Going, Going, Gone...Check These Items off Your Smarty Summer "To-Do" List !

By Krista W, Charlotte Smarty Pants

What are you doing with the last scraps of summer? If you’re out of ideas, we’ve got a few! Here are great ways to capture your “Indian Summer” and create fabulous family memories before the school bell rings.

1. Throw a slip-n-slide play date! Don’t have one? Hit Target for some insane “end of the season” sales and snag one at a bargain.

2. Get crafty! Try some of these season inspired projects from our friends at Kaboose. The paper plate “port hole” was a huge hit at our house!

3. Invite the neighbors over for one last BBQ and celebrate summer with local goodies found at a Farmers Market. Nothing says summertime like fresh corn on the cob and brightly flavored strawberries.

4. Make a splash. Take advantage of pool season (which will only lasts a few more weeks). Most pools close Labor Day, so jump in!

5. Make these yummy homemade orange popsicles! Family time never tasted so good.

6. Encourage your child to write a summertime journal. If your child hasn’t mastered letters yet, help them pen one. Be sure to leave blank pages for picture drawing! Create a memorable timeline of all your seasonal fun AND a perfect “show and tell” piece for the start of school.

7. Celebrate the season by going on a “lightening bug chase”. Let the little ones stay up late and watch the fireflies come out and spark up the night. S’mores optional!

8. Host a Lemonade Stand. This classic summer activity is sure to drum-up some sweet memories. Even better, donate all proceeds to charity - teach our Smarties young to give back to the community!

9. Visit Wet & Wild or Carowinds. Wake them up one morning and don’t tell them where you are heading. Upon arrival, bask in the glory of being “super mom” for the day!

10. Host a “teddy bear” picnic! Take your little ones to a park and bring along their favorite stuffed friend (and real friends if you have the energy). Pack a picnic and nibble on goodies with the special guests. Pictures are a must!

11. Decorate the night with sparklers. It may be past The Fourth, but sparklers are always a blast. Listen to your children squeal as they create shapes in the night with these popular summer treats.

12. Find shapes in the clouds. Enjoy the laziness of summer and kick-back while finding creatures in the clouds. Make up a story using your new character friends and enjoy listening to your child’s imagination run wild.

13. Have a water balloon fight. Nuf said.

14. Plant some flowers in preparation for Fall. August is a hot month for planting but you can nurse along your bargain-basement annuals, getting them ready for fall planting. When temperatures cool later in the month or in September, transplant your annuals out of their containers and into the ground for an eye-catching display of fall flowers.

15. Still at the beach or near the sand? Create “Sand Dough” by following the below steps.

Sand Dough
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp cream of tartar
2 cups sand
1 1/2 cups of water

Stir together is an old pan (avoid no-stick surfaces) over medium heat until thick (5-10 minutes). Cool and store in a sealed container until ready to use!

16. Take a last minute “day trip” by hitting up one or more of our recommended destinations - the majority of which were smarty-tested and approved by Triad moms! Find all the options here by perusing our “Smarty Day Trip Series."

17. Just relax. Enjoy the final days of less stressful mornings and fewer packed lunch boxes. Soak up the ease that comes along with summer. Play with your children and remember summer for them is a whimsical time they will recall with fondness for the rest of their lives.

Happy “Indian Summer” Smarties!

Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM