2010 Summer To Do List

I think the key to not only surviving summer, but enjoying it is to have a plan.  Before summer arrives, I think of all these fun things I want to do with the kids during the summer, but if I don’t sit down and plan them out, they will never happen.  Even worse, on a day when I have nothing planned, the kids will whine, “Whatarewegonnadotodaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay?”  and I’ll have no ideas.

So, I’ve compiled a list of things I hope to do this summer.  This is an abridged version of the fuller list I put together for my MOPS group.  These are just my personal picks for “must do” this summer.  A lot of great places aren’t on my list simply because we’ve done them before and I want to hit some other spots.  As we visit these places, I will check them off () and link up to the related blog post.

Explore Local Parks, Playgrounds, and Green Spaces

• Check out Arlington Playgrounds — I’ve compiled a big list on my blog
• Find good places to bike ride (refer to list above)
• Look beyond Arlington, specifically:
  • Burke Lake, Burke — reviewed 6/6/10
  • Huntley Meadows, Alexandria — reviewed 6/10/10
  • Lake Accotink, Springfield
  • Potomac Overlook, Arlington
  • Teddy Roosevelt Island, GWP
  • Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton, MD
  • Great Falls Grange Park, Great Falls, VA — reviewed 7/16/10
• Gardens:
  • Green Springs Gardens, Alexandria — reviewed 5/26/10
  • National Arboretum, DC
  • River Farm, Alexandria

Check Out DC

• Ride the Metro downtown and visit:
  • Natural History and/or
  • American History and/or
  • Air & Space and /or
  • an art museum ?
  • National Building Museum — reviewed 7/6/10

See Some Animals

• The Zoo (S. wants to go, I’m dreading it in the summer heat)
• National Aquarium, Baltimore or DC
• Frying Pan Park, Herndon or Oxon Hill Farm, Oxon Hill, MD

Check out some Planes and/or Trains

• Picnic Dinner at Gravelly Point
• National Museum of Air & Space (DC) or Udvar-Hazy (Dulles)
• See the Flying Circus — an old fashioned air show; reviewed 7/15/10

Rainy Day / Indoor Fun

• Cookwith the kids:
  • Bake cookies (or other dessert)
  • Let the kids have a turn planning a meal and help cook it. (the older 2)
  • Make Your Own Pizza Party
• Catch a Movie
• Go Bowling — Kids Bowl Free
• Visit a Nature Center (Potomac Overlook, Long Branch or Hidden Oaks)
• Get Arty — Explore More Program at the Greater Reston Arts Center ($)
• Read — get rewarded via Borders, Barnes & Nobles, Arlington Co., Fairfax Co, Falls Church.
• Visit the Library — storytimes programs at Arlington, Falls Church, etc.
• Go to a Bounce House
• Go to an Indoor Play area

See a Performance

• Go to Fairfax Corner –  water fountains + Tiny Tots  Summer Series on Wednesday & Saturday
• Go to Wolf Trap’s Theatre-in-the-Woods:  Robbie Shaefer 7/6 – 7/10,  Steve Songs 7/13 – 7/17

Get Wet

• Swim! — we have passes to Upton Hill and will do swim lessons
• Local spraygrounds — Hayes Park — reviewed 7/10/10
• Fairfax Corner water fountain

Visit an Amusement Park (or two)

• Dutch Wonderland — reviewed 6/29/10
• Kings Dominion — blogged 9/3/10

Have Fun without Mom!

• Vacation Bible School
• Summer Camp — blogged 7/31/10

Take a Trip

• Visit the Grands — blogged 7/27/10
  
• Camp — we love Buggs Island,  Burke Lake, and Big Meadow are other good options
  
• Go to the Beach — we love the Outer Banks, but this year we’re going to check out Rehoboth, DE (8/26/10)

Family Fun

• Have a picnic lunch with Daddy at work
• Go out on Grandad’s Boat
• Plan and execute a some sort of service project (I’d love to hear your ideas!)
• Give kids a chance to pick the activity for the day
• Have a picnic in the back yard in a box

Having a plan for summer fun works for me.   What’s on your summer to do list?