Well, for most people here in Nebraska and the surrounding states, school is over. Does that mean summer started? It doesn’t feel as though there is a clean break this year. We are going from quarantine to… less of a quarantine? The lines get a little fuzzy. So what does this summer even look like?
This is what I do know… my favorite summers as a kid were pretty simple. They included playing, getting dirty, getting wet in a sprinkler, and then dirty again. And we did a lot of things that relied on our imagination. Maybe this summer will look really similar to a summer in the 80s and 90s. I think that’s okay!
Even though this summer is different, it can absolutely be great and that is exactly what we are planning on. We are still going to continue our tradition of making a summer bucket list, and it starts with letting the kids dream a little.
I always let my kids pick what they want to do (swimming, lemonade stand, watch a movie, sleep outside), then I throw in things that I know we are committed to (a wedding or family vacation), and then somethings that I want to do (farmers market, hiking, etc.).
Every summer is just a little different than the last year. We keep our homemade list on the fridge and check off items as we go. By the end of the summer, instead of feeling the blink of time gone by, it’s fun to go back to the list and remember all the things that we enjoyed doing together and reminiscing about the precious summer moments.
Everyone’s family is different and unique. So everyone’s summer bucket list should be too! A rule that I stick to is to make it all doable. Maybe going to an outdoor concert or major league baseball game sounds fun but is just not going to happen this year. Don’t add it. The key is to make this simple and fun.
Our list usually goes something like the below. I hope it triggers some great thoughts for you and your family. Summer will for sure look different this year, but it might be the best one yet.
HLLF – Melissa
A Few Bucket List Ideas…
Visit a museum in person or online
Play with sidewalk chalk
Go on a hike
Have a family nerf gun fight
Play flashlight tag
Write a letter to a friend
Write a letter to a “Hero”
Learn how to play a new game
Go to the zoo in person or online
Create an art project
Play a yard game
Find a new place to eat breakfast
Go on an RV trip
Play corn hole
Fall asleep outside
Make S’ mores
Go to Grandpa’s farm
Make Rice Crispy Treats
Try a new kind of slush
Jump in a lake
Make an obstacle Course
Have a picnic in the park
Read 10 new books
Play the License plate game
Visit a new park
Pick wildflowers
Play paintball
Watch an outdoor movie
Pick strawberries
Look at the stars with a telescope
Go to the farmer’s market
Have a water balloon fight
Make homemade ice cream
Celebrate National Donut Day (First Friday in June)
Watch fireworks
Find an organization to help
Finish something that took a lot of grit
Explore downtown
Play in the rain
Go to a Swimming pool
Kids make dinner
Find and follow a hot air balloon
Slip ‘n Slide
Homemade Blizzard night
Have a family game night
Catch lightning bugs
Celebrate a birthday
Watch the sunset
Watch a sunrise
Make a giant fort
Have a lemonade stand
Have a backyard BBQ
Blow bubbles
Make a marble run
Have a breakfast picnic
Have a family Karaoke night
