Last days of Summer

 

Bring back Summer!

I know it's just August but the more I go into stores the more I'm assaulted with reminders of Autumn. Don't get me wrong I love the Fall, in fact it's my favorite season. However, let's not be too eager to say goodbye to long Summer nights playing outdoors, the sounds of nature humming, the scent of fresh cut grass clippings, the waves on the beach, and grilling dinner with family and friends. For these are the moments to look back on during cold winter days and when your children have become adults. 

Summer is the time when children are free of school (and yes, I choose the word "free" deliberately😅), a time when they can relax and behave like children, a time when they don't have to stress over waking up early and being productive all day. 

"Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments." – Rose Kennedy

It's important to allow children the freedom to explore, to play, to live, and to be wasteful with their summer days! "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." – Marthe Troly-Curtin

Here is a list of fun summer activities children can do before school starts and the days begin to shorten. This list was adapted from HisLifeLearner.com

 

And because parents also deserve some fun summer nights here is a list provided by Real Simple. I for one will definitely be checking off some of these activities before the old summer's-end melancholy nips at my heels.

 

How do you like to spend summer days or nights? Leave me a comment below.

Now for our Pride Month Giveaway........The winner is Taylin F.! Congratulations🎉🎊🎉I'll be in touch to get your mailing address to send you a copy of both My Shadow is Pink and Who are You? I'll also be adding a few extra goodies!!!!

As always thanks for reading!

 

Gardening with Kids

 

Fun in the dirt!

Now that we're in the middle of Summer let's talk about gardening with kids! We all know that children are more willing to try different foods if they are a participant in growing it and cooking it. Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow, think, mint, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, basil, and oregano. These can be started indoors, left on a sunny windowsill or transferred to patios or decks for easy access when cooking. 

Having a container garden can be a great way to grow fresh fruits and veggies if you don't have a much outdoor space or if you have deer. Tomatoes, peppers, patio baby eggplants, bok choy, lettuce, green onions, and strawberries all grow well in containers. 

If you have a larger space consider growing green beans, peas, potatoes, carrots, summer squash, and zucchini.  Click here to find instructions on how to grow a green bean teepee!

Here is a fun way to repurpose old rain boots into very cute planters! Once they're done they can be hung on a fence or left on an out door table for guest and neighbors to enjoy.  

Gardening is a ‘sense-sational’ way to engage kids in outdoor learning and play! Check out this awesome Sensory Garden Activity Kit courtesy of kidsgardening.org ! This kit offers information on various plants, multi-sensory activities, and a recipe to try.  

 

 The connection between the outdoors and the immune system.

"Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest's undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child's immune system, according to an experiment in Finland." Research was conducted in Finnish daycare's to see if there truly was a connection between children playing outdoors and a healthy immune system, and there was. "Among kids who got outside – playing in the dirt, the grass, and among the trees – an increase in a microbe called gammaproteobacteria appeared to boost the skin's immune defense, as well as increase helpful immune secretions in the blood and reduce the content of interleukin-17A, which is connected to immune-transmitted diseases." Read more about this research here.

I hope you have fun gardening with your littles this summer! Let me know in the comments what's your favorite fruit or vegetable?

Also, there's only one week left to enter to win the Pride Book Giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment on any of my blog posts and I will draw a winner next Wednesday on July 31st!!!!!!

As always thanks for reading!