With those summer days getting longer and school holidays fast approaching (yay!), we thought we’d compile some of the most fun (and free!!) activities to do over the summer. Make a check list, grab your friends and family, and see how many of our top twenty activities you can get through! We would love to see your photos and hear which ones you enjoyed the most. And don’t forget – pop down and say hello to us librarians at your local branches! We’ve also got plenty of good books for summer reading, but for now…
Slip, slop and slap with our stupendous sunny day activities!
First Ten:
1. Invent a new ball game: a combination of tennis and soccer? What about petanque crossed with rugby? The options are endless!
2. Take a walk up to Mount Victoria Lookout with your family and friends: the view is amazing and there are plenty of spots for a picnic lunch.
3. Go for an exploration of the Botanical Gardens: the Gardens are so gorgeous at this time of the year – you could even take a sketch book with you and do some drawings (a good Christmas gift for parents too!).
4. Go for a walk around the bays: we have so many amazing beaches in Wellington – why not pick one you’ve never been to before and explore? Just grab a map of Wellington and pick the first unfamiliar Beach name you see!
5. Build a sandcastle fort while you’re there: who doesn’t like making a huuuuge sandcastle with a moat, steeples, and a shell garden?!
6. Grow a vegetable plant: it’s amazing how cheap seeds (or free if you harvest them from a plant in the garden!) are and all you need to do is plant them somewhere sunny, give them a little water and time, and boom! You can grow your own food.
7. Create a super secret club hut and build a club house: build the club with wooden pallets, tarpaulins, and anything lying around the backyard! Then all you need is a secret password… and a mission.
8. Make a treasure hunt for your friends: create cryptic clues and lead your friends around your garden to uncover a secret treasure trove or perhaps… a dud!
9. Write and stage a play for your parents: the world is your oyster! Create your own script, set, and costumes, and get your friends or siblings to help you put on a masterpiece.
10. Have a picnic lunch in your backyard: who doesn’t like a picnic in the sun? Easy options to fill up the picnic basket: vegetable sticks and hummus, fresh summer fruit, cheese and marmite and crackers… and of course some chocolate! You can even make homemade lemonade to drink.
Need some more inspiration? Check out this cool craft book, one of our delicious recipe books, or an exciting game ideas book! This book also looks fantastic – how to do everything!!
And how about—no, wait, I better stop now… Keep your eyes peeled for our next top ten activities – this time for rainy days.