by WSP Early Childhood Faculty Members
Summer is here, bringing with it the joy and peace of sunny days, warm earth, cool splashing water, smooth white sands, the blue ocean, and the vibrant growth of nature all around us. To help you make the most of this lively season, we have included suggestions for activities you can enjoy together with your children, age-appropriate chores, and a list of our favorite children’s authors.
Some summer activities:
- Roll down hills
- Go camping
- Frequent beach trips to run, dig, and play in the sand
- Fly a kite
- Take bike rides
- Build forts, inside and outside
- Wheelbarrow game
- Sack races
- Balance games
- Obstacle courses
- Playdough
- Burrito game
- Draw shapes on child’s back and see if they can guess what you drew
Age-appropriate chores:
- Feed the family pet
- Put away toys
- Put dirty clothes in hamper
- Get dressed on their own
- Help set the table
- Mix, stir, chop – help with meal prep
- Water plants
- Clear dishes from the table
- Help fold laundry
- Sweep
Our favorite children’s authors and books:
- Reg Down series
- Sieglinde de Francesca’s Gnome series
- Elsa Beskow series
- Tell Me a Story/ Tell Me Another Story by Louise deForest
- Corduroy stories by Don Freeman
- Books by Sibylle von Olfers, Gerda Müller
- Our Nest – Reeve Lindbergh & Jill McElmurry
- The Blue Forest- Luke Fischer
- Wynken, Blynken and Nod
- Barbara Helen Berger
- Jan Brett
- Eric Carle
- Barbara Cooney
- Tomie de Paola
- Daniela Dresher
- Lucia Grosse
- Donald Hall
- Linda Kroll
- Sven Nordqvist
- Audrey Wood
- We Nurture Collective, and Sparkle Stories
And a fun recipe to make together, Mason Jar Vanilla Ice Cream:
Ingredients:
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Add cream, sugar and vanilla into a 16-ounce mason jar and secure tightly with lid. Shake the mason jar up and down until the cream thickens and almost doubles in size, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. It should be opaque and easily coat the back of a wooden spoon. Freeze for 3 hours, or until hardened. Scoop out ice cream with a spoon and serve with your favorite ice cream toppings.
