Earlier this summer, I shared some of the summer activities that the kids and I tested! Before summer officially ends, I thought I’d share 13 more kid tested summer activities!
In case you’re new, I’m a nanny to 4 kiddos during the summer (2 once school starts). Read more about my nanny life here and here.
Places we went:
Camp Abe Lincoln
Big Sis went to a full week of horse camp, Big Bro to two weeks of sports camp, and L attended a three day Kinder Camp. They all came home tired and happy. Win, win in my opinion.
Family Museum Camps
Big Bro got to learn about Mars and other outer space awesomeness every morning for a week – crafts, games, and lots of facts.
Monkey Joes
Crazy amount of inflatable bounce houses all under one roof! The little kids and big kids alike had a bouncing good time (ha!) and at least 3/4 fell asleep on the way home. It wasn’t hard to keep an eye on them because the big kids played with the little ones. I actually got to sit and work for a large part of the time we were there. Awesome-sauce.
Schweibert Splash Pad
This splash pad isn’t large, but it is definitely fun! It is right on the river, so the view is amazing too. The only thing that worried me was that the built in lights on the ground were really slippery and the edges of the pad were rather sharp rock. E fell a few times, but it never phased her. All the kids really enjoyed this.
QC Entertainment Center
This one is best suited for the older kids, but the younger two had fun. I did take the stroller and lots of snacks to occupy E. We bowled, played arcade games, and the older two played (and won!) two rounds of laser tag. Downside – ridiculously expensive for all of them to do all of that. It’s a once a summer kinda place.
Channel Cat Water Taxi
This was a surprisingly fun outing. There are several places you can get on the taxi, and it takes you back and forth across the Mississippi River. You go under giant bridges and next to a few little “islands” in the river, you can get off and on at any stop, and you can ride all day for one low price. The little kids were a little fidgety by the end, and there is obviously no restroom on board but overall we really enjoyed it!
Pioneer Village
The kids really got into this more than I thought they would. Originally Big Sis chose this as one of the things she really wanted to do this summer. We went last week, and all the kids enjoyed it! There is a lot of history and several buildings to explore and read about. There is even a “downtown” strip of buildings complete with benches and a checkers game out in front of the old grocery. We took a picnic lunch and ate under the trees – definitely a fun thing to do every once and a while.
Scott County Park Pool
Pool, diving board, high dive, water slide, splash pad, and seperate, gated zero entry wading pool. What’s not to love?! The kids are already begging to go back.
Things we made:
Stepping Stones
We used quick dry cement and plastic pot trays, then decorated them with gems and plastic animals from the dollar store. E was napping, but everyone else really enjoyed this! My only advice would be to make sure any plastic items are firmly pressed into the cement as some of ours have been yanked…er, taken off in the time since we finished them. They take very little time to create and dry just as fast!
Make Crackers
Big Sis really wanted to know how to make crackers, so she looked up a recipe and got out all the ingredients. We helped her make, roll out, and cut out the dough. We chose not to add flavoring and that was our only mistake! Otherwise, the texture of the crackers was perfect – they were just very bland. It was a great project for all the kids (E was napping) to participate in. The little kids really liked eating them (and I didn’t mind them either).
Make cup cakes and rice crispie treats for a bake sale
Big Sis and I made cup cakes and rice crispies for a bake sale she was having with her friends. It was fun to get to work with her and I challenged her to read and follow the directions herself. All the treats turned out great, and she shared with her siblings … although they did have to pay for their treats…
Foil River
I had the older kids take out some foil and try to make a foil river by folding up the sides. The little kids kept pressing down the edges, so it didn’t last very long. We may try it again another time.
At Home Splash Pad
I kept finding these tutorials for at home splash pads online, so I purchased a heavy plastic drop cloth and we gave it a try. I rolled out the cloth and folded it in half, then used parchment paper and an iron to seal the open edges, leaving a small spot for the hose. Then we headed outside.
At first, it seemed to be working well and then we encountered some issues.
First, the dropcloth I purchased was too large.
Second, there were no flat places in the yard, so once filled the pad kept rolling due to the moving water.
Third, the pad kills the grass under it very quickly.
We were disappointed that it didn’t work very well, but we may try it again once they move with a smaller cloth and flatter ground.
What are you doing this summer?