Fun ABC's of Summer

So, I thought I'd pass along a fun idea that I got from a friend.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I like to keep my kids learning in the summer, as well as enjoy the fun things summertime brings. I have been working on letters with Madison, so this idea seemed perfect for us this Summer.  I gathered the kids together and we all came up with at least one activity that started with each letter in the Alphabet. Some things were easier (cheaper) than others, but all of them were their ideas.  Then, each morning, before or while they are eating breakfast, I tell them what the "letter of the day" is.  (I don't go in order. I usually just choose depending on what we're doing, or can do that specific day.)  So...for example, one morning I taped a picture of the letter "P" on the wall.  They immediately started thinking of all the "P" things we could do that day.  (The activity they chose before we started was to have a Pillow fight. But...we wanted to wait for James to get home to do that, so we got busy thinking of other fun p things. The first thing they wanted were POP-TARTS for breakfast. ( A major treat around our house.)  Then, we went to the Park for a Picnic, and ate Peanut butter sandwiches. We stopped at the store and got a Payday candybar for desert.  Then, that night we ate Pasta, and had our Pillow fight in Pajamas.  Get the idea? We're not really doing too many different things than normal, but it gives us kind of a theme to go by each day.  Some of the other things we've done are for "F" we made Funny Felt Faces. For "T" we went to the Train museum in Durango. Since it was also family night, we decided it would be fun to go on a hike just North of Durango, and have a Testimony meeting in the Trees. 

(The Train Museum)

Hiking and testimony meeting in the trees

It's really been a lot of fun.  The day we did letter "B" we went to have Breakfast at Burger King and stopped by some yard sales for some Bargain shopping.  It's great to see the kids coming up with ideas starting with that letter and finding us fun things to do. Even if it's something silly like, "Decorating Doors" for D.  Which is what we did this afternoon.  James is currently on a Daddy-Daughter Date with the girls, and I'm late for MY Date with Carson, so I'd better go. Just thought I'd pass this idea along to any of you who might be looking for some ways to have fun this Summer with your own kids.