As a teacher and a mom, summer is my favorite time of the year! I love spending summer with my kiddos exploring and enjoying the time together. But if you’re anything like me there are days when you have no idea what to do. There is also the pressure to make sure you get in all the summer fun before back to school. Enter – the Summer Fun Calendar!
The Big Summer Calendar
Let me lead with this note – my kids start asking me to get this calendar printed at the beginning of May. Yup, they ask me! This is another family tradition they have learned to love.
This calendar is our time to get everything down on paper that we are looking forward to do during the summer. The kids are super involved. They color it, brainstorm their ideas, and then we hang it up. Even just coloring the calendar is a fun project!
The big poster size printing makes it special. It also works as a great visual for them to use for countdowns to a big trip or day. We use it to map out any tickets we buy for events or scheduled playdates. It all goes on the calendar. For the younger kids seeing it planned out helps to know when a certain event is happening.
At the end of summer (or on a day where the kids casually mention they never get to do anything fun) we look back at the calendar. I like to point out all the awesome adventures we had together. This is the time where if we miss something we either add it to September or stash it away for next summer.
Bucket List
The space in the bottom is where we brainstorm ideas. We put simple ideas on there as well as the big trips we have planned. Here are some simple ideas to get you started!
- Catching fireflies
- Making s’mores
- Going on a hike
- Having a picnic
- Getting ice cream
- Finding a new playground
- Watching fireworks
- Camping in the backyard
- Go to the library
- Build a fort
- Fly a kite
- Make rootbeer floats
Why are the simple ideas important to list out? When you’re having a day and you’re not sure what to do, go over to the bucket list and pick a simple idea! The kids will be excited to do an activity they can check off their bucket list.
How do I print it?
Big Printing
You can have it printed at your local Staples (or any shop that does big printing) as BLACK AND WHITE BLUEPRINTS. This will only cost $4 (at my Staples it was $4.01 to be exact). To do this, you can either:
Upload to staples.com under their print services and order the print from your home. Under document printing you choose blueprints. It can be printed up to 24×36 and I pick Black and White. When it’s ready you will get an email to go pick it up!
Here is the large size calendar.
At Home Printing
Don’t have time to go pick it up? This version has it broken into 4 pieces you can print at home. Once you have it printed you will need to trim it and tape it together. It’s not as big but I know the fun of making a Summer Bucket List is not diminished.
Here is the print at home version.
Have fun and tag us in any social media posts of your family making a Summer Fun Calendar!
Tiffany Verhoosel is currently a Computer Science teacher in the Baltimore City School District. Coming from a background of business she joined the Baltimore City Teaching Residency over ten years ago to make the career change into education and has never looked back. Her degree from Johns Hopkins, a Master of Science in Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology, helped propel her from Special Educator to her current teaching position where she teaches Kindergarten to eighth grade students how to code.
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