This year has certainly hit us all in so many different ways thanks to Covid-19. Summer break arrived and with that, many families were finding they couldn’t go away as planned, or simply the money was not there. That’s ok. Totally ok. Staycations are fun too. And here are some staycation ideas, some ways to make Summer memorable.

COSTUME PARTY

A costume party is always fun. If you have friends or family who want to get together, create a theme, throw a party. Get dressed up and have some fun. Why wait until Halloween to let dressing up shine? Get out some of the old Halloween costumes. Create your own costumes. Hit up a thrift store or op shop and pick out outfits with flair. The main issue is to Just. Have. Fun.

CAMPING IN THE BACKYARD

You don’t need a tent for this. It’s fun if you have one, but totally not necessary. Get some blankets to string up from trees (or swing sets, or something) or just lay them down on the ground so you can lay back and look at the stars. Sleeping outside is fun. Bring your pillows, your favorite stuffed toys and make it a night to remember. Don’t forget the smores!

OUTDOOR MOVIE

This can be at home or a community organised one. When at home you can have fun and set it up like a drive-in. Why not make cardboard cars you can sit in? Bring out the cushions and blankets. Camping chairs are good too. Not everyone has a projector, but you could move your TV outside, or rent a projector so that you can watch on the big screen. Don’t forget your favorite movie munchies. Popcorn? Gummi bears? Slushies?

MAKE YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER FOODS

When you think of Summer do you think of certain foods you really only eat that time of year? BBQs, or grilling out, are always more on the agenda. Watermelon is a must. Is there anything you HAVE to have during Summer? Make them with your kids. Each of you pick your favorite thing and have a family pot luck. In our house that meal would look like steak and cheddar brats on the grill, German potato salad, cucumber salad, fruit salad (or just plates of fruit) and whipped cream. Corn is a staple in our house, so it would feature too, but not because it is a “summer” food but just a fave.

PICK A LANGUAGE AS A FAMILY AND LEARN A FEW PHRASES IN IT.

This is fun. We are a bilingual family and enjoy using German out in public, especially with other German speaking friends. It’s fun going to a German bakery or restaurant and ordering in German. Why not pick a language, learn how to order some of your favorite foods and go and order it? 

WRITE A BOOK TOGETHER AS A FAMILY AND ILLUSTRATE IT

Spend some time together and write a story. Maybe it is about adventures you have had. Or maybe it is a fantasy action. What awesome characters you could have. Come up with their names. We have a series of stories we have written and the girls and their best friend Harold the Elephant who lives in the zoo. We need to type them out and have the girls illustrate them (because I certainly can’t draw). There are some great places to get it printed so you have a keepsake. 

PRETEND TO BE PIRATES FOR THE DAY

I have done this with classes and it is so much fun. Create a treasure hunt and go for it. Maybe it is in the backyard and you need to go and dig for it. Maybe it is a scavenger hunt throughout town. (Check out this post on creating your own scavenger hunts.) Dress up in costumes (always fun!) and talk like a pirate. You may as well go big or go home 😉

MAKE BIRD FEEDERS

We love watching the birds come to our backyard. These are easy to make. One we enjoy making is easy and biodegradable. You need a pine cone, peanut butter and birdseed. If you want to hang it, you just need some string. What you need to do is cover the pine cone with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed. Tie the pine cone with string and hang it from a tree or place it on a plate for the birds to come and eat.

WASHABLE PAINT – body art

This is one that my girls certainly love to do – paint each other with washable paint and then wash it off in a sprinkler run. I try to suggest ideas but it always seems to end up with a glorious shade of brown all over…….and a spray down with the hose or sprinkler. We are not afraid of mess and being a canvas always brings such delight to the girls. I hope they look back on this one day and say “What fun we had. We made a mess and Mummy didn’t care (too much).”

STAGE YOUR OWN SUMMER OLYMPICS

It was with sadness that the Summer Olympics were cancelled, well, at least postponed. Why not hold your own as a family or with friends. Set up races, hurdles and swimming events. Have medal ceremonies (because who doesn’t like medals) and why not throw a closing ceremony.

I hope this gives you some ideas of what to do with a family staycation. Next week I will have 10 more fun staycation ideas.