Summer Fun is in the Can

When one thinks of childhood, one often pictures unlimited creativity and imagination. 

And then one wakes up and realizes that children also have an amazing ability to be bored after only TWO DAYS of summer vacation.

So glad that we have The Can.

Years ago (so long ago that I can't remember where I got this idea) I decorated an old oatmeal container with my daughter. We wrote "Summer Fun is in the Can".

Lots of little pieces of paper fit into the can, and on each piece is an idea of what to do if boredom strikes.

At the beginning of each summer I go through the papers to remove some and add others.  For example, "Put on a Barbie fashion show" is no longer in there, now that my daughter is in high school and the Barbies are in the attic.

Our rule is that up to two pieces may be picked in one day, but no more. (I didn't want the children just reading through all of the papers out of sheer ennui.)

The kids make up many of the papers in the Can, but I also add some each year. If I'm reading a magazine with a fun craft or game idea, I'll tear out the page and put it in the Can.  Also, if I notice a neglected toy (think of that Lite Brite in the closet), I'll write the name of it on a paper and throw it in the Can, too. 

Today the boys made a fleet of paper airplanes.  Here are some of our other ideas:

make a house for the fairy garden

ride bikes

do a puzzle

have a catapult contest

look in a cookbook for something to make

plan a family game night

play 'radio station' over the intercom system

make a coloring book for a friend

write and mail a letter to a cousin

host a teddy bear tea party

wash the car

set up a scene with blocks and soldiers

make a marble maze

read the Dangerous Book for Boys

sort all the books in your bedroom

climb a tree

write a story with pictures and staple it into a book

play 'circus' outside on the swing set

use sidewalk chalk

play 'school'

hide something and make a treasure map for someone to go find it

look under your bed/in your closet (you'll likely find something you've forgotten you own!)

make a stuffed animal 'zoo' using laundry baskets for cages