Summer Fun Activities for Kids

As summertime approaches, so does the end of the school year and the need for summer fun activities for kids. Many parents struggle to come up with activities to keep the kids busy during the summertime - or projects they can do with their children to spend some quality time with them.

In this guide you will learn about two activities for parents and kids that provide many hours of meaningful, quality time between you and your child. The first activity is growing a garden, which is ideal for sunny summer days when there is no better place to be than outdoors. The kids' room makeover is the perfect project for a rainy day when everyone is stuck inside and bored. So this summer don't sit your kids in front of the Playstation or Xbox. Spend some quality time with your kids, doing activities that will nourish and enhance your relationships. It will be a time they will remember and cherish forever, and so will you.

Have a Kids' Room Makeover Weekend

The television show Trading Spaces - Kids is one of the most popular children's shows on the Discovery Channel. The reason is simple - kids are naturally creative and artistic. What could be more fun than redesigning their bedroom? While this may seem like a daunting and expensive task, it isn't. Thanks to some of the latest innovations in interior design - giving the kids' bedroom a "makeover" is now a fun and inexpensive weekend activity.

1. Redesign the floor.

To completely change the look of a children's bedroom, you don't have to start replacing the floor, or laying down carpet which could cost close to $1000 or more. For $200 or less, you can lay down colorful soft mats that will completely recreate the floor. For example, The Children's Factory sells a 72" square puzzle mat that will convert a plain floor into a floor that will make kids smile the moment they see it. Choose any mat color or choose a design that goes with the rest of your color scheme.

2. Redesign the ceiling.

Depending on the theme you and your child decide on, the ceiling can be redesigned in a multitude of ways. A popular design is to paint the ceiling a solid sky blue, and then paint scattered fluffy clouds throughout. This gives the room a fun "outdoors" feel that kids love. Another option is to hang shiny objects, such as old music CD's or colorful crafts, from the ceiling.

3. Redesign the walls.

Redoing the walls is usually what will make or break a good design - not to mention a budget. Repainting the bedroom walls certainly isn't an activity any parent wants to tackle with the kids. And doing stencils takes a great deal of patience - something children usually only have in very short supply.

The folks at SlickSticks have created an innovative new breakthrough in interior design with their large wall decals.

The founder and CEO, Niko Frangos, and many of the designers at SlickSticks were formerly graphic design artists at Disney and Warner Bros. They've created a series of wall decals that can completely transform your child's bedroom into the kind of room you'd only find on television shows like Trading Spaces, but at a price you can afford.

Some of the most popular children's designs they offer include paintball "Splats", pacman "Yellow Gobbler", and "Butterflies".

The reason SlickSticks is the best option for the walls is because:

• The removable, durable vinyl material looks exactly like paint, but with no mess, fumes, or drying time.
• You and the kids can do an entire room in less than 45 minutes.
• The designs are professional interior design quality, at a cost regular parents can afford.

In a recent phone interview, Niko Frangos, the CEO of SlickSticks, said that the company has marketed their product specifically for this kind of project.

According to Niko, "SlickSticks is the kind of product that will revolutionize interior design for regular people. We've started offering complete room kits, which are basically color coordinated whole-room kits that allow non-designers to create professional-looking room designs."

Grow a Garden

One of the most enjoyable and educational activities to do with kids is to grow a garden together.

1. Build large planter boxes

Before heading out to the area you intend to garden with your child, it's smart to prepare the garden beforehand so that everything is ready for the planting phase. The easiest and fastest way to plant a garden with children is to use large planter boxes. These can be built from hardwood such as cedar. Make sure they are about 3 feet wide so that the process of planting will be fairly easy.

2. Fill the boxes with loam

Once you have the garden boxes built and in place, fill them with topsoil. Take time to develop a good base before you begin planting with your child. Fill the boxes with a mix of 1/3 perlite, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 topsoil or peat moss. This mix does a great job holding in moisture as well as keeping the soil well aerated. These are available at Lowes or Home Depot

3. Plant the seeds

Once the garden boxes are prepared, it's time to plant the seeds with your child. There are certain vegetables that kids enjoy growing more than others because of how quickly they grow and how fun those vegetables can be for kids after the harvest.

• Tomatoes - Kids love growing tomatoes because they can be started in small clay pots indoors, before planting in the garden.
• Cucumbers - Kids love eating them!
• Carrots - The harvest is always a fun surprise when the roots are pulled out and kids can finally see how large the carrots grew.
• Sunflowers - Sunflowers add beauty to a garden, and they are always a big hit with the kids.
• Pumpkins - Pumpkins remind children about Halloween, so it's no wonder these large vegetables are always a favorite.

Follow these instructions with your child to arrange the soil in furrows as directed, and have your child place the seeds inside each furrow.

After planting, make sure to lay down a layer of mulch. This will keep the soil cool for optimum growing on those scorching hot summer days.

4. Harvest!

The harvest is always the part of gardening that kids love the most. Seeing how large the carrots have grown, searching through the leaves for the full grown cucumbers, or plucking fresh tomatoes from the vine are all activities kids love to do.

Think Outside the Box

This summer - avoid the usual boring activities. Try something new and unique with the kids. Doing these two summertime activities with the kids this year will nurture your relationship with them. It will keep them busy and it will improve the environment in which you and your children live.