Our Amazing Alphabet Adventure Summer

Technically, I still have seven days of summer left. And I'm holding onto them pretty tight because we have been having SO much fun this summer! Last year... kind of a train wreck. This year... awesome! I dunno, maybe the kids are an easier age for trekking around? Or maybe last year's experience of Nug entering school and its somewhat irritating daily shuffle (and the scale tipping, irreversibly, towards my children learning more from outside influences than from me- ack!) kept us all in check? Or maybe I was just in a better mood? Uh, doubt it. But one thing that I know worked for us? Our alphabet summer.

My Dear and Long Suffering Readers, I do think of you, and after years of blog posts full of my parenting failings, I am pleased to finally present something that worked! Drumroll...

This is what a winning summer at home with little ones looks like!

Oh, and sorry for the somewhat lame lack of place names on this list, but I gotta protect our anonymity.

Amtrak Adventure!
Borax slime + Bowling
Cookies (home baked) + Cardboard houses
D (science museum that start with letter D)

Building toothpick and candy houses: which one is strong enough to survive an "earthquake," aka shake of the cardboard?

Earthquake & Egg Experiments

F (a waterpark that starts with letter F, with a Friend)
Gymnastics class
Horse camp + (a section of the river that starts with letter H)

Dirty river kids, yes!

Icees and Ice cream at Ikea
Journaling
Kisses
Legos

Simple toys + time together + patience = magic

Meatball dinner + a Movie
Noodle dinner
Owls at the raptor sanctuary + Origami

Owl eyes! Although Nug's actual eyes are nearly as big- and so beautiful. 

Free site for kids origami

Pizza + Popsicles + Pancakes + Pictures

Homemade pizza dough. By the time we're done eating the dough, no one is hungry for the actual pizza!

Quick games + Quinoa
Racquet (tennis) + Role play with animals that start with R + Rough-housing
Swimming + Salmon dinner + Sweets (pie)
Tractor museum + Television (Mommy needs a break!)

OMG, when they snuggle together!

University (bug museum) + homemade Unicorn horns + Umbrella fort

Approx one square foot display case at the Bug Museum. Look at the size of those bugs! 

Volcano (homemade) + Volunteer + ice cream at a V- titled ice cream shop

DIY volcano

W Uncle Wiggly game + (an indoor play space that starts with letter W)

Brought the neighbor girl over to make them behave better have more fun

Wiped out after an hour at the indoor play space!

X Exercise (see Yoga)
Yoga pretzel game

Thanks Aunt Lorie for this gift!

Zoo

Our Favorites:

Far and away, everyone's favorite was riding the Amtrak train. What an adventure that was! Coming in second, I'd say the kids loved any day that involved a treat (obviously), plus anytime I was actively engaged with them (like rough-housing or legos). There were a few days that I thought would be flops, but were pleasant surprises, like how much the kids loved "Kiss" day. And the day we found a great new waterpark. They also really took to Origami, which was such an easy, low-cost activity. And near the end of the summer, as we ran out of steam, we had a magical day of making unicorn horns and trotting around, bumping into things.

Nearly all of the activities were dreamt up by Nug and I. To round out a few of the letters, I used this great website of STEM activities. We will definitely return to an alphabet summer next year!

P.S. Nug is entering first grade, and in a couple of weeks, Cookie will start preschool. This will be the first time in six-and-a-half years that I'll be alone, which sounds like fodder for a blog post, but I might just be too busy reading a magazine on the couch.

Just to keep up with our camping adventures... a recent hike, with Cookie on my back (Aug 2017)