As we enter a bright and beautiful season, the plants are springing up, the kids are out of school for summer, and you are hoping for this summer to be the best! How do you make this happen? Beginning of summer is the perfect time to plan some fun family activities that embrace nature and get your whole family moving. These three activities incorporate opportunities for physical activity, learning experiences, and even saving on food costs!
Here are 3 rewarding activities for your family to include this summer:
Growing a garden
- Growing your own produce gets the whole family outside and moving.
- By involving your kids, you can encourage them to learn about gardening and to build long lasting skills.
- Growing your own produce can cut costs on food and minimize extra trips to the store.
- Whether you are looking to grow just one or two vegetables or if you are planing to start making nightly salads from the garden, this fun family activity is a wonderful way to spend quality time together!
U-Pick Farms
- Make a fun outing healthy! Take a family trip to pick berries for a fun and educational physical activity.
- You are supporting your local community and can build relationships with the farmers.
- Remember to stay hydrated and prepare for being in the outdoors! Bring lots of water and protect yourself and family from the sun.
Foraging
- Idaho is home to a variety of edible plants that you and your family can forage. To forage means to search for food in your environment.
- Many foraged foods are known to be valuable culinary and medicinal plants, like nettles or dandelion.
- Foraging allows your family to build skills, learn together in the outdoors, and gain free food!
- Be sure to learn proper identification and how to correctly forage each specific plant if you decide to forage this summer. Safety always comes first!
Whether you choose to incorporate one of these activities, all of them, or none, make sure to take time this summer get the whole family outside and moving.