School's out! Bring on summer! Remember the sheer excitement of the last day of school? And then after a few days of summer vacation, you've lost all sense of time and what day it is? That's how I remember lazy summer days of my youth. As a mother, though, I'll admit I'm having a small panic attack, thinking about what to do with those kids for 3 months. (Sidenote: Teachers are incredibly underpaid! I wouldn't take on that job for anything in the world.) So, to get prepared for the imminent sounds of "M-o-o-o-o-o-m, I'm bored" I'm sharing these boredom busters with you!

1. Water squirt guns - a classic summer staple. Hand each kid a squirt gun and a bucket of water and you get the next 1.5 hours off! Stretch out on the grass and soak up some rays while the kids soak each other. Pro tip: DON'T give the kids water balloons. There are many reasons why water balloons are just the worst, but the major drawbacks are the time it takes to fill them and the time it takes to pick up the tiny little wrappers after a water balloon fight. Trust me on this one - you'll thank me later. Water guns are the way to go.
2. Sidewalk chalk - let the little ones' creative juices flow and draw up a map, a racetrack, an art gallery. Again, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it's time to get outside! Sidewalk chalk is also a breeze to clean up with the hose.
3. Field trips. The park, the library, the zoo. If you have the time, energy, and money, those little tykes love going somewhere on an outing. Just make sure they don't wander off and you lose one and you panic and scream like a maniac, running around looking for them. (Yes, I speak from experience here. I'll have to tell you about that sometime.)
4. Make your own popsicles! You can even use toothpicks in ice cube trays - no extra supplies needed. Just mix up some extra-strong juice or kool-aid (only use 1/2 to 3/4 the water required) for some tasty, refreshing home-made popsicles. Bonus: Let the kids stir and pour, then YOU can be super-motivated to mop your kitchen!
5. All these previous activities require either good weather or that you're willing to make a mess. But there's one boredom buster that's tried and true for keeping kids entertained with minimal mess: Coloring! Have a coloring party together - let the kids pick their favorite character, while YOU color these sophisticated, gorgeous, intricate designs of our adult coloring book sets.

Summer will be over before you know it...we only get 18 summers with each kid before they're grown up adults, so make them memorable and fun. I know I'm looking forward to it!

Happy Coloring!

Aubrey~

Creatively Calm Studios