Today is the last day of school for my two older children. I have some interesting things planned for them (insert evil cackle here). All of these things are free or inexpensive, but I hope they make a big impact in welcoming my kids home, to roughly two months of warm summer days of fun.
My kindergartener just got up from bed. He has been out of school since last week and already getting quite used to sleeping in. He will be my partner in crime today, helping me to set up and execute our welcome to summer projects.
First, my kids will be greeted at the bus stop with a card stock sign that says “Welcome to Summer.” My youngest will be holding that, while mom (me) will be crouching down with the high-powered water gun, ready to shoot as soon as their feet leave the last step of the bus. Fortunately, the silly kids left their water gun out on the picnic table in the yard rather than hiding it.
Next, they will have to walk through a barrier of streamer to get in to the front door. The streamers were left over from one birthday part or another, so no expense there.
After lunch (it is a half day), we will make ice cream in a baggie. It is novel, easy to do, and once again, cheap.
Finally, they will be presented with two new video game discs for their video game system. I purchased the two used (but unopened) for just $12 total (they would have cost $60 in the store) from a Facebook yard sale. Then, I will let them play as much as they want until dinner time. This is kids heaven, since they rarely get to play video games during the school year.
Finally, after dinner, they will be treated to a trip to their favorite park, the one that is just a little bit further away.