We’ve reached our last week of Family Connections {Summer 2012}.  I’m joining Aurie, Lisa, Amy, and Connie to share ideas for fun, family activities for the summer. We hope you’ve enjoyed all the great ideas that have been part of our link up for the last 10 Wednesdays!

This week I would like to share a few more of our favorite quick, simple ideas for fun family times.

• Cleaning Time. Ok, it’s rarely anyone’s “favorite” time. But I’ve found that when we turn the radio on and all work together in the same room (even the dog joins us!) that everyone seems much more motivated and the job gets done quicker.  We laugh, we race, we talk about all our blessings. And then it’s usually time for the kids to start rolling around with Mr. Fix-It on the now clear floor.
• Family Movie Night. We try to do this just about every Friday. I know one family that always does Pizza night on Fridays. We bounce between a few favorite meals, but usually tacos. The kids help fix the meal and everyone gets to eat in the living room while we watch a movie together.

The Ladybug and I have been sewing together before school starts.

•  Sunday Drives. We don’t always do these on Sundays. But sometimes on the weekends we’ll have lunch, pack a snack, and we’ll all load up and take a drive together. We’ll look for old tractors, historic houses, or wildlife. We’ll spy out wildflowers or antique cars or wonderful old barns and country churches.
• Nature Walks. We’ll just take a walk around the field with the kids and talk about the sounds we hear and the plants we see. We’ll look for feathers or animal tracks. We’ll carry our field guides and id birds or butterflies.

We had to get a little creative to make my workshop fit her.

• Running Errands. Riding with Mr. Fix-It to run errands on Saturday mornings has become a special treat for our kids. He usually takes one with him while the other two stay home with me. They love the one-on-one time, and Mr. Fix-It is able to really connect with each one of them.

What summer fun have you been up to lately? Link up a new or old post about your great summer family activities. Please keep it family friendly and link to you post, not your homepage.