Summer Fun Bucket List Part 2 (got rain?)

I wish I could tell you that we have been having the beautifully, sunshiny, bonding with nature type of summer I dreamed of. We are not. July has been full of RAIN. So my plans have been altered a bit even though whenever a ray of sun shines down, I dash outside to catch it! A positive aspect also is that it is so green here...and our flowers and veggie plants are thriving. Yet, what do you do with the kids (and yourself) when the weather causes you to stay indoors? Here are some fun indoor activities when it is too rainy to go outside!

1. Cheap and free movies. I know where we live there are theatres offering either free or cheap movies every summer. Regal and Carmike are two that offer reasonable movies but a google search of your state will show even more.

1. Z~girl and I did the bleach pen t-shirt that I mentioned before. To do 2 t-shirts cost under 5 dollars as we bought our shirts at Goodwill. I initially made the too frugal mistake of getting a bleach pen at the dollar store. It did NOT work. It has to be a name brand (I believe it was Clorox) bleach pen from the grocery store. We had to repeat the process as the first time the cheap pen did nothing. Both shirts turned out awesome!

2. Go to a museum! Here is a list of museums for each state.

3. Netflix. Need I say more? We do not get cable or watch TV except for Netflix and we have had a lot of fun introducing the kids to shows like Andy Griffith, Leave it to Beaver, and Little House.Some more modern ones we have enjoyed are Wild at Heart, Heartland, and most recently Good Luck Charlie. We do not watch videos and TV often beyond educational but have enjoyed these.

4. While the children are sitting down for a video and popcorn would be the perfect time for mom (or dad) to do some homeschool planning for the new year. Copy off some printable worksheets or get new a new spelling list made so they can do their spelling test online when summer break is finished.

5. Have a board game marathon! Here are a few of our favorites.

• Lego Champion
• Totally Gross
• Go Fish Art cards (no I do not work for them hahah) We have a few of these games and my daughter LOVES them. Looking at their website I see a couple I need to get for her birthday next month.
• Jungle Jive
• Snipe
• Hullabaloo- It's been awhile since we have played this one but when they were younger we would play this before school work. It really helps with listening skills and makes them move.

6. Teach your child how to make a paper airplane and then have a contest to see who's plane goes the farthest!

7. Go to the library! Most libraries in the summer have special programs scheduled for children.

8. Go outside and play in the rain! I have the most wonderful photos of my two when they were toddlers. Friends came over for a picnic and it stated to pour! Rather than trying to corral 4 toddlers to play in our little house...we let them play in the mud. They were COVERED! Oh and yippee I found a photo from that day!

9. Make a blanket fort. When I was little this was one of my favorite things to do. 

10. Make a puzzle out of a photo. A twist on this is to write a friend or relative a letter on the back and they have to put the puzzle together before they can read the letter.

11. Make art to stick on your windows. This is one I have been wanting to do for awhile.

12. Take all of those broken crayons from the year before and melt them!

13. Make a t-shirt scarf out of the old shirts that your child...or you cannot seem to part with! I didn't make this one I just found the picture online.

14. Make some cute origami bookmarks!

15. Last but not least, do some doodling with your child!

ENJOY THOSE RAINY DAYS!!