Summer Outdoor Activities for Kids

June 24, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

After talking about outdoor learning areas for the home or school last month, I’m still thinking about ways to get kids outside during the summer. I know it can be a struggle when you live somewhere warm and as kids get older and don’t naturally want to be outside all the time. (I think I’ve come up with a clever solution by volunteering with my teen at a local garden.)

This one is from a website for little ones (Happy Toddler Playtime) but I think older kids would also enjoy making an aluminum foil river in the back yard. This works best if you have an area that’s smooth and gently sloping, but if your sidewalk is flat turn it into an engineering challenge to see how to make the water flow better. You can also have boat races (with boats you have or boats kids make), see how much water is needed to make different things float, try different configurations of your “stream” and more.

I’m a big fan of the outdoor scavenger hunt, and The Crazy Outdoor Mama has five free printable options for different age groups. From a simple scavenger hunt with drawings of things to look for for younger kids to a mindfulness hunt that includes things like a pretty smelling plant and a sunny place to lie down, there’s something for everyone here.

If your kids like to collect treasures on their scavenger hunts and nature walks, one way to preserve them is by making clay impressions and painting the clay to make a long-lasting work of art. This tutorial from My Bright Ideas will show you how it’s done.

Need more ideas? Messy Little Monster has a great collection of forest school activities to try, from making natural paintbrushes to making bird feeders and using natural materials to make art. I love this Andy Goldsworthy project pictured here. And Montessori Nature has a ton of great ideas and some free printables related to outdoor learning activities to give you even more inspiration. Shown above are magic wands made with sticks and bits of string or fabric.

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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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