summer bucket list & the we don’t know what to do bucket

One day this summer I am going to wake-up and think, “What are we going to do today?” I know this will happen because every summer/Christmas/spring break it has, and at the  end of each of these vacations I am sitting there thinking, I meant to do so much, what happened to the time.

Enter the buckets. Now, I am not only ready, but I have ideas that will keep both Imogen and me from saying “What are we going to do?”

Now there are two buckets (Imogen/Maddy focused) and one large white board (Aimee focused) – I do love a good list.

Let’s look at the exciting ones first.

The basic plan was – think of places/activities/outings that would break the routine, write them on popsicle sticks, then color coded the sticks with scrapbook paper. Based on the day we will decided which type of stick to pull from which bucket.

I had four categories: trips that take all day and planning, outings that take about half a day and less planning, local outings, and projects. Since the project category kept growing and growing, we separated them and gave them their own bucket.

This started as an Aimee project, I imagined that Imogen would not be interested in planning what we did this summer – why I thought that, I have no idea. She thought helping sounded like a fine and fantastic idea, and then basically took over the planning and organizing, especially when it came to the aesthetic ideals.

Here is what we came up with

All day activities:

• Dinosaur Land
• Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
• Zoo (not sure if we will go here or here)
• Maymont
• Children’s Museum of Richmond

Half day:

• Frontier Culture Museum
• Gypsy Hill Park to ride the train and feed the ducks
• Yoder’s Country Market to feed the goats and eat some cookies

Local:

• Milkshakes at Timberlake’s Drugstore
• Ride the trolley
• Go to a new park
• Picnic anywhere
• Go to the library
• Visit the SPCA and pet the cats (this was added by Imogen)
• Play in the gardens at UVa
• Hike at Ivy Creek

Projects:

• Sponge Balls
• Tie dye something (we have left over supplies from dying play silks)
• Play with potions (I have seen this all over blogland, but someone had a great set up, and now I can’t find it. Basically, lots of different jars, pitchers and bowls; spoons, droppers, funnels and stirrers; colored water, vinegar and baking soda; miscellany like, leaves, petals, rocks.)
• Play cats – added by Imogen
• Play tent – this was Imogen’s addition, but I think we might make this A-frame tent to play in!
• Celebrate Baby’s Day – like Mother’s Day, but for children. Guess who added this one.
• Make giant bubbles
• Play fun – Imogen addition
• Flower banners
• Pick an art project
• Go on a photo scavenger hunt
• Stickers – added by Imogen. Not really sure what we are doing with them, but I am sure she knows.
• Ice cream in a bag
• Bake something

Many of these activities we naturally incorporate into our weeks, we usually bake at least once a week, go to the library often and, in the summer, we make ice cream far too many times (can there be too much ice cream in summer?). Since this is also the self-declared summer of art, we better do more than one art project!

However, I did think it was still important to put these everyday ideas in the bucket, maybe when we pull the bake something stick, it will push us from our usual muffin/yogurt cake routine, or when it is the go to the library stick we can go to a different library location – it will give us the chance to make the usual in to something exciting and new.

For my to do list – I get a huge whiteboard.

If you are in the market for a giant whiteboard this is basically what we did, we cut our panel in half and just attached it to the wall with some heavy duty screws right into the studs, no fancy hanging mechanisms.

My list lacks fun activities and is mainly to keep my on track and my “get things done” list – if I have half these boxes check I will call it a win.

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