Is it as hot on your side of town as it is mine? Summertime is a doozy in the deep south for sure. Find ways to make some cool memories with the family to beat the heat of the season. Play in sprinklers, visit a splash pad, sip lemonade on the front porch, try out a new fruit punch recipe, whip up a cool salad, churn a batch of homemade ice cream or read kids books aloud in front of a boxed fan for some awesome sound effects. And if that’s not enough ideas to stir your creativity, try out some of these great celebrations below to enjoy family fun this summer.
Independent Retailer Month – With the family, research and make a list of all the local businesses in Bulloch County. Find time throughout the summer to visit as many establishments as possible, making a few purchases to support local retailers while you’re there. And, since many people like to celebrate Christmas in July, it’s never too early to initiate a shopping list for family members and friends.
National Blueberry Month – Find fresh blueberries and purchase enough to enjoy for several days. While snacking on blueberries, read aloud some of these fun kids books. More Blueberries! by Susan Musgrave, The Very Berry Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta, Blueberry Cake by Sarah Dillard and the 1948 classic, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.
Compliment Your Mirror Day – This holiday was established as a reminder to celebrate the person we are and to remind that reflection how beautiful, brilliant, strong and extraordinarily-special that person is. Use this day to encourage each person in the family to celebrate their unique, one-of-a-kind amazingness. For extra fun, write each family member a love note on their mirror using dry erase markers, mirror markers or lipstick. (It cleans right up with glass cleaner!)
National Graham Cracker Day – Make this delicious s’mores dessert without the heat of an outside fire. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 mini-muffin cups. Using a 16.5 ounce package of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, place a square of dough into each prepared muffin cup. Use a rounded teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indention in the dough. Bake for 12 minutes until edges are set and centers are soft. Remove the cookie pan from the oven. Fill the indention of each cookie with one-half teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs and three marshmallows. Place the pan back in the oven for a minute or two, until the marshmallows look soft and gooey. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately place one rectangle of Hershey’s chocolate bar in each cup. Allow the chocolate to melt and cookie to cool while still in the pan. Once cool, use the tip of a butter knife to remove each cookie from the muffin pan.
All American Pet Photo Day – Take your pet on an adventure for a photo shoot. Go to the dog park, your back yard or a friend’s wide-open field and snap photographs of family fun with your furry family member. Use this celebration to get in some family exercise time. Spend a lot of time jumping in honor of the celebration. You might even consider extending the celebration to more than one day to fit in a variety of jumping opportunities. Like, create an obstacle course in the front yard, using household items to jump over. Draw a hopscotch outline on the driveway to hop and jump through. Do jumping jacks. Jump rope. Jump on a trampoline. Jump in a puddle. Jump in a pool. Jump over a wave in the ocean. Visit a jump park. Swin at the park and jump (safely) while in mid air to see who can “stick the landing.”
Beat the heat with cool family activities. Stay up late and watch movies that take place in the winter. Star gaze once the heat diminishes … at least by a few degrees. Lower the thermostat a couple of degrees and dance together in the den. Fine unique ways to create lasting memories with the ones you love! Happy July.
Statesboro native Julie Lavender writes books with her husband David and enjoys driving to north Georgia and North Carolina to visit their adult kids and grandkids, because at least it’s usually a few degrees cooler than the Boro.