Healthy Summer. Healthy Kids.
Hello, Summer! Sidewalk chalk murals and family bike rides are not cancelled!!
As we continue social distancing through summer, kids are becoming restless indoors. The need for alternative options to challenge their minds and meet new friends are circling in the air! We have some solutions right here, so kick off those flip flops (yes, you can join in too) and let’s get creative with fun summer activities for kids at home and make this summer the most unique and epic one yet!
KEEP IT COOL WITH WATER PLAY
No pool? No problem!
Kids’ sprinklers are inexpensive and easy to use. Add a little bit of functionality to your sprinkler and you have a water toy to keep your kids entertained for hours. Searching for the Best Sprinklers for kids in 2020? Check out these 30 water sprinklers from littleonemage.com
Water playtime in the sun is a blast, just remember to apply sunscreen every few hours and stay well-hydrated.
VIRTUAL KIDS SUMMER CAMP
Finding a virtual summer camp for kids K-12 is as easy as a quick web search, reading reviews and signing up. From a summer of literary love to learning website coding, virtual camps are on the rise and a terrific tool to stay engaged, entertained and forming new friendships.
Here are some 2020 Virtual Kids Camps going on right now:
- Camp Code Ninjas is offering week-long virtual summer camps covering a variety of topics including coding, robotics, and game building.
- Camp Hullabaloo Book Company offers Camp Hullabaloo: Each week, children will receive a brand new book and a list of family-friendly activities including simple crafts that correspond to that week’s theme, plus more ideas activities will be offered via a weekly email and Instagram posts.
- Camp Healthy Teens offers virtual wellness, cooking, photography and art-themed summer camps for ages twelve through fourteen.
Searching for low-cost options? These are free programs by parents.com — many of which are traditional summer camps that have simply shifted online. Now that your kids are enrolled in a virtual summer camp, they have built up some hunger.
Try these healthy kids snacks:
Get adventurous in the kitchen and create healthy snacks for kids with new flavorful ingredients. Switch syrups to black elderberry syrup or eggs for greek yogurt. Grow a salad in your backyard then have your kids host a farm-to-table evening for the family. Teaching healthier versions and where food is sourced is a tool the whole family will use forever.
OUTSIDE ADVENTURES
Just because it's summer doesn’t mean kids can’t keep learning. An outside adventure is a great way to boost their imagination. You will be the ‘coolest parent on the block’ when they go back to school and share these adventures, plus the quality time you spent with your kids in these moments will be priceless.
These summer activities for kids are made not only for healthy bodies, but healthy minds:
- Family Scavenger Hunt: Make a list of items to find outside, once they find them talk about each item. Items can include:
- Leaf in the shape of a heart
- Butterfly
- Worm
- Red flower
- Pitch a tent in the backyard and spend the night with spooky stories, star gazing and summer elderberry marshmallow s’mores. No backyard? That’s ok, just prop some sheets up in the living room and play a video of a mock fire pit on the TV.
- Lay a blanket outside and enjoy an audiobook together. Talk about it after and listen to how they interpreted it. This is an amazing way to understand your child’s mind.
- Host a ‘Yes Day’. This sounds exactly like what it is — A ‘Yes Day’ is a day the answer to your kids will always be “yes.” Just hear us out … Ice cream for breakfast? Yes. Wearing pajamas all day? Yep. The key is for the kids to see you enjoying yourself doing the things that they value. With a few simple ground rules and a little prep, this day will become one that everyone in the family loves. Learn more about ‘YES DAY’
- Practice gratitude and shared kindness by finding pebbles and painting them with inspirational messages. Then leave these special rocks around the neighborhood for others to find.
- Skip summer boredom and download the Elderberry Kids Coloring Book. Download here
- Design fairy houses and create a wildlife habitat. Use moss, bark, and leaves to create a dwelling fit for The Elderberry Fairy. Create potions from kitchen ingredients and watch the fairy garden grow. Throughout the summer hide little treats or messages in the fairy garden for your kids to discover. Learn more about The Elderberry Fairy here.
- Whip out the cell phone and make a family show. Interview each other, dress up and use your imagination to improvise the greatest and funniest home movie ever! This will be something to watch for years to come.
- Turn the volume up and have a family dance party!
This may not be the summer you may have planned for but make the best of it by piquing your kids health, curiosity for play and adventure. Yes, your yard and kids may get a little messier, but that’s ok, no one will see it anyway while we social distance … and the memories will be worth it. You are only limited by your imagination. Now go enjoy the summer!