Our Summer Bucket List 2015

It's finally beginning to dawn on me that I'll be losing my 'baby' in September when he goes off to school for the first time. I always knew it would be coming this year and yet, somehow, I'd pushed it to the back of my mind because I can't quite frankly begin to contemplate not having Tommy around every single day like I'm used to. Yes. I KNOW school will only be from 9am til 3pm. Yes. I KNOW there are weekends, holidays and, with me being lucky enough to be a teacher, I KNOW we will be spending weeks and weeks of the year together. Yes. I KNOW for three days a week I'll be at work anyway, just like I was before I went on maternity leave when I was pregnant with Isla. Yet I just feel so so sad about it all. I'm trying not to dwell too much on it all, trying not to let it get to me and this is really what has prompted me to come up with a bucket list for the summer holidays - somethin to positive to focus on, rather than dwelling on my thoughts.

As I've just mentioned, we will always spend the summer holidays together, so every year there will be lots of opportunities for fun outings, activities and crafts but I kind of wanted to make this summer one to remember and one that would give Tommy a final 'push' in preparing him for big school. Another reason for compiling a summer bucket list is to really make sure we start and make the most of those precious six weeks together, rather than getting to the end and thinking "what did we really do/achieve during that time?" Six weeks seems such a long time but every single year it flies by - the "back to school" signs are up in the shops before the end of the school year and before you know it, you're back in your classroom introducing yourself to your new class. 

There are a huge number of summer bucket lists on Pinterest or on the Internet, that many that I just didn't know where to start. So instead I scrapped the idea of looking for the most perfect existing list and just wrote my own. our list includes a combination of some really special places to visit, lots of things that we do every week anyway, activities led by Tommy's interests, things Tommy has mentioned he'd like to do but we haven't got round to and simple craft projects. 

I was also faced with the dilemma of where to write our list. I initially thought about writing it all on a large chalkboard but I was worried about presenting it nicely enough, having enough space on the board to fit everything in, items getting rubbed off or not having any space left to write additional ideas on (I know, I got waaaaaaay too into this at one point!) Eventually, I decided on a (nice and easy!) jam jar with each activity written on a lollipop stick. I've also included some extra blank lollipop sticks should anything else spring to mind. 

So here is my list. It won't be suitable/doable for everyone but it might give you some ideas as to what to include if you are considering making a summer bucket list yourself. My advice is just to pick things that you can easily achieve, places that you can easily get to, some extra-special treats and things that will allow you as a family to spend quality time together. The teacher in me always seeks to find opportunities for different areas of learning too, so you might want to consider this. 

Our Summer Bucket List

1. Go pond-dipping

2. Water balloon painting

3. Go on a pedalo

4. Feed the ducks

5. Make fruit kebabs

6. Make homemad pizzas

7. Fly a kite

8. Paddle in a stream

9. Garden safari

10. Make a den

11. Buy 1st pair of school shoes

12. Go berry-picking

13. Make ice-lollies

14. DIY water wall

15. Floating/sinking experiment

16. Moon/cloud dough

17. Ball-pit balls in the paddling pool

18. Make bird-feeders

19. Go bug-hunting

20. Look for shapes in the clouds

21. Make an ice-cream factory

22. Buy school uniform

23. Paddle in the sea

24. Build a sandcastle

25. Bubble-painting

26. Visit the aquarium

27. Wash the car

28. Ride bike without stabilisers

29. Play crazy golf

30. Ice dinosaur eggs

31. Picnic in the park

32. Water balloon fight

33. Make an obstacle course in the garden

34. Ride a donkey on the beach

35. Visit the farm

36. Play at a splash pad

37. Visit the zoo

38. Face painting

39. Trip to the beach

40. Find our way through a maze

I'm sure we'll think of many more to add to the list. If you can think of anything else, please let me know of anything I've missed. I'd love to hear what makes the summer holidays special for your family. 

I've typed up our list on the laptop, so that I can glance at it in the morning or discuss it with Tommy in order to help to decide what we might do on a particular day. This will be more helpful trying to rifle through the lollipop sticks to find something appropriate! I'm hoping that this list of activities is realistic and achievable. If we do manage to do all of these things, I'm sure it will make for a fantastic summer holiday. Happy holidays everyone!