Have you planted a garden this year? Or, if you don’t have space for a garden, have you planted at least one tomato plant in a container?

I am by no means a “gardener,” but I have had a small raised bed garden for the last five years. This year I’ve planted: {so far}

• snow peas
• nearly 30 tomato plants
• bell peppers
• eggplant
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• herbs: rosemary, peppermint, mint, oregano
• cucumbers
• strawberries
• potatoes
• watermelon

I’m hoping to also plant okra and beans and maybe some pumpkin and a few more herbs. I’ve never had a phenomenal harvest, although we do get a few meals out of the garden each summer. Seems like the garden gets better each year, so maybe with all those tomato plants this year I’ll have a bumper crop!

We are so excited because this year {after ten years} the first peach tree we planted is loaded with fruit. Our apple trees have a good amount of fruit too! And we have blueberries growing! Oh, and grapes! Fruits take time {years} to really start to produce, so plant them NOW.

My children love helping me in the garden. {Well, most of the time. No one really likes to weed!} My daughter Laura especially loves gardening and she has created her own garden space and worked it daily for several years now.

Anyway, gardening is a great way to get your kids learning and having fun all at the same time! Not to mention the life skills they will gain and character they will build by working hard. Of course, you don’t have to have a full fledged garden for your children to learn about gardening. Try sprouting beans or even an avocado seed!

Radish seeds are quick to germinate and make a great learning tool for young children especially whose attention span is shorter.

Also, reading books {check out your local library} about gardening with your children is a great way to peak their interest and teach them about how things grow.

Here are some ideas you can use this year to enjoy gardening with your kids:

1. Purchase kid sized tools {my kids loved these}.
2. Let your child select a packet of seeds to grow at the garden center.
3. Plant blueberry plants together and in a few years you’ll have lots of berries to harvest!
4. Germinate a bean in a baggie.
5. Grow a sunflower.

Of course, there are lots of ways to enjoy the dirt besides planting a garden:

1. Raise a Worm Farm
2. Raise and Ant Farm.
3. Make a turtle or frog habitat.
4. Make mud pies.
5. Learn about composting.

Have fun this summer!

If you’ve been a reader here any length of time, you already know how much I love camping with my kids! Whether it’s a weekend camp out or a full-blown week (or more) in the great outdoors, camping just has a way of bringing families closer together. So, there’s no way I could do a series on Summer Fun without including ideas for camping.

Here are some of my favorite ideas:

1. 6 Reasons Why I Love Camping with My Kids
2. Simple Round Sit-Upons {Sewing Machine}
3. Bandana Sit-Upons {Easy for Kids to Make}
4. Memory Rocks
5. Botany Scavenger Hunt
6. Grilled Pineapple on a Stick
7. Bread on a Stick
8. Roasting Marshmallows and/ or Making S’mores
9. How to Survive Weekend Camping with a Toddler
10. Glow Sticks
11. Melted Crayon Rocks
12. Nature Walks or Hikes
13. Fundanas
14. Walking Tacos
15. Campfire Muffins
16. Family Worship on a Camp Out
17. Campfire Stew and Baked Apple or Banana Packets for Dessert
18. Camping Safety Tips
19. Ice Cream in a Bag
20. Catching Fireflies {Be sure to bring along some recycled jars!}

Of course, part of the joy of camping {in my opinion} is often those moments that “nothing” is going on. It isn’t necessary to plan a ton of “events” for your camp out. If you’re camping near a creek, for example, just let the kids be and explore without an agenda for an afternoon. {Be sure to supervise your kids!} My life is so busy on a day to day basis that having time to just relax in the peace and quite of nature and sunshine {or even rain} is so refreshing!

If you decide you want a true wilderness adventure, like the 24-mile backpacking trip I took with my girls last fall, there will be less downtime as you hike from camp site to camp site and work on getting food prepared and tents up each day, but there is still something incredibly therapeutic about braving the wild together.

One of my favorite things about camping is the food {really I just love food no matter where I am}, so I always plan easy, but tasty meals like my Campfire Stew.

Here are some of my favorite camp foods:

• Breakfast Burritos
• Campfire Stew
• Haystacks
• Chili and Cornbread Patties
• Fajitas
• Pancakes and Eggs
• Grits
• Oatmeal
• Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
• Trail Mix
• Chips and Dip
• Potato Salad or Baked Potatoes cooked in the fire
• Baked Beans
• Macaroni and Cheese

I suggest that when planning what food to bring that you plan your menus for each day, servings, and snacks. I hate over packing.

Camping is just such a fun time, I hope you’ll give it a try this summer!

P.S. Not ready for a wilderness experience? Why not host a Backyard Campout with friends!

Be sure to check out my Outdoors, Camping, & Backpacking page on Pinterest for hundreds of ideas!

I love the carefree days of summer. There’s just nothing like spending days in the warm sunshine with my kids. Here is a  great bubble recipe you can enjoy this summer with your own children. They are sure to be delighted!

Basic Bubble Solution

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups Joy dish washing liquid
• 3/4 light corn syrup

Mix together. Dip bubble wand in solution and have fun! You can make your own bubble wands out of pipe cleaners and create all sorts of shapes!

Here are some more ways to have fun with Bubbles this summer:

• Invent your own bubble wands from kitchen tools.
• Rainbow Bubble Snakes
• Bouncing Bubbles
• Tear Free Bubbles
• Pipe Cleaner Bubble Wands

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more ABC’s of Summer Fun {C is for Camping}!