My friends and I have been doing a seasonal scavenger hunt via Facebook for the past three years.  It is a fun way to get out and explore our world, as well as taking notice of the small things in our lives.  We also learn a little more about each other every year and it forces those who live away from us to stay in touch in a small way :)

Here is our list this year for inspiration in creating your own! 
​Or feel free just to "steal" it - I don't mind :)

Summer 2019 List
1. Last Day of school picture
2. Running through a sprinkler
3. Reading a book (or 2 or 3)
4. Having a picnic
5. Blowing bubbles
6. Eating Watermelon
7. Playing in the Rain
8. Laundry on the line
9. Roasting Marshmallows
10. Lightning 
11. Colouring with sidewalk chalk
12. On a nature walk
13. At a festival/fair
14. Visiting a water park
15. Eating ice cream
16. At the beach
17. At the park
18. muddy child
19. giant leaf 
20. Orange flower
21. Making a favourite summer treat
(something you don't eat during the school year/not a popsicle)
22. Playing on a slip and slide
23. Face paint
24. Family game night
25. Bowling
26. Construction Zone
27. Learning something new
28. Going for a bike ride
29. Dirty Feet
30. big rock
31. waterfall
32. Rainy day activity 
33. An insect
34. Swimming in the lake or river
35. wild animal
36. Something old 
37. statue
38. rest stop 
39. sleeping child
40. Something pink
41. Something blue
42. Flip flops
43. summer storm
44. Mowing the lawn
45. Riding a bike
46. Having a water fight
47. Writing a pen pal
48. Playing mini golf
49. Eating cotton candy
50. Something new
51. Picking berries
52. A fish 
53. Going kayaking/canoeing/boating
54. Canada Day celebrations
55. Something yellow
56. Something orange
57. Drinking a slurpee/iced coffee
58. A sunflower 
59. butterfly
60. rainbow
61. parade
62. A boardwalk
63. homemade popsicle 
64. Playing hopscotch 
65. Jumping rope
66. ladybug
67. Sparklers 
68. At the farmer's market 
69. train
70. license plate from far away
71. Visiting some place you've never been before
72. mountain
73. painted rock
74. bag of trash (aka clean up your neighbourhood/favourite trail)
75. Something purple
76. wet bathing suit
77. Sunglasses
78. geocache
79. Someone being silly
80. pine cone
81. Something cooked on the bbq
82. Something interesting you see on a walk/hike 
83. Wild mushrooms/fungus
84. A bridge 
85. Yellow flowers
86. Sunrise/Sunset
87. Playing in the pool
88. Lemonade
89. A family selfie
90. Something fuzzy
91. Something crafty
92. A feather
93. Souvenir 
94. A starry night
95. Something that floats
96. Airplane/Helicopter
97. Sunscreen/Bug Protection
98. A picture of whoever normally takes pictures
(and thus is never in the pictures) enjoying a family activity
99. Something cool not on this list
100. New school supplies

Who will get all 100?  

Summer Slide is a phrase that describes the slide backwards that children make in reading and math skills over the summer.  Basically, it is the old adage, "use it or lose it!"
Statistics vary as to how much knowledge is lost over the summer, but there are many ways to support our kids in our daily lives!

Here are 5 things that I do with my kids over the summer:
1.  READ, and read some more!  Read out loud to them, have them read to you.  Kids emulate what they see, so let them see you reading.  Read signs at the store, on the road, wherever you go!  Make sure you stop by the store and pick up your free Gingy bookmark.

2. Play Games - so many games promote strategic thinking, math & reading skills and even social skills.  This summer, I am introducing Yahtzee and a travel game that we just got in store called Words.  Some other favourites are Bananagrams,  Mexican Train (Dominoes) and Scrabble!

3.  Explore outdoors!  Take a net to the lake, what creatures can you find?  Look up plants with an app or go geocaching (a family favourite of ours) - so much learning and relaxation occurs in our woods, plus the fresh air and exercise are an awesome bonus.

4. Bake or cook - What a great life skill to learn!  Reading, following directions, motor skills and math are just a few of the things that can be incorporated into an everyday need.  One thing that I do is take away a measuring cup, and ask my kids how we can measure out the ingredients with the measuring cups that are left (fractions!)  For example, if we need a cup of sugar, I'll take away that cup and have them figure out that they need 3 x 1/3 Cups or 2 x 1/2 Cups.

5.  Traditional workbooks, flash cards,  online programs and apps are another way to mix it up and keep it interesting!  My kids love the Hot Dots we have at the store (and we have lots of options coming soon!) - they are a neat alternative to the traditional flash card.

So many opportunities arise for added learning, we can help you find the games, tools, workbooks and story books to make this summer fun!  If you have a favourite way to add learning to your everyday, share with us in the comments :)