Summertime has arrived! This means that school's are getting out, therefore the kids are now going to be home all day for the next three months! After the excitement of just getting out of school dies out, most kids find themselves sitting around for most of the summer. Here are some great ideas to keep your kids busy this summer!

Plant a Garden

Get the kids out of the house and into a healthy pastime with gardening. Figure out which plants, fruits, and veggies are best to grow depending on your climate. Give them some independence in this too - let them help with choosing the plants and their layout. They should also learn to be responsible for weeding, watering, and other garden maintenance. 

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Explore New Local Parks

One fun thing you can do this summer is make it a goal to visit one new park each week. If you're in somewhat of a metropolitan area, there are probably tons of neighborhood parks - lots you've probably never even heard of! Packing a picnic to enjoy at some of them is also fun! Discover some new favorite parks this summer!

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Create a Summer Memory Board

Whether its a movie ticket stub or rocks, kids love collecting things. Most parents also love to take photos of their kids on a daily basis. Together, you can combine these two traits into making an awesome summer memory board. What you'd do, is you'd take a big cork board (can find these cheap at craft stores). Every time you try something new or create a new memory, add something relative to it onto the board. For example, if you visit the zoo, you can place a photo from the zoo on the board. It'll be a fun way to look back at memories!

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Start a Small Business

Something that will keep your kids really productive this summer is by getting them to start thinking about how to earn, save, and invest money. Some ideas for younger kids are - planning a garage sale or sorting through toys and clothes they no longer need (they can donate these or sell them at a garage sale). Bigger kids - mow lawns or pull weeds for neighbors, washing cars, or even acting as mom's helper when little kids are around. The money aspect will probably be more for the bigger kids, but introducing business-minded thinking is great for everyone!

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Go to a Local U-Pick Farm

Introduce your kids to the joy of picking their own summer fruits! Raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and strawberries are all popular fruits to pick yourself at farms! Visit https://www.localharvest.org/ to find a farm close to you!

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Backyard Camping

Who says you need to be in the woods to go camping? If you have a tent, you can just camp in your backyard! Have a family camping night in your backyard, and let them play with it during the day - they can turn it into a fort, spaceship, or anything else they imagine.