Sunday, June 10, 2012

Awesome Summer Fun - Part 2

One of my kids' favorite things is when we do an evening campfire and roast hot dogs for supper.  We happen to have one of those inexpensive fire pits that they sell in the outdoor section of many large retailers, but you don't need one to do a campfire.  You can form a circle out of large rocks, bricks or landscaping stones that you might have around the house.  Please make sure that you closely supervise your children around the fire. 

We roast the hotdogs and set up camp chairs or our Little Tykes picnic table to eat.  Afterwards, we usually do marshmallows and s'mores for an extra treat!

Since we are outside already, we always take advantage of the time to play outdoor games with them.  Don't be afraid to look silly, have fun with them!!  Blowing bubbles is a favorite (mostly because our dog chases the bubbles too), hula hoop, kick around a giant bouncy ball, play on the swing set, a game of washers (we let the kids cheat) and when it starts getting dark ... catch lightening bugs!!  All simple activities that our children love and are sure to remember as adults.

Too hot or rainy to go outside?  I have the perfect solution!  Set up a pretend campsite in the family room.  Try this:  lay down a large blanket to be your "staging area"; have your kids make a play fire using colored paper; throw another large blanket over some chairs to be a tent.  Turn off electronics and dim the lights.  Voila!  You have a campsite!

You can use your stove burners (gas or electric both work) to roast the hotdogs and marshmallows!!  I still remember doing this with my parents when I was a kid!  We would get out those long meat forks to put our hotdogs or marshmallows on and turn the electric burner on high.

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