I love the idea of making bucket lists for each season. Summer is here and I have been searching high and low for fun stuff for us to do this summer. I found a huge calendar on clearance at Target so I could fill it with summer fun stuff as I saw it and then I can look at it each week to see what we feel like doing! Here is what I have come up with. Please email if you have stuff to add to the list!
Camps (there are a ton for kids over 5/ or in kindergarten, but not a lot for under that age. This is what I found for the younger ones)
- The Little Gym Mason (they have camps for all ages and Cody LOVED this last year. Each week is themed so your kids can pick what they like!
- Creative Tots: they have super cute themed summer camps for pretty cheap. You pick what days you want that week and you have the option of packing lunch.
- Safety Town: Deerfield Twshp has one, but usually fills up with their residents. Tri-County still has them and it is only $15 for the entire week! Great deal and wonderful for teaching your kids about safety!
- Horticulture Camp: every thurs. from June 13th-Aug 1st. Each week is a different theme and you have to be there with the kids, no drop off available. I am hoping to check some of these out and will let you know how they are. I like that it is all about nature!
- Here is a complete list from Mason Metu if you are local to the Tristate.
Movies in Park/ Theatre
I found this GREAT roundup on Mason Metu (scroll down and you will see the summer movies). I went through the list, wrote what I thought the kids would like and then printed it out as a back up! You can check out Kids In Mind website, which rates movies so you can decide if it is something you want the kids to see. Myself and a friend with similar aged kids are planning on going to some together so that one can sit with the bigger kids in the movie and take the younger ones out if they get antsy… great way to still allow your bigger kids to enjoy something you wouldn’t usually do because you have the little ones.
I was excited to Mason Library has free movies and I am SO looking forward to taking Cody on date nights to the movies in the park by our house :) One thing to make note of on that list is the new Smale park on the river . I am all about staying close to home, but will probably venture out there a few times to see the theatrical performances!
Prasco Park
I have not been, but heard amazing things about this family. They give back to the community all the time and have cool theme nights with lots of freebies. They have this during their baseball games which is fun for the kids to see too. I heard that the concessions there are super cheap. I will let you know what I find when we go :)
Whole Foods Mason
Chrissy Bender, their healthy eating specialist, has amazing stuff going on every month. They offer kids eat FREE on Wed, FREE kids crafts on Wed morning (kids in the kitchen), FREE story times on Wed for the kids and so many other great events!
Lowes/Home Depot
They have their FREE workshops for the kids on Saturdays! Lowes. Home Depot.
Story Times
Check out your local library or Barnes and Noble for times in your area. Book Bums has amazing story time with a preschool craft for $5 on Tues, Wed and Thurs.
Free Museum Nights
Cincinnati Museum and Boonshoft (in Dayton) offer free nights through the summer. Be sure to check your local museum to see what they offer in the summer!
Church Functions
I know our church has a lot of fun things they plan throughout the summer and are usually FREE. We just had a free pizza party where the kids were able to decorate their own pizzas and play on the play ground while it cooked. Then we all had some fellowship time inside while we ate. It was a good time :)
Spraygrounds at the Park
You can check out Mason Metus list of all the parks around here and find which ones have sprays!
Amusement Parks
We got a KI pass this year for the first time. I think the kids are at a great age to start going and we have been a few times so far this summer and have had loads of fun. Little Grayson can get on rides with Cody and then they have their amazing water park so you can cool off! This can cost some mula so make sure you will go enough to make it worth while!
Local Gym
I have been SO pleased with our gym, Lifetime Fitness. It is SUPER family friendly and not only do they offer the typical gym “stuff” they have family friendly activities going on all the time. They do these Poolapalloza events in the summer with a D.J., games, food etc. and movies in the pool too so I hope to take advantage of that as well. One great thing I have been doing for a while now is go early and get my workout in and then we go to the pool (we used the indoor pool through the winter) so everyone gets what they want. It is a win, win! If you are thinking about a gym, be sure to look into their kids activities before you join and weigh that into your decision!
So as you can see there is SO much to do this summer with the kids! A lot of it is FREE! Can’t beat that :) I hope to try it all out and will let you know what is worth it so you can mark your calendar for next summer! What is on your summer bucket list??!
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