Summer Fun Passport: Summer Reading Clubs!

Spud has signed up for the Summer Reading Club at the public library again. And his school's reading club too! Fourth year in a row for both.

So that means he's committed to 15 minutes of reading per club for 50 days. He's got a bit of list going on chapter books he's looking forward to. We'll be visiting the library a lot too. Check out the goodreads sidebar to see what we have on the go at any given time.


Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this year!

Spud's London: 13 Favourite Things

Well, it's been over a year now since we visited London. And we miss it a lot. Here, in no particular order, are Spud's most missed spots:

· Hamley's Toy Shop: The 250 year old, multiple floor toy store was an obvious favourite. Spud found his treasured toy Tube trains there.

· Tower Bridge — where Spud got a tick on his life list, which was a 2-parter it turns out.

· The Tower of London — where spotting royalty was but one reason it left a lasting impression.

· The Tube — a true obsession.

· Big Ben. Although the first thing he said when he saw it in person was "It's not as big as I thought it would be". We have since learned though, that it is the 3rd tallest free-standing clock in the world and over 150 years old.

· The British Museum. Ancient Egypt and Greece. The Rosetta Stone. Clock, clocks, and more clocks. And a jaw dropping space.

· Harry Potter Studio Tour

· The London Eye

· Science Museum — Points to those who know what this is ...

· Bet you can't guess Spud's favourite part of the Tate Modern

· The Playground we stumbled across on our way to the Tower of London

· V & A

· And then there was that little kids Bookstore that someone directed us to ... a skinny shop ... with a few floors. No idea where it was now or what it was called. We enjoyed at least an hour there, browsing and picking out a few to take home. Not sure if it's on this list but we will take it with if we go again, it looks like a good one.

For all our London posts, click here.

Our Passport to Summer Fun 2013

Now that we have our Summer Fun Passport List ready, we need a passport to keep track of all the fun we will be having! So we made this ...

After each activity is completed, we will fill out these little sheets and glue them into the passport. Each includes a place to draw a quick "stamp", the activity title, the date, and 3 lines to write a wee blurb about the activity. In the end, we have a little summer keepsake.

Summer Fun Passport List 2013

Happy First Day of Summer. Yesterday was Spud's last day of grade 3 and we are up and running for Summer 2013. And here's our second annual Summer Bucket List. As usual we have way more things than we can ever do in one summer. Luckily there is no pressure to do them all — there's always next year!

1. READ + WRITE + DO (because you've got to keep your skills sharp)

• Write Letters to Family (with our letter writing kit)
• Join the Library AND School Summer Reading Clubs
• Write a Book Review
• Sign up for Playful Learning's Stress Management eCourse
• DIY Mini Mail Boxes and Write Notes to Each Other
• Choose a Science Experiment to do with Daddy (from this book)
• Make a Ziplock Bag Explode
• Make a Naked Egg
• Work on Stamp Collection
• Learn 3 Camping Knots (find knot tying books at the library + go here)
• Learn How to Tie your Shoes!
• Learn How to Tie a Tie
• Launch DIY Water Rockets
• Learn some Morse Code
• Sew Your Own Zipper Bag
• Make a Comic Book
• Learn Some New Magic Tricks
• Teach the Puppy a New Trick
• Find Some Fun Math Games

2. GO OUTSIDE (because summer is all about outside)

• Go on a New Hike with Puppy
• Go on a New Hike with Friends
• Have a Water Fight
• Make a Sprinkler Play Area on the Deck
• Watch the Sunset
• Go Geocaching
• Take in an Outdoor Movie at the Park
• Go to a Drive-In Movie
• Go Kayaking
• Take Sailing Lessons
• Go Sailing with Daddy
• Spend a Hot Afternoon at an Outdoor Pool
• Check out at least one of the local Summer Night Markets
• Spend a Day at the Amusement Park
• Go Nature Journaling
• Try Archery, again
• Go Camping with Friends
• Go on a Hike-in Camping Trip
• Go on a Road Trip with Friends
• Host a Beach Potluck with Friends
• Swim in the Ocean
• Make Art, en plein air (with our portable sketchbox)
• Go Berry Picking
• Get a Piggy Back Ride

3. CREATE (because we love to make things!)

• Make a Kite from a Kit
• Do a Soapstone Carving
• Make a Kiwi Crate Project
• Draw a Castle (use our How to Draw A Castle book)
• Make another Heart Map
• Create Cityscape with Block Printing
• Make a Klimt-inspired Art Piece (inspired by our trip to Vienna. See here + here.)
• Make a Paper Weaving
• Make a Bath Mural with Craft Foam
• Decorate Mugs with Porcelain Pens (tutorial here)

4. EAT + DRINK (because it's about learning and having fun at the same time)

• Make Bread/Buns from Scratch
• Try New Popsicle Recipes
• Run a Lemonade Stand
• Make a Solar Powered Lunch (Pizza + Tea)
• Make Rock Candy
• Make a Spring-form Cake
• Make Cookies
• Make Banana Splits
• Take a Cooking Class
• Learn about an Unfamiliar Country and Try its Cuisine (Ethiopian)

And I'm pinning other summer fun ideas here all the time.

Here's last year's list. Want to see all our last year's Passport ticks? Check 'em out here.

Makes Me Happy: Poppies and Sunshine

Passing by a community garden walking home from Spud's swimming lesson, something caught our eye.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness, I say? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

Makes Me Happy: My Yoga Mat

Every time I roll out my mat I think of the day that I told Hubs I needed one for a class I wanted to take and he secretly ran out on his lunch break to surprised me with it after work.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

Word Search Colouring Page: In The Backyard

Download the Word Search Printable here.

Snack Pack: Balloons and Stars

Makes Me Happy: Piano Lesson

Sitting in on Spud's piano lesson each week, makes me happy.

Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness, I say? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

Word Search Colouring Page: It's Beach Day!

Feeling beach-y lately? Here's a word search colouring page that is yours for the taking. Enjoy!

Birthday Cake: Giant Oreo Cookie

Look what Hubs made for Spud's 9th birthday! With his own two hands. Two layers of Chocolate Decadence (no flour) Cake with a Cheese Cake middle. And chocolate fondant decorations on top!