(Also see last year’s summer fun post for more ideas.)
We don’t go on many special summer outings (this year, with the youngest turning four, I am just starting to wonder if I might be able to handle taking all five of them somewhere fun on my own), so every year I like to buy a few fun things to make an at-home summer vacation more fun.
Last summer I bought the Wubbzy soundtrack (photo from Amazon.com) and we listened to it on our way to and from swimming lessons each day; it became the soundtrack of our summer.
For this summer, I bought the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack (photo from Amazon.com). I’d been watching it go up and down in the $8-10 range since before Christmas, and this week it went down to $7.73 with a free $1 MP3 download and I sprang. (I might get the Summer Belongs to You MP3 album, too.)
We love that show, by the way. Have you seen it? It’s one of the few shows we’ve found for our older kids that (1) the littler kids can also watch without seeing anything too mature for them, and, more importantly, that (2) we adults actually like to watch TOO. It’s FUNNY. And, I’ve heard parents of older kids talk about how back-talky and disrespectful a lot of shows for older children are; this one isn’t, and it gets bonus points for portraying a blended family without making that the main plot point of everything.
This next purchase was one of those instant-contagion internet things: Saly mentioned she was considering dyeing her daughter’s hair for the summer, maybe just the ends so they could be trimmed off before school started up again—and within microseconds I was putting Manic Panic in Cotton Candy Pink into my cart (photo from Amazon.com). I might do Elizabeth’s hair AND mine!
One summer we got a Stomp Rocket (photo from Amazon.com), and it was more spectacular than I’d imagined. We’ve since bought them as birthday party gifts for a couple of children (there’s a junior version for littler kids), and now that I think of it, I don’t know where ours is. I might need to buy another for us this year.
For indoor days, I like to get a new video game. I haven’t chosen one for this year yet, but if you’re in the market for one I recommend FlingSmash (photo from Amazon.com). I bought it when Want Not mentioned it was on sale for less than the price of the new-style Wiimote Plus remote it comes with. I’d wanted one of those new remotes (some of the new games require it), and considered the game almost a throw-away bonus—but the kids love it and play it a lot. Even at the current price (about $43 as I write this post), the game adds less than $11 to the price of the Wiimote Plus.
Hula hoop! (photo from Amazon.com) I’m linking to Amazon’s because they have a good photo I can use, but am I spending $30 on a hula hoop, no matter how “ultimate” it is? No. I am buying a plain one on sale at Target for $5. (Also, I am not buying one, I am buying two, because it is no fun to hula-hoop if you’re not competing against someone else. Apparently.)
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I’d like to buy a few more fun things for summer—do you have any ideas?
We’re considering buying one of those larger blow-up pools, but a big hit for us has been the sprinkler! Who’d have thought a sprinkler would keep the kids entertained for hours at a time?
Saly | June 22nd, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Razor scooters are the big thing this summer, but I believe we’ve already covered that here. Lots of bubbles and bubble blowing accessories. Chalk and chalk and chalk. I bought my kids some mini garden tools in the dollar bin at Target and they LOVE to garden with me. I even get them to pull weeds and work without them noticing they are doing work. I actually ended up leaving one of our garden beds unplanted because playing in the dirt is way more fun than a sandbox. Water guns (which I find annoying, with all of the refilling and annoying requests for help with refilling).
I’ve been keeping an eye out for a fun sprinkler. I realize it’s not very *green* to run the sprinkler, but man, do they have fun doing it.
But what I mostly buy? Bandaids, bug spray, and sunscreen. Boy do we go through that stuff quickly now that it’s summer!
Melanie | June 22nd, 2011 at 9:17 pm
We’re doing all of the summer reading programs: local library, Borders, Barnes and Noble. Free prizes for reading!
And yes, we love Phineas and Ferb.
Nowheymama | June 23rd, 2011 at 2:15 am
giant, giant bubble wands. the bigger the better. and sidewalk chalk.
vanessa | June 23rd, 2011 at 11:38 am