Summer Activites for kids?

[PhillyGirl]

I live in an apartment and I am in need of some good summer activities for kids. My daughter is 2 1/2 so it would be great if the activities are geared around that age. I feel like I am running out of ideas. I wish that I had a yard to let her run through the sprinklers or fill her pool; but there is just no what to do that here. So any ideas for apartment living would be great. Thanks!

[Erudite]

Did you look through the forum called "Summer Activities for kids"?

[PhillyGirl]

No, I didn't even notice it. Thanks I will have to check it out.

[Erudite]

Hey I found this too for field trips. It seems like you're in the Northeast? And maybe you already know about all this, but I thought I'd share with you.

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[Erudite]

2 1/2...apartments... been there, done that.

Have you tried fridge magnetic letter sounding out? hmm maybe that's too old.

How about pudding pictures? You get vanilla pudding and divide it into 4 small dishes and put food coloring in them. Then give her a cookie sheet and let her make a picture with her hands...and she can lick her fingers all she wants! Pretzel sticks and nuts and marshmellow help with the picture too.

Do you have those felt things with the holes around the edges that she can put the strings in and out of? You can do that with paper too, and then you can stuff them to make them puffy.

hmmm, maybe I'll do that with little one today too!

[PhillyGirl]

Oh thank you! I love the pudding idea!!!! I knew there had to be people out there that lived in apartments with kids at some point. It is just a bit different than in a home with a backyard. I feel like my creative juices just aren't flowing lately. Again thanks for the wonderful idea. Maybe it will even help her to put on a little weight.

[5ft Diva]

I like the pudding idea, too. I'll have to give that a try when my older kids go back to school as I'm worried about the kind of damage the will do if they get their hands on the pudding.

[runamyrun]

A few years ago I bought a book called "The Preschoolers Busy Book" by Trish Kuffner. On it is says "365 creative games and activities to keep your 3 to 6 year old busy". I know that there is also one for younger kids and one for older kids. It has ideas for cooking together, crafts, indoor ideas, outdoor ideas, and educational games. It even has some holiday craft ideas. I haven't been using it much this summer, but we have used it in the past summers and had a lot of fun. Good luck!

[Meticulous madness]

I have a similar book. I'll have to look through it and post some ideas. I'll also need to read that whole thread again on here. It's been too long.

The pudding idea sounds really fun! I'll have to do that one soon. We typically just use finger paints a lot. But, edible items are fun for any age.

I really love anything you do with food, personally. Even though most food-crafts aren't necessarily summer-time activities...I just think they're always fun. The fruit loops and shoe-string licorice necklaces are a quick and somewhat-clean little craft thing. My mom always let us make oreo spiders in the summer (after a nature walk) and we'd do those ones again for a fun Halloween treat. You use the shoe-string licorice again for the legs, white frosting and cinnamon red hots for the eyes.

Drawing letters and shapes with easy cheese on Ritz is just an easy/fun "yet somewhat educational" thing for youngsters.

[PhillyGirl]

Oh thank you too. These ideas are awesome. I don't know if it is because I am pregnant and have lost my brain again or what but I just don't have the creative mind I once did. Thanks everyone for the wonderful ideas and if you have any more please send them my way.

[Meticulous madness]

You probably posted somewhere else (and I missed it), but when is your baby due, PG?

How very exciting!

[PhillyGirl]

I have not yet posted, so thanks for asking. I am due December 15. And this Tuesday we find out what we are having; if the little one will cooperate. I think all we know how to do is have December babies. Our daughters b-day is December 29th. Oh well, if you have one child with a crummy b-day than they might as well both have crummy b-days. We are so excited and Tuesday just can't come soon enough. Then I will need everyones help coming up with names. We are totally clueless this time around.