Summer To Do Checklist – Free Printable!

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Yesterday the kids got out of bed and pressed their noses to the window. Through their foggy clouds, they exclaimed, “Mom! All the snow is gone!” Every day we mark the changes spring brings. And let’s be honest, spring only means one thing:

Summer!

For years I’ve wanted a fire pit in our back yard. In fact, I pinned how to’s back in 2012. At the tail end of summer last year, my husband was cruising down Craigslist BLVD when he came across an ad for garden pavers. A bunch of them.

Two days later, I had a fire pit.

Unfortunately we were only able to use it once due to a two week burn ban (fires were so bad last year!). Then, the temperature dropped, the rain fell, and shortly thereafter the snow blanketed the yard and fire pit. But oh, how I look back on that cookout with fondness. We had hotdogs and chips, ants in the lemonade and s’mores with no graham crackers. We used cookies instead because I was sure we had graham crackers. I was wrong – but there’s a first time for everything.

Now with spring coming in like a lamb and summer following on her coattails, I anxiously await the day when we can gather round that fire pit and roast away again.

Summer is only a few short months around these parts, so we make the very best of it. We fill our days and nights with as many fun activities as we can. Not to worry, we have a large garden and five chickens, so there is work aplenty. But we work hard and we play hard.

I always feel like when the nights turn cold and the leaves turn gold that we’ve left something out. Didn’t we mean to ______? This year I’ve made a Summer Checklist.

 

On it I’ve included 21 of my favorite summer activities.

Go on a family/group bike ride
Have a picnic – this can even be done right in your back yard!
Waterballoon volleyball/fight – great activity for teens, church group or family reunion. Or you could even just blow up a kiddie pool and dive in.

But not literally dive. Safety first, people!
Feed the ducks
Make homemade Ice Cream – don’t have an ice cream maker? No problem! There are tons of ways to make ice cream, even in a plastic bag!
Geocache – all you need is the free app on your phone (Search for Geocache in the Appstore or PlayStore.), a few little prizes to leave in place of the ones you take and some good old fashioned time. You’ll be hooked! My kids LOVE it!

It’s literally a treasure hunt. Your app tells you how far you are from a geocache. You find it, take a prize, leave one for the next treasure hunter.
Make & Float Zucchini boats – Cut a zucchini in half lengthwise. Hollow out the seeds. Put a stick in for a mast and see how far it’ll float!

In this case it didn’t get far before it capsized. We would have taken our hats off for a moment of silence…but we weren’t wearing hats.
Skip Stones – hey, since you’re floating zucchini boats, try this one out at the same time. Two birds, one stone! (Only no real killing of birds please.)
Nature Walk – there are nature trails in every city. Find one and go on an adventure. This particular nature walk found us wading in murky water catching crawdads.

Golden opportunity.
Go Stargazing – Lay some blankets down on your grass, wait for night to fall and gaze in wonder.
Make S’mores – This one is #1 on my list this year, but you can make them with a microwave iffens you need to.
Run through the sprinklers – you are never too old for this one. Trust me. Plus, your lawn needs watered anyway, right?
Play Kickball – I hate sports, but even I let loose with a little kick ball. Set up bases at a local park or someone’s back yard. Or use the baseball diamond.

No one’s on it during the summer!
Watch the sunset – just do it.
Watch the sunrise – Seriously. Just do it.
Go to a parade – everyone needs to go to a parade now and then! And if you’re lucky, some parades even throw candy!
Visit a zoo or petting zoo – even if you don’t have kids, this is a great one!

Just, y’know, don’t let them eat your daughter.
Go to a National/State Park – It might take a little time and planning, but Parks are awesome and totally worth it!

Seriously, so worth it.
Have a BBQ – chips, soda, burgers, the works.
Watch a movie outside – wait until after dark and fire up a classic. Go to the drive-in, use a projector, iPad, Laptop, etc.

This was a winner around here last year. Luckily it’s summer and the neighbors didn’t mind the late night noise. (Ten points to Gryffindor if you can name that movie!)
Go Camping – You can even set up a tent in the back yard! We’ve done that and the kids love it.
Take a silly face selfie – I kinda don’t love selfies, but my kids love silly ones!

And you always walk away with a smile on your face!

And because you can’t just remember them all, I’ve made you a free printable, just click here for your Summer To Do Checklist! Print it, laminate it, keep it in the car and have it ready to mark off your adventures.

So many great memories waiting to be made, and a lot of them can be done in your own back yard! That’s why it’s important to keep your lawn healthy and fed. At the first sign of spring, I ran out and grabbed a bag of Scotts® Turf Builder® Weed & Feed.

It kills the weeds you see and makes your grass thick to crowd out the weeds you don’t see. Uh, yes please!

Throw up some camp chairs and bring along some marshmallows, and I can almost feel the flames dancing on my face as I watch the sun fade.

Scotts® Turf Builder® Weed & Feed will cover up to 5,000 sq ft, but make sure you get the one in the yellow bag! It’s available at any store that doesn’t carry Scotts® Turf Builder® Bonus® S Weed & Feed. For me, I just ran down to Walmart and snagged it.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and imagined it was already summer. That lasted two seconds until I heard my daughter’s giggle from the next aisle over. She’s a quick one.

When you use Weed & Feed, just make sure you follow the instructions and you’ll have that perfect lawn you’re looking for. You’ll be camping out and star gazing and watching movies on that luxurious lawn in no time!

I seriously can hardly wait.

To make that future (and lawn!) even brighter, enter the sweepstakes for the chance to win Walmart gift cards and Scotts® Spreaders!

Scotts® #LoveYourLawn Sweepstakes

Looking for specific information for how Scotts® Turf Builder® Weed & Feed can help solve your lawn problems? Click here to sign up for the Scotts’ email reminder service to receive specific tips and information for your area!

What is your favorite thing to do during the summer? You can read more about visiting National Parks here or discover the benefits of walking together as a family.