Can you believe summer began yesterday? We are getting ready for some fun family gatherings this summer. Hazel and I head to my parents for the Fourth of July since the fireworks are visible from my parents' deck and there is a fun parade in their town. My parents have the best view of the fireworks on their street so they invite their neighbors to come watch from their deck. There is always a group of adults and kids showing up to watch, so this year I thought it would be fun to have some activities for the kids while we are waiting for the fireworks to begin. My mother also hosts a family reunion for her siblings (she is one of five), their children and grandchildren. I always am her event planner/assistant hostess. Since I am one of thirteen in cousins and most of them have at least one child now, I figured it would be good to have some games and activities to entertain the kids and families at the beach and the dinner she hosts. So for these two big family activities we turned to Oriental Trading for some great summer and patriotic things to entertain the guests. After all they are a great place to turn for all summer and party needs.
To kick off our patriotic fun at both events we have these USA Gliders that are easy to put together and and easily be made into contests like who can fly theirs the furthest or closest to a target. Since they come in such large packs we will be able to share them with the kids at the fireworks as well as the reunion. Hopefully there won't be too many that end up in the marsh.
Last year the kids and some adults had a lot of fun with glow jewelry. We got these Premium Glow Necklaces to pass out both at the fireworks and at the Saturday night pizza party at the reunion. I know the kids will have fun glowing with these colorful necklaces! Again there are enough for us to use at both events!!
Our next item is patriotic, but I think we will use it at the reunion when we meet at the beach down the street from my parents. It is the Inflatable Peanuts Patriotic Beach Balls.
Now Hazel loves Snoopy and so does one of my uncles so I know these will be perfect for the family event. Plus there are lots of different aged kids at the reunion (from under one to fifteen), so these work for everyone!
Now we just did a homeschool lesson on stars, and our favorite place to look at them is on my parents' deck. When we are not there or just for fun while we are waiting for the fireworks to begin we can have some of the constellations with this Constellation Flashlight. Hazel has been loving displaying different constellations for us.
It was good since we had some cloudy nights when we were doing our space unit so Steve couldn't get the telescope out for her to see anything in the sky. The set comes with 24 constellation covers for the small flashlight.
It also has a Constellation Guide so you know which constellation you are displaying.
Now for some activities at my parents' house for the reunion we got this fun Pop-Up Goal Set. Hazel could not wait to try these out. She loves having goals to practice her soccer!
These two goals each fold down to small circles and have the yard stakes to secure them. They also have carrying cases to keep them folded. It is perfect for a pop-up game or for small children or just practicing! Goal!!
We also got these Heart Healthy Potato Sacks to have a sack race. They will also work well for Hazel's bunny party that she is planning for this birthday for the family. (My sister calls her bunny so it is a great theme for a family party.) We will practicing doing a bunny hop with the sacks!!
I think a sack race will be fun for the kids and adults at the pizza party that is in my parents' yard. What do you think? Hazel wanted to me to get a picture of her in the air. This is the best I could do.
We are ready for some fun family summer events. What are you doing this summer?
