A note about materials: I tried to limit these projects to ones that won't require a lot of supplies & resources---simple fun. However, for many of them you will need a journal----you can create your own out of a brown paper bag and the instructions are here (pdf). For all of them, you will need your imaginations!
It's time for a picnic! But where is your traveling family (the "________walds") going today? Choose a location and have a picnic. What is the weather like there? What are you eating? While setting out your blanket, what do you see all around you? What does it smell like? Someone approaches, what language do they speak? Write it all down in your travel log and after your picnic conduct a little research and find out the real answers to your questions. How close were you in your original answers? Would you want to visit this place?
Spoil your pets
There they are, your pets, craving your attention. Spend an entire day tracking your pets. You can draw a map of your house and yard and make notes on your map of the places your pet goes. On another sheet, keep track of how often your pet eats, drinks, and sleeps. Lavish your pet with attention----it's your pet's DAY! Make your pet some homemade treats and perhaps teach your old pet a new trick!
Thoreau's thorough Study
Measure out a one-foot square piece of earth to study and place rocks at the corners to mark your spot. At the same time each day, go to your square for study. You will spend at least 15 minutes there. Here are some of the things to note in your journal: are there any new tracks or movement in your square? Is the dirt colder or warmer than yesterday? What is the weather like? Measure the shade the comes across your square----is it shorter or longer than yesterday? Are there any new leaves or plant matter there? Go back home and now sketch your square from memory.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Lay on your backs in the yard. Close your eyes (no peeking!). Listen... What do you here? In a typical day, we so seldom take the time to actually listen... this is a good project for both kids & adults!
Digging for worms
Need I say more? How many worms can you find? Where will you look?
Way Out Back in the Outback: No cheating.
Camping in the backyard. But be prepared, once you're out camping in the Outback you can no longer return to the house!
Stars' Stories.
Adopt a constellation to study this summer. What can you learn about this constellation? What kind of mythology is behind this constellation? Track your constellation as it travels across the sky. Resources here.
Etymology: the study of words. Each week, choose some weird words to study (here is a list of words). We'll choose some unusual words each week and ask these questions: What is this word's history? Are there discrepancies in the historical data about these words? Where do they fall in our current language as compared to their original form? After we learn about some old/weird words, we'll attempt to use them in a story. That should be interesting!
Turn Over the Rock
Spend an afternoon turning over rocks and discovering who lives under them. What are those strange creatures that make their homes under our rocks?
Hide the Flaming Red Rock
Paint a rock (the size of a softball) a bright red and hide it somewhere within a certain radius of your house. When the rock is found, that person chooses a baked treat of their choice from another family member. Go hide your rock again!
In the life of...
What do you want to be when you grow up? Choose a career and study it. What would you be doing today if you were in that career? Do some pretend play!
The Currency Converter Game
Imagine that our country has implemented a new currency. Our new currency is worth 3-cents of our old currency. One player gathers and makes items to sell in the old currency and the second (and subsequent) players must convert the price to the new currency (which is the only currency they can use).
Shade Hopscotch
Who can travel the farthest by using only shade? Make it even more challenging by going barefoot!
Grind-it-Up Mystery Mash
Find an old mortar and pestle (they can often be found in thrift-stores). Write up some recipes and then go on a treasure hunt---for example, a recipe could be 3 parts berries, 2 parts grass, 1 part yellow flower petals. Grind up your mash. What does it look like? Do you need water to grind it up? Don't eat it---leave out in a little cup for the fairies, birds, and squirrels!
Grind-it-up Mystery Mash Dying
Use your Mystery Mash to dye some white cotton. What color does your Mystery Mash create? What if you mash up some other plants? What color does it turn then?
Solar Bean & Cheese Burrito
When it gets hot, really hot, line a shoe box with tin foil. Make your burrito: place 1/3 C. refried beans down the middle of a flour tortilla and add 1/4 C. shredded cheese. Roll up your burrito and place it in the shoebox. Set the shoebox directly in the sun and cover with plastic wrap. How long does it take for the cheese to melt? When it does, enjoy your Solar Burrito!
Plant a Plant Tepee
What a fun shady fort for the summer! Here are instructions to create a Sunflower tepee.
Fairy Penpals
Who are the fairies living in your area? What kind of talent does your fairy possess (water, fire, gardening, pots and pans, caterpillar shearing and herding, squirrel training, animal talent)... Tack your note to an old tree and see if a fairy comes by and either writes back or leaves a little natural gift for you!
Nesting
Are you as talented as birds in making a nest? A real nest out of materials that birds would use. Try it out! It's harder than you think! Go find twigs, fiber, hair, leaves, mud, and make your own nest. Super bonus challenge: can you attach your nest to a tree branch?
Nature Weaving
Weave up your own natural mat using a cardboard box, string, and grasses, fibers, and objects from nature. Instructions here.
Pounding Flowers
Make your own Flower Stationary. Instructions here.
Make a Sundial
Here are the instructions. Try imagining what it would be like to only use a sundial and the sun's location as your form of measuring time.
Reporter for a Day (or more)
What is there to report in your life? Spend some time observing your little slice of the world for a morning: new airplanes traveling overhead; new vehicles coming down the street; neighbors moving or moving out; even nature's changing seasons.... No, you cannot get away with "My life if so booooorrriiinnngg!"
There are so many things to report on in life. While setting up this activity, decide if you want to create a true reporter's account (fact-based, answering the big five: who, what, where, when, how) or a fictional account using your imagination (ie. the car driving down the street is on its way to pick up character for her daily sojourn to ....). This is a great activity either way...
Thank you to all of your suggestions for this list--I keep adding them. I will continue to update the list and modify it as the summer progresses. Please leave me a note with any further suggestions and please do tell me if you try one of these activities! I love sharing...