A few weeks back I wrote about my summer checklist and asked for yours in return.
My favorite reply came from Cathryn Montoya, who sent a photo of her 6-year-old daughter’s list with x’s next to the items she’s already tackled (the zoo, swimming, camping). Still to do? “Go to a staroubairrey farm,” which brought tears to my eyes and is definitely how I’m spelling strawberry farm from now on.
A few more:
For my 80th summer I plan to:
Watch fireflies.
Attend an outdoor evening concert.
Drive by my childhood home.
Listen to “heat bugs” (locusts? katydids?) on hot August afternoons.
Go to a Sox game.
Have a root beer float.
Have a simple bag lunch outside — perhaps in a local park (like impromptu childhood picnics in playmates’ backyards).
Ride a swing — porch or children’s swings in the park.
— Mary Geis
Schedule a very low-effort block party.
Relax in the hammock.
Play mini-golf at least once.
Sleep with the windows open.
Walk in a forest preserve.
Invite friends and neighbors over for a happy hour on the patio.
Listen to a book on my iPod while doing yardwork. (My very most favorite thing to do in the summer!)
— Nancy Long
A weekend in New York City to see the following plays: “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Oslo” and “Come From Afar.”
Ten days in the Canadian Rockies with a possible stop prior in Las Vegas to see a girlfriend.
Writing haiku.
Working on a high school reunion. Developing the list of names.
Seeing a movie every week.
Reading a book a week, and trying some heavier tomes.
Adding more flowers to my garden.
Baby-sitting my grandkids.
And, even dating! Just adds more fun to the mix.
— A Happy Nana
Many years ago, when our boys were probably your kids’ ages, my husband came home from work one night in mid-August with an idea. With two weeks of summer vacation left, he suggested that we come up with one summer thing to do each night. It could be as small as taking the dog for a walk as a family or something as large as having a picnic dinner at the beach. The key was that it had to be something that we could only do in summer. As a family, we brainstormed a list of ideas and each night picked one thing to do.
We loved the concept so much that we decided the next summer to start with our summer things as soon as the boys got out of school in June. I really can’t say enough how these small activities changed our summer. By the Fourth of July, I felt that I had had a very full summer. And it really changed our whole family’s outlook. With approaching empty-nester status, my husband and I are reinstituting the activity for the two of us.
Here are some of the activities we included in our list:
Take a family bike ride.
Walk the dog to the beach.
Make s’mores.
Play bocce ball, croquet and golf.
Go for ice cream.
Evening swim.
Concert in the park.
Tent in the backyard.
— Kathy Schuldt
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