100 things to do this with kids this summer in and near the Twin Cities & at home:
Happy Summer! I’ve made a list of fun family things to do with kids in the summer. Some activites in this list you will need pay for to do but some are free, because we all need some free options! I hope you find my list useful. Kids need some boredom buster ideas at times in the summer and sometimes the whole family is looking for something fun to do together for family time. This list includes activities and locations I have visited or done with my own family. I hope you enjoy my list!
1). Go to the Landscape Arboretum and view the gardens, do the maze (kids LOVE this), see the sculpture garden, & bring a picnic. They often have a theme for the year, we loved the year they had Lego sculptures around the gardens. It is simply gorgeous! http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/
2). Go to a movie with reclining seats
3). Rollerblade with your kids, or ride bikes
4). Take the dogs on walk with husband and kids
5). Make cookies, pancakes, unhealthy candy snack mixes, make it up!
6). Go get ice cream at Cup and Cone http://www.cupandconewbl.com/
7). Go to Orange Leaf and make your own yummy creation, my kids’ new fave http://orangeleafyogurt.com/blaine
8). Eat ice cream at the Centerville Dairy Queen and sit on the wooden bear benches
9). Go to the beach at Elm Creek man-made lake and play on their unusual, unique park https://www.threeriversparks.org/parks/elm-creek-park.aspx
10). Go to an amusement park like Valleyfair https://www.valleyfair.com/
11). Go to Como Zoo and try out the zipline http://www.comozooconservatory.org/attractions/family-fun/como-town/#/info
12). Hit a mini golf course
13). Go to a bookstore and let kids pick out two books each, books are a great way to splurge!
14). Visit a driving range
15). Drive go-karts, mini golf, and water boats at Lilli-Putt http://www.lilliputt.net/
16). Visit Chutes and Ladders park https://threeriversparks.org/parks/hyland-lake-park/hyland-play-area.aspx
17). Visit Tamarack Nature center and climb about the rock cliffs https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/parks-recreation/tamarack-nature-center
18). Bring a picnic to the Teddy Bear Park http://www.ci.stillwater.mn.us/parks
Walk along the river in Stillwater and grab lunch.
19). Visit the Science Museum AND do their mini-golf https://www.smm.org/
20). Eat lunch at Cosetta’s in downtown St. Paul, a big FAVE with giant pieces of pizza, buy a container of Gelato in the store to share http://cossettas.com/
21). Visit Crystal Cave for an underground cave tour, which is a short drive out of the Cities but worth the trip http://www.acoolcave.org/index.html?gclid=CI-74KnE88wCFQusaQod9pwJqA
22). Paint a piece of pottery to keep http://colormemine.com/
23). Go to the craft store and let the kids buy something to make
24). Pick up a pizza and eat it at the kids’ favorite park and then let them play
25). Go to a Saints baseball game http://saintsbaseball.com/
24). Go camping at Rice Creek Chain of Lakes campground and make a scavenger hunt
http://www.anokacounty.us/967/Camping
Related Post Print my Family Camping Checklist: https://www.juliehoagwriter.com/2017/06/10/family-camping-checklist/
25). Have a bonfire and make s’mores or bannock bread
26). Make a fort and let them sleep in it overnight
27). Kids choice: let them each take a turn to pick something fun to do each kid taking a turn
28). Visit and bike on a group bike at Minnehaha falls, swim in the pool https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/minnehah.htm
29).Go on a boat ride at Taylor’s Falls and then climb on the rocks at the unique sinkhole park, the beautiful scenery is worth the drive from the Cities. There are many things to do in this area http://www.ci.taylors-falls.mn.us/
30). Go to a candy store http://www.candylandstore.com/
31). Go fishing off a pier on Peltier Lake
32). Play in the yard: Bocce ball or lawn darts or water balloon fight
33). Visit a bakery and let the kids eat their treat choice right on site
34). Go to the library to check out books
35). Have lots of play dates and friends over to our house
36). Visit Fawn Doe Rosa Wildlife Educational Park which is about an hour or so north from the northern suburbs, they have tame deer and other animals roaming about that you can walk right up to and hand feed (they sell little bags of vegetables, fruit, biscuits) and some animals in enclosures http://www.fawndoerosa.com/
37). Plant a garden, seeds, flowers
38). Take an obscene amount of pictures letting kids do silly poses and make a scrapbook called “Silly Summer Poses”
39). Go to Zero Gravity http://zerogravitymn.com/
40). Make homemade cinnamon rolls using frozen bread dough
41). Look at scrapbooks of when they were a baby or toddler
42). Make scrapbook about the previous school year
43). Use chalk to make obstacle courses and then do the courses
44). Make a lemonade or Gatorade stand (bottles or use powdered Gatorade and cups)
45). 4th of July parade in Forest Lake
46). Eat LOTS of watermelon and peaches (cut up with sugar)
47). Make Gatorade popsicles
48). Make fruit and yogurt smoothies
49). Play wipeout in the pool with floaties
50). Put colored water in spray bottles and let them spray the concrete driveway to make designs
51). Have a movie marathon day
52). Visit Bunker Beach for the day http://www.bunkerbeach.com/
53). Make blueberry muffins
54). Swim at the Shoreview Community center http://shoreviewcommunitycenter.com/
55). Make paper rubbings on tree bark and examine the differences in tree bark type
56). Superglue together a Lego sculpture
57). Make cucumber and cheddar cheese sandwiches and eat them on the deck
58). Grill as much as possible letting the kids help
59). Visit the Minnesota Zoo and their butterfly garden http://mnzoo.org/
60). Pick strawberries in June http://www.berrypatchmn.com/index.php/about-us.html
61). Pick raspberries in July and make raspberry shortcake http://www.berrypatchmn.com/index.php/about-us.html
62). Bring the kids to a farmer’s market
63). Play at your kids’ school playground in the summer
64). Have water shooter fights
65). Put the sprinkler under the trampoline while the kids jump
66). Make a cake for no reason
67). Make a stepping stone using a kit from a craft store
68). Let them take the camera and do a photo shoot with the dog
69). Dip their feet and hands in food colored water and make designs on concrete
70). Make a chalk mural on the driveway and take a picture
71). Water balloons, try out Bunch O Balloons (super awesome easy water balloons in minutes!)
72). Play a board game like Monopoly or Clue
73). Play Jenga on the deck with lemonade and licorice
74). Rent a boat for the day
75). Bring popsicles to a nursing home and pass them out
76). Make fruit kabobs
77). Go bowling
78). Paint a pot and plant flowers in it
79). Visit the Mall of America http://www.mallofamerica.com/
80). Make a Kool-aid and fruit wop, minus the alcohol;) Let them make it up!
81). Have a front yard picnic at your own house or a garage picnic to stay out of the sun
82). Have a garage dance party with neighbor kids
83). Buy some used sports equipment to try out a new sport for fun
84). Set up the sprinkler and let the kids go crazy
85). Let the kids paint rocks outside
86). Collect leaves, shells, sticks, acorns, flowers and make an art project using the hot glue gun
87). Buy a blank shirt from the craft store and decorate it
88). Buy a notebook and have them draw a picture a day or write a sentence a day over the summer
89). Eat brunch on your deck and make kid mimosas with orange juice and sprite
90). Make your own slip and slide with a giant sheet of plastic, dish soap and the hose
91). Make a summer snowman snack sculpture with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and marshmellows
92). Play hop-scotch
93). Visit a pizza farm, again a short drive out of the Cities, on our list to do this summer http://www.redbarnfarmofnorthfield.com/pizza-night.html
94). Listen to music in a local park
95). Walk the neighbor’s dog
96). Go through old books and donate unwanted books
97). Freeze wet washcloths in the freezer and see what shape they freeze in, take outside and bend
98). Make Shrinky Dinks
99). Run down the street in a rain storm
100). Try all the different flavors of sunflower seeds, I find gas stations have the best selection of different flavors
I can’t wait to do these fun things with my kids this summer! Enjoy the warm days of more freedom and may we all succeed in curbing that screen time cravings for our kids. Good luck and have fun. Wish me luck, I know I will need it to get all this done. Happy summer!
I did not receive money for publishing any of these links, I just happen to like them myself 🙂 Enjoy your summer!
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