Summertime Fun: Keep the Kids Happy!

Hi all! I've officially finished up with my summer classes, so I am in full blown babysitter mode now! Most of my followers either are babysitters, like myself, or Mommies that are home with their kids for the summer, so I've decided to share with you some of my ideas for this summer! 

First off, it has been hot, hot, hot, here in West Virginia, so naturally my kids and I have been trying to find a pool! (Luckily, I have one.)

Yeah, how can you not go wrong with a pool?! BUT I do realize that not everyone has a pool, so I tried to come up with some alternatives that will keep the kids cool this summer...

Water guns... 97 cents at Wal-Mart AND they even have pink for the girls! I understand some people don't like their kids playing with any type of gun, so my second option (and favorite option) is...

WATER BALLOONS!

I'm telling you right now, go to the store, buy 1000 water balloons. Water balloons + bored children = happy kids.

My favorite things to do with water balloons:

- Play baseball with them and a wiffle bat

- Have a water balloon toss

- Throw them to the kids like a pop up (they get soaked everytime this way)

- Play dodge ball

I realize that sometimes we won't be able to go outside and as a the babysitter/momma/daddy/guardian you may not want to get completely drenched, so here are some other alternatives I 've come up with to keep your kids happy throughout the summer! 

I started my full time babysitting job yesterday, so my little friend, Sarah, and I decided to come up with ideas for the rest of the summer so we never get bored! 

First idea: Decorate a cup/jar to hold all your ideas! (Anything counts right!?)

We came up with A TON of ideas, so I'll share Sarah's with you first! 

1. Go to The Pottery Place 

(This is a fabulous little shop where you can pick out pottery and paint it, then pick it up after they have fired it!)

2. Go to Gattiland

3. Go to the pool

4. Go to the movies

5. Go bowling

While I LOVED Sarah's ideas I was thinking more frivolously -- ? good word there?! Haha.

Here were my ideas -- parents/babysitters thank me later! Fun and cheap ideas to do with your kids! 

 - Create a scrapbook/journal of your summer

- Create a name collage and frame it

- Go to the pet store and look at animals (we aren't close to a zoo and Sarah loves animals)

- Go to the park and have a picnic

- Have a fashion show

- Have an indoor movie day with popcorn and special seating

- Have an ice cream social

- Plant some flowers in a special painted pot 

- Plan a scavenger hunt

- Make a pizza

- Have a field day (great for when friends are over)

- Make volcanos! (baking soda + vinegar)

- Create your own board game

- Make bird feeders out of pine cones and peanut butter

Those are just a few off the top of my head, but there are SO many awesome things kids would rather do than sit in front of the tv all summer, so put your heads together and do them! 

One of my favorite tips is to look up a "special days" calendar. It is hilarious how many "days" there are.

Did you know that July was...

National hot dog month

National wedding month

and 

National ICE CREAM month?!?!

See, three ideas right off the bat - Plan a wedding (for girls probably), have a hot dog cookout, and ice cream social. 

There are also some crazy wacky days in July as well...

July 6 - National Fried Chicken Day

July 7 - National Chocolate Day (YES!)

July 9 - National Sugar Cookie Day

July 22 - National Parent's Day

July 29 - National Lasagna Day

July 30 - National Cheesecake Day

Okay... I realize all but one of those were food days, but hey, what kid doesn't like food! Plus you can easily make all of those with your kids! 

I hope this has been somewhat helpful and if you have any tips you'd like to share feel free to leave a comment and help out a fellow babysitter! 

As for today, my kids and I will be baking and decorating a cake for the 4th of July! Wish us luck!