Ideas, ideas, ideas!!!
Need summer activity ideas? Who doesn't! A mother's group of which I'm a part did some summer activity sharing and brainstorming last week which I'm sharing with everyone. I'll keep adding and editing activities as I find them :)
Thanks to Julie E for hosting the meeting and bring lots of Mother's Center goodies and Charly for putting together most of this document, including so many links!
At home:
- Build and run an obstacle course - put kids on a "podium" and hand out ribbons from the dollar store (or make your own - another activity!)
- Write a poem or a play and then videotape the performance
- Make puppets and perform a puppet show
- With help from an adult, build a birdhouse, bench, or wooden sculpture. Ask the local lumber yard if they have any off-cuts to give you for free.
- Go to the library for activity books for young children or projects for older kids.
FREE activities:
- Teach kids to fish (adults do need a license) - here are some places to try
- Take a kid-friendly hike with NoCo Nature Tribe
- Take a guided (easy) hike. The Larimer County Natural Resources Department has many different choices.
- Get outside with a City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program.
- Make and fly a kite. Try this website to make your own.
- Visit the CSU Environmental Learning Center. Pack a picnic and visit the raptors.
- Stop by the Gardens on Spring Creek. Play in the water at the giant watering can or be a human sundial!
- Bike all over Fort Collins and Loveland
- Visit all the city parks in Ft. Collins and Loveland.
- Swim at the beach at Lake Loveland or Windsor Lake
- Play in the Poudre river
- Go to a kid's workshop at Home Depot
- Visit the Garbage Garage Tuesday, Thursday or Friday between 10am and 2pm.
- Visit all the splash parks:
- Loveland Sports Park
- The fountain by the Bent Fork in Centerra
- Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon Park
- Fossil Creek Park
- Oak Street Plaza
- Visit all the sculpture parks:
- Enjoy a concert
- Ben & Jerry's Concert Series, 7-9pm on Fridays in Old Town Square
- CSU Lagoon Concert Series, schedule not yet released
- Loveland’s Foote Lagoon Concerts, 7-9pm on Thursdays at Civic Center Park
- more concerts coming, just waiting for all the schedules to be released!
- See a Streetmostphere performer
- Check out the Poudre River Library District's summer schedule (summer schedule not yet released)
- See a free movie outdoors Friday nights at the Promenade Shops at Centerra. Entertainment starts at 7pm with the main feature beginning around 9pm
- Attend American Girl or Dangerous Boys clubs at your local Barnes & Noble store. I like the Centerra store. Notice there are lots of story times too. They often offer a summer reading program as well!
Activities with a fee:
- Visit all the water parks:
- City Park Pool
- Family Funplex in Greeley
- Chilson indoor pool
- Winona outdoor pool
- Crystal Rapids water park
- Mulberry indoor Pool
- Ride the Fort Collins Trolley weekends May - Sept. Board at noon at City Park (by the tennis courts).
- Swim, hike, boat, bike, and picnic at Boyd Lake State Park
- Hike along Horsetooth Reservoir. Picnic, swim, and boat in South Bay.
- Go to the Rialto's Tuesday Theater for Kids, 10am & 2pm at the Rialto in Loveland, $5/adult, $3/kid
- See an all-female cast of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at CSU's Shakespeare at Sunset.
- Go to the Drive-in!
Summer camps and classes:
- Fort Collins Recreator - classes for every age and interest
- The Recreator is also offering Girls Slow Pitch Softball league and Tackle Football Camps. Other sports camps are available through Fort Collins Parks and Recreation via Skyhawks Summer Sports Camps
- Summer camps and classes through Ft. Collins PSD (2011)
- Contact your local church and ask about summer programs. I personally recommend the Foothills Unitarian Church summer day camp.
- Dance like a Disney Princess at High Country Dance
- Summer Camps at the Environmental Learning Center
- Summer Camps at the Gardens on Spring Creek
- Summer Camps through the Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center
- Green Adventures Camps through Loveland Youth Gardeners
- Summer Sports Camps through CSU
- The Edge Sports Center summer camps and classes.
- Lone Tree Summer Camps through the Loveland Museum
- Learn to scuba or snorkel at High Plains Scuba
- Check out some art classes through the Loveland Youth Art Program
- One day Waste Ranger Camp is available FREE through the Garbage Garage. Offered for ages 8-12 on 3 different dates, June 22, July 13 and Aug 3, from 8:30am-2pm. To register call 498.5775 or 498.5772 or email mmcarthy@larimer.org or rwatson@larimer.org
