Summer Inspired Activities

Summer is a sultry time;

Then the glare of light oppresses;

Lilacs fall, and gay laburnum,

Parts with all her golden tresses.

Summer's a delightful season;

Then we view the gorgeous flowers,

Fragrant scents are wafted to us

While we sit in shady bowers.

~ Excerpt from "Seasons" by Sara Coleridge

The warmth of the summer season beckons us to the outdoors. Here are some wholesome and educational activities to do with your family during these sun filled months...

Children and Seaweed by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Breakfast on the beach (I suggest going to the secluded areas in the morning before all the scanty wardrobes make their appearance). Lay out an older quilt and bring a basket full of warm muffins, thermos of hot tea/coffee, container of freshly cut fruit and hard boiled eggs. What a pleasant way to start a summer day!

• Walk along the sandy shores, gather some sea samples and/or take pictures of them. When home, make a seascape collage, add into a nature journal, or create a shadow box with your findings. Label the date the specimens were found and at what location.

• Create an ocean memory jar to display in your home. Layer jar with samples of sand, then a layer of shells, another sample of sand and top with the prettiest seashore find of the day. Place a lid on the jar, tie twine around the rim and hang a tag which labels where and when you found the contents in the jar. (Make sure it is lawful to take samples from the area you are visiting since it is not always allowed. If not, take pictures and drop the nicest photo strategically on top of the sand for a unique look.) This would be fun to do for all your outings as you would have a lovely display of nature jars showcasing your travels on a fireplace mantel.

Calling the Bees by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Pick and press some flowers. Create cards with them to send to your loved ones.
• Tour local historical and botanical gardens.
• Go to a pick your own strawberry patch, gather some fresh goodies together and make freezer jam, strawberry pies or chocolate dipped strawberries.
• Listen to some character building audio dramas while you are traveling together. Wonderful lessons can be learned while driving. Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince is our family favorite.

Summer Days by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Read summer inspired picture books:

Summertime in the Big Woods (My First Little House Picture Book)

Ice Cream ~ The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons

Bluebird Summer by Deborah Hopkinson

Saving Strawberry Farm by Deborah Hopkinson

Happy as the Day is Long by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Read some summer inspired poetry:

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night

And dress by yellow candle-light.

In summer quite the other way,

I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see

The birds still hopping on the tree,

Or hear the grown-up people's feet

Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,

When all the sky is clear and blue,

And I should like so much to play,

To have to go to bed by day?

By ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Sunbeams by Edward Killingworth Johnson

Biblical Poetry

"Thou hast set all the borders of the earth:

thou hast made summer and winter."

~ Psalm 74:17

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