Are you looking for a few fabulous and educational activities to enjoy with your kids this summer? Try these!

1. Nature Hikes

Nature walks are the perfect summer activities for families. The weather is warm and pleasant to be outside. Both teens and preschoolers enjoy the outing. You get to see and hear local wildlife.

Kids become familiar with local trees, wildflowers, and birds. You don’t even need to do a different hike each week. Taking the same hike several times in a season allows kids to see the changes from the beginning of the summer season to the end of the summer months.

2. Gardening

Gardening is an excellent activity to do with kids. Plant vegetables for the table, flowers to spruce up the house, and melons for dessert. You can start your plants from seed or pick up starters at the local gardening stores.

If you don’t want to dig up the lawn, try container gardening. Tomatoes, lettuce, and basil do well in containers, and you can enjoy a homemade spaghetti sauce and salad from food you grew yourself.

Go all out and grow several dozen plants in a large garden or keep it small and just grow one or two of your favorites.

3. Study Butterflies

Study butterflies this summer. Take a look at what types of butterflies live in your area. Carefully catch them with a net and examine their wings. Give your kids the quick tip that butterfly wings fold upright when they’re not flying while moth wings stay extended. It’s an easy way to tell the difference between the two.

You can encourage your kids to keep a nature journal of the different types of butterflies they find. What kinds of flowers do butterflies prefer? Are you able to attract many to the flowers in your yard?

And don’t forget to pick up a butterfly kit while you’re studying butterflies. Kids love watching butterflies change from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

4. Bird Watching

While you’re heading outside this summer on nature hikes, keep an eye out for the different kinds of birds you see. Does your area have waterfowl, hawks, eagles, or seagulls? Also, keep an eye out for the baby birds in the early summer months.

There’s nothing as much fun as seeing the baby ducks following their mother on the local lake and watching them slowly age into full grown ducks.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on your yard for birds. Quite a few different birds wander through my yard looking for juicy worms or crunchy seeds for breakfast. Encourage the kids to keep a journal next to the window to write down their observations. Try making bird feeders from recycled materials or making homemade bird treats to attract birds to your yard.

5. Astronomy

Summer is warm enough to stay outside comfortably all night. You can even sleep under the stars! Give it a try this summer. See if you can find the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Orion. If you’ve been able to see the constellations in the winter, be sure to point out how the stars move as the season progresses.

Orion won’t be in the same place twice!

6. Berry Picking

Look for local farms where you can go berry picking with your kids. Often kids get the mistaken idea that berries come from a container at the store. Don’t let it happen at your house!

Head out and pick the berries off the vine this summer. And don’t worry about picking too many. Fresh berries are delicious and tend to disappear quickly with kids around.

7. Make Jam

If you do have any extra berries, make jams, jellies, and preserves. Take the kids into the kitchen with you so they can help wash, dry, and cook the berries.  You’ll enjoy the taste of summer in the middle of winter!

Summer is an excellent time to enjoy nature studies. The weather is warm, you can stay outside for hours, and plants are in full bloom.

What are your favorite summer activities to enjoy with your kids?

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