Our 2016 Summer Bucket List

Now that we are less than a month away from the boys getting out of school, I am starting to get excited for some fun in the sun this Summer.  Every year the boys and I get together and make a list of Summer activities we want to fit in. There are some favorites we always add and some new activities we have added this year. We can not wait. If you don't know our family, we live in Maryland so a lot of these ideas are based on where we live. Hopefully, you can find these activities available in your area as well.

Park Quest

Camping
Bowling

(There is a really awesome program where you can bowl once a week for only the small price of your shoe rental.)

Blueberry/Strawberry picking

Fishing

Swimming

Hiking
Jr. Ranger's Program

Go to a Baseball Game

$1 Movies

Summer carnival
Police Academy

Utz Factory

Sky Zone

Leesburg Water Park

Gymnastics

Catoctin Zoo

Tubing

Climb a Tree
Walk a Slackline

Watch Fireworks

Have a picnic lunch

Build a butterfly garden

Drink a slushie

Run a race

Make Smores

Pop popcorn on a fire

Catch fireflies
Eat watermelon
Lurray Caverns
Skyline Drive
Lake visits
Eat Crabs
Make Ice cream
Ride bikes
Creek fun
Camping party
Visit the library
Ice skating
Play tennis
Visit Harpers Ferry
Visit the Butterfly Gardens
High Wheel Race
Wooden Slide
Visit the Airport
Summer Concert
Outdoor movie

Park Quest #4: Gun Powder Falls State Park

What a crazy adventure this quest was. The Park Quest booklet instructed us to check in at the Monkton Station. From there we had to choose between a roundtrip 2 mile bike ride, a 1 mile hike or a drive to an easier access point. We decided ahead of time to do the hike. It was a pretty day out and was perfect hiking weather.

We drove the hour long trip to Monkton Station only to find out it shares a space with another company that rents tubes to float down the river. There was absolutely no parking anywhere. There were 50-100 cars parked all along the road. We drove around for at least 30 mins trying to find a parking spot that was legal. (There is a bridge along the road too and you are not allowed to park on the bridge.)

Finally, I decided after having the kids complaining (for what seemed like hours) to park illegally in the parking lot and walk over to get our supplies. I told the park ranger we had no where to park. He instructed us to take the short drive to York Rd. option. We were given a bag of supplies and a net. We were instructed to go to an easier access point where we could inspect the water.

The boys go to different creeks around our hometown at least once a week so they were no strangers to getting into creeks and looking for bugs/crayfish. Unfortunately, they had a very hard time finding anything. They made the best of the experience by playing in the water together with the supplies.

Overall, was an alright quest. We would do it again on a weekday early in the morning to hopefully miss the crowds of people rafting/biking.

Park Quest #2: Seneca Creek State Park

I mentioned last week we crossed off another Park Quest and Bucket List activity! Canoeing at Seneca Creek State Park.

I wanted to give more detail about the quest and post some pictures!

The quest was at the beautiful Seneca Creek State Park located in Gaithersburg, MD. Because we are part of the Park Quest program and have our trusty Park Quest passport, we were allowed to check out two canoes, kayaks, or paddle boats. We opted for the canoe and, we only needed one for the 4 of us. We were given a map, a pencil, directions, an animal identification sheet and, life jackets!

The directions that were given to us stated we needed to follow the map to find 7 different posts. On those posts would be 3 different pictures of animal species found at Seneca Creek or in MD. We would then need to identify that species and write it down. If you get stumped there was an animal identification sheet that helped out.

Conner knew most of the animals names, he needed a little help with the different fish names. Carson enjoyed the ride and putting his hands in the water. The paddle around the lake took us about 1.5 hours. We were lucky to have a little bit of a breeze to help us along the way. If you go on this quests  or just to paddle around the lake, keep an eye out for a blue heron that hangs out there. He was so pretty. When we found him he was hunting for fish!

 After the quest we let the boys play at the fun tire park. While at the park a park ranger came over and held a short lesson on animals in MD. The boys got to identify animals by their skulls and fur.

Overall, we had a blast at this quest!

Behind the Camera!

Over the weekend my oldest went to a beginners photography class. He had such a fantastic time. All the volunteers were so helpful. They taught him so much. We took about an hour to walk around downtown. We saw plants, animals, architecture, patterns and, people. Conner really has a great eye for beautiful things. I was taking some photos along with him and he got a lot of things I didn't see.

After we walked around snapping photos, we went back inside where we got to rate all of our pictures 0-2. 0: being one we didn't really like or was out of focus. 1: being one we so so liked but maybe there was something a little off. 2: Was one we really enjoyed. Then we took all the 2's and narrowed it down to the best one. He got to print the best one off to hang at the local library. We can't wait to go back later this week to see it hung up with the rest of the class photos. I couldn't believe all that they did and that it was totally free!! What a treat!!

Here's a couple photos I got of Conner!

Here are a couple of his favorite shots!! The lily is hanging at the library and he titled it "Flower Reflections".

Semi Wordless Wednesday: Summer Bucket List #4: Fishing!!

The boys went fishing with their dad and pappy! They caught tons of fish!

I had to share this...it looks much worse than it was. He cried only for a little while getting it out. He was fine after. He went to cast his line and he did not reel it in before casting, it went out and came back at him hooking his face.  He was very lucky not to get his eye and it didn't hook in enough to make it bleed. He's a trooper!

Summer Fun doesn't have to break the bank!

Since making our Summer bucket list, I have had a lot of people telling me they can't make a bucket list because they don't have a lot of money to spend this Summer.

This Summer our family has decided to try and save as much money as we can. Last year, we spent a lot on trips, gas, and treats. We wanted to prove to those people it can still be done.

I have already mentioned some free programs and low cost activities already in the past month. Dig into Reading, Library visits, Park Quest, and Slip n slide fun. Some more that we enjoy are lake visits at a local State Park, Swimming, crafts, water balloon fights, playing in the creek, chalk drawing, park visits, free bowling, and so many more. There are a ton of ways you can still be budget friendly while having fun this Summer.

Last weekend, we tried out another free program for the first time. The Build and Grow program that Lowes puts on at their stores. They hold these workshops on specific Saturdays throughout the month. During your visit you are given all the supplies to make that weeks activities and a patch of completion. At your first visit you are also given a certificate, an apron and safety goggles. My boys had a fantastic time and were begging to go back. Everything is free but, you do need to go online and register for a spot at your local store.

My boys made a Monster's University wooden treasure chest. Then, they decorated them with stickers. Their chests both turned out amazing!!