, coats (at dirt cheap prices). When the weather turns cold again donate them to the local charitable organizations.

I love your idea of visiting the older people. They love to have any visitors and especially love to see children. Take a polariod of the older person with your children and the cookies, to leave with them. It gives them something to talk about for months! And if you put more cookies on a plate than they can possibly eat themselves, they will share with other friends, (so the cookies don't go to waste), which helps by creating contact with more people.

For your interview idea, record the interview and give the older person a copy of the DVD. Their family will love you!

Another idea for your lemonade stand money is to buy gas cards and anonymously send them to people you know that are having to travel regularly to hospitals for treatment or to stay with ill family members. (Really like the party idea too.)

TREY MORGAN said...

Come to QMCC and be a counselor and bring your kids... there's a great idea! :)