We are all trying to squeeze the last few moments of sweet freedom out of Summer.  Everyone is heading to the beach, a cabin by the lake, or their favorite camp site.  Well, we are anyways.

When we venture into our Summer excursions, there are always a few cheap and easy activities I keep on hand.  Because I do not want to hear the “b” word.  No my kids don’t use that  “b” word.  They say “bored.”  And this is not tolerated.  So I have a whole bag of tricks that come with me when we head out into the wilderness.

Need a few fun activities to keep your kids busy during these last few weeks of Summer?  No need to even leave the neighborhood – your kids will think they are great explorers in their own backyard!  And even cooler – all of these work on language development through following directions and sequencing.  (Yeah, I am a nerd.)

1.  A scavenger hunt!  We have done a few this year.  Most of them have been found on pinterest.  However, a few weeks ago I forgot to print one off and made a color hunt.  I literally colored squares of different colors on a piece of paper and told them to find something with each color.  So simple. Click here for a simple one for your backyard or campsite!
2. Fill up an egg carton.  Okay, so this is A LOT like a scavenger hunt.  But they actually have to collect things.  My kids call this “collecting” while they call the last one a scavenger hunt.  And it makes them very happy.  Click here for a great egg carton printable!  
3. A treasure hunt is different than a scavenger hunt.  They have to follow clues and find a prize at the end.  This one is easy to follow and has places that everyone has.  If you have a bunch of kids in the neighborhood, hide them in different houses.  It makes them spend a lot of time running, which makes them exhausted.  I used and LOVED this one this Summer!
4. Baloons and fly swatters.  This one is the best.  I literally give my kids a fly swatter and some balloons and they are BUSY!  This is a great one to take camping, because it costs next to nothing and takes up no extra space!  (I obviously could not get a non blurry picture of Gus with this activity.)
5. Have a person hunt.  Make a list of people near your cabin or campsite by listing names or traits.  Uncle Bruce could also be the “Guy in red shirt.”  Make them find each one and have the person write their name on the paper.  This is also a great way to keep kids busy at a wedding reception…I may have just done this exact activity on the back of a Costco receipt.
6. Bury something.  I buried 3 nickles in cottage cheese container on the beach.  They were pirates and I was a lazy mom with a cocktail and a book.  Everyone won. 

What fun and cheap ideas are you and the kids doing before Summer ends?