[Tea] La Liste! The Big Boredom Busting Summer To Do List!

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Cincinnati, June 27, 2020

Hi Friend,

When the kids were younger I made a list of things to do in summer and posted it to our refrigerator as a reminder.

The key to using la liste is making sure that you have the supplies already stocked up in your house. Don’t put “oil pastels” as an option if you haven’t bought them. Make sure everything that they may want to do, can be done.

Before sharing the list, here are ideas to consider

Create an art table that houses markers, paintbrushes, watercolors, glue (of varying styles), paper, pipe cleaners, string, tape, staplers, scrapbooking pages, old magazines, newspaper, construction paper, various sizes of oil paint canvases, and so on. (We use tin cans from beans etc. to hold the paintbrushes or markers.) Purchase colorful clay to bake into novel items. You might add a book or two on art (how to draw, paint, oil pastel, etc.)

Create a nature station which includes binoculars, birding guides, seeds, trowels, and a cheap digital camera for photo ops (when the squirrels fight or you see a cool caterpillar).

Tune up bicycles (air in tires, brakes that work), purchase a badminton or croquet set, collect water guns, and pool toys.

All right, without further ado: here’s the list!

Paint
Create a collage
Take a walk
Swing
Climb a tree
Listen to music
Read a book
Read a magazine
Make Play-Doh
Build with Legos
Reorganize your bedroom (moving furniture around)
Sew
Learn a new recipe
Hammer nails into scrap wood (for some reason, this is always satisfying)
Jump rope
Take the dog for a walk
Fill the wading pool and splash
Shoot each other with water guns
Blow bubbles
Inventory the house (count windows, steps, pillows, door knobs, mirrors, paintings, photographs) and use a clipboard to record findings
Write a poem
Make a phone call to grandma
Email Dad/Mom at work
Play a board game
Make a picnic under a tree
Lie on your back and look at clouds
Watch a movie
Play a video game
Make fairies out of scrap fabric, pipe cleaners and wooden beads and create fairy houses with twigs, moss, leaves, acorns
Create shoe box houses for little dolls
Observe tadpoles in a local stream
Do something for someone else (vacuum a room, empty the dishwasher, fold clean clothes)
Sort clothes that are too small and give to charity
Alphabetize the spices in the spice cabinet
Learn to do a cartwheel
Run through the sprinkler
Play HORSE with the basketball
Play jacks
Play pick up sticks
Play a musical instrument
Dress up in dress up clothes
Draw with oil pastels or charcoal
Use face paint
Roast hot dogs in an open fire; make s’mores
Collect wild flowers for a centerpiece
Memorize riddles, poems, rhymes
Act out a favorite play or story
Polish nails
Rub on temporary tattoos
Learn to braid hair
Make a fort in the living room
Study a tide pool (if you’re lucky enough to live near one!)

Then there's always sidewalk chalk writing!

Sidewalk chalk is not only for drawing pictures. Why not use it to write with, as well? Grab some chalks, find a sidewalk or pavement, and write! (Be sure to check first if any laws apply; not all sidewalk chalking is legal.)

Here are five ideas for sidewalk writing:

1. Big writing
Write words on the sidewalk in great BIG letters, as big as you can make them. You could write your name, a joke, some copywork, or simply words you love the sound of. You decide!

2. Colorful writing
Do some words look better in black than yellow, or vice versa? What colors suit different words best? Maybe red chalk for verbs and blue chalk for nouns or green chalk for long words and pink for short? Write words you like in different colors and see how they look.

3. Temporary writing
A cool thing about writing with chalk is that it’s easy to get rid of, either by rubbing it away or pouring water over it. What could you write in chalk knowing it would be quickly erased? Find a patch of pavement and write a secret in small letters. How does it feel to have those words outside of you, in the world, visible and solid? Think about that for a moment then pour a bucket of water on what you’ve written and let it all dissolve!

4. Public writing
What do you want to tell the world or, at least, the people who walk in your neighborhood? A cheery message? A strong opinion? A daring idea? A favorite quotation? Write so that every passerby will read what you’ve written!

5. Interactive writing
Encourage others to join in! Writing in an outside space gives people the chance to add their thoughts. You might chalk: “Write happy thoughts here!” then leave a piece of chalk on the sidewalk so others can share. Or start writing a list of your favorite books, places in town, or foods, and let people add their own as they stroll past.

Enjoy your summer!

Warmly,

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