10 Free Summer Reading Printables

Prevent summer slide (and boredom!) by encouraging kids to keep track of their reading this summer. With this list of printable reading logs, there's sure to be something that appeals to every kid.

Bubble Snakes

Today we had such nice weather that we spent most of the day outside. One of the activities we did was making these bubble snakes. They were so easy to do and a huge hit with the kids.

15 Camping Activities for Kids: Kid's Co-op

Whether you're going on an actual camping trip with bugs and outdoor toilets, or having a pretend camp out in your backyard, the Kid's Co-op has you covered with 15 camping activities for kids:

15 DIY Toys for Summer: Kid's Co-op

Keep summer boredom at bay with these 15 summer toys from The Kid's Co-op. The best part is that you can make them yourself, or better yet, have the kids do it!

12 Frozen Treats: Kid's Co-op

I'm so sorry for missing the Kid's Co-op last week! We were busy getting ready for my son's birthday party and it completely slipped my mind. To make it up to you, here are twelve great recipes to make frozen treats for the kids (or you!) this summer:

Easy Teacher Gift: Flower Pots and Seeds

I wanted to put together a quick gift for my kids' teachers to thank them for all they've done this year. Since there's six teachers between the two of them it also needed to be inexpensive.

12 Summer Science Ideas: Kid's Co-op

We recently purchased an ant farm and my kids are beyond excited about it. There are so many fun science activities that work especially well in the summer. And I love when we can do the messy ones outside. Here are some fun summer science experiments from last week's Kid's Co-op:

Ice Volcanoes

If you're looking for a mess-free activity for kids that's quick to set up, ice volcanoes are probably not for you. BUT if you're looking for some fun, messy science that your kids will LOVE, this activity is a good one. All you need for this play recipe is baking soda, water, vinegar, and food coloring. The supplies you need for making ice volcanoes are small bowls, balls that will sink, plastic wrap, and some room in the freezer.

Easy Butterfly Feeder

This butterfly feeder is easy for kids to make and looks great hanging from a tree. All you need is a plastic planter, some string, and butterfly food and you're ready to do some butterfly watching.

Frozen Marbles

This is basically just ice chalk in a ball shape. We froze some of our chalk bomb water balloons, peeled off the balloon, and had a new way to play outside. I didn't have a specific activity in mind when I made these, but I knew the kids would come up with something fun. They're like giant frozen chalk marbles. Just a few ingredients, an old pump bottle, and some water balloons are all you need to keep the kids busy on a hot summer afternoon.

Chalk Bombs: Water Balloon Fun

Last year we painted with water balloons, and I wanted to do it again this year, but filling up the water balloons was a pain. This time I had a new trick up my sleeve though. Also, instead of regular paint, we swapped out sidewalk chalk paint to make "chalk bombs". With our new method of filling them up, we were smashing chalk-filled water balloons in no time. (I'm sorry. I just lied to you. It was still a pain to fill up all those balloons, but slightly less work than usual and totally worth it.)

 

12 Ice Activities: Kid's Co-op

Welcome back to another week of the Kid's Co-op. It's been HOT here, and one of our favorite things to do when it's hot outside is to play with ice. You really can't go wrong - it's cheap, easy to make, a great sensory experience for kids, and there are so many ways to use it. Here are 12 ice activities for kids you're sure to want to try this summer.

Frozen S'mores and Camping Books for Kids

My husband's not big on camping. In fact, I don't think he's ever gone in his entire life and he's not about to be talked into it this late in the game. My poor children had never had a camping experience until we visited my sister's family while they were camping. Of course, they loved it and one of their favorite parts was the s'mores.

He may not like camping, but my husband has a sweet tooth and he came up with the idea of making frozen s'mores at home. (The man will stop at nothing to get out of sleeping in a tent.) It was a great idea - these s'mores are made using the broiler so you can make them any time of year, but because they're frozen, they make an especially good treat for a hot summer day.

 

10 Ways to Have Fun in the Sprinkler

It's not like an ordinary lawn sprinkler isn't fun all on its own. Set the sprinkler up, put some sunscreen on the kids, and send them out hoping they'll be entertained long enough for all the grass dragged into the house to be worth it. But if you find your kids have grown bored with the sprinkler, you want to encourage some summer learning, or you have a group to entertain, there's sure to be an idea or two here for you.

Water Balloon Letter Learning

I'm always looking for fun ways to get my kids interested in playing with letters and letter sounds. Water balloons are always a hit around here in the summer, so I decided to combine the two.

7 Ways to Make Ice Chalk

Since I first posted about our ice chalk, we've made lots of variations of it. Instead of putting each in a separate post, I thought it would be more helpful to have them all here.

50 Summer Activities Boys Will Love: Kid's Co-op

Your girls might like them too!

Keep your little guys (or gals) busy this summer with these fun activities from The Kid's Co-op:

Frozen Popsicle Chalk

The other day I was pulling out the ice cube trays to make another batch of our ice chalk when I saw the popsicle molds and decided to try those instead.

Ice Chalk

Ice Chalk is the perfect kid activity for a hot summer day. Frozen chalk makes a great art, science, and sensory experience all in one.

15 Outdoor Art Activities: Kid's Co-op

You can take almost any art activity outside, but these ten art ideas from the Kid's Co-op were made for the great outdoors. Some use natural materials and others make such a glorious mess that the only place for them is outside the house. Either way, you can grab some supplies and head outside with your kids to create some art and memories.