20 in 2020 Great Ideas for Summer Fun

By Anna Snyder

After the year we’ve had so far, we all need some summer fun. Ordinarily, we visit family during the summer and often are away for several weeks. While we’re in town, I tend to “phone it in” – we laze around, watch TV, read, head to the beach here and there, and do crafts willy-nilly. This year, with no travel on my horizon, I get to step it up and create excitement for my little family. Care to join in our fun?

1. Visit a Collier County aquatic attraction.

The Golden Gate Aquatic Center, the Immokalee Sports Complex, and the Eagle Lakes Community Aquatic Park Facility all are reopen with various time and capacity limits in place. Low-cost and family-oriented, these pools boast attentive lifeguards and water features geared toward children of all ages.

2. Establish a weekly beach date with a group of families.

Working within the Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines, create a fun tradition of going to the beach every Tuesday (or whatever day works best). Pick a different beach each week, and enjoy being outside. Go early to avoid the intense midday sun and the afternoon thunderstorms. Take pictures each week, and at the end of the summer, decide together which beach you enjoyed best. 3. Create a backyard water park. There are so many ideas online on how to create water features using giant plastic bags, a gar- den hose, sprinklers, and other items. Connecting inflatable pools and toddler slides can create hours of fun for a wide range of ages.

4. Purchase a Florida State Parks annual pass, and plan a variety of day trips around the state.

Most of the Florida State Parks now are open in some capacity. There are dozens of state park beaches, historical sites, battlefields, mounds, and primitive islands that represent a variety of ecosystems, all within a few hours’ drive.

5. Work on your snorkel skills, and end the summer with a trip to Key Largo to try out your new talent.

Purchase quality snorkel gear and practice at Wiggins Pass, Marco Island, or various beaches around Collier County. Plan an end-of-summer day trip to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, located on Key Largo.

6. Sign up for the Collier County Library summer reading program, Imagine Your Story.

Participants from preschool through high school can sign up, report the number of books they read, and download activities – all online. Each week, a different librarian releases a short video that aligns with a weekly theme and includes a fun project using common household items. The library also offers downloadable weekly coloring and activity booklets.

7. Attend the Third Street Farmers Market on a Saturday morning.

Go early, bring your masks, grab a cup of coffee and a pastry, and peruse the market. Then, walk to nearby Naples Pier to catch a glimpse of some dolphins and shore birds.

8. Try out “coffee shopping.”

Pack up a craft backpack and take your kids to one of the many independent coffee shops around town for a morning treat. Sitting together and working on a coloring book or making beaded necklaces is a great way to connect with your child.

9. Create a “random acts of kindness day” each week.

Designate a day to serve another person or family. Have your children brainstorm ways to show kindness and care for other people in the community. Making cookies for a neighbor, writing thank you notes to doctors and nurses, or washing someone’s car are great ways to serve and demonstrate love while maintaining a social distance.

10. Pick a chapter book to read aloud to your family during meal times.

All children, regardless of age, typically are attentive while eating, so meals represent the ideal setting for reading aloud. After you’ve finished, watch the movie. Great options include: The Chronicles of Narnia, Because of Winn Dixie, Charlotte’s Web, The Hobbit, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The BFG, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Stuart Little, and Bridge to Terabithia.

11. Set a mileage goal for your family bike rides or nightly walks.

If your family enjoys biking together, create a plan to ride a certain amount of miles during Summer 2020. When you reach your goal, buy or make matching T-shirts.

12. Decorate T-shirts or tote bags.

There are so many methods for decorating clothing – puffy paints, iron-on designs using fine-grain sand paper and crayons, computer-generated iron transfers, stick-on letters, sew-on patches, embroidery, and tie dye, to name a few.

13. Create a summer journal.

Print out pictures every time you do something fun and have your children put it in their sum- mer journal alongside a few sentences about what you did. Be sure to record the date.

14. Go bowling.

Beacon Bowl and Head Pinz are open with in- creased sanitation measures and social distancing guidelines in place.

15. Choose a bird of the week to learn about, draw, and spot this summer.

Check out the helpful resource The Living Gulf Coast: A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida. Pick a common bird, read about it, and then spend the next week looking for it around your neighborhood. Ibises, cardinals, blue jays, red-bellied woodpeckers, wood storks, anhingas, and swallow-tailed kites all are great options.

16. Schedule your very own Season 1 of The Great [insert your last name here] Bake Off.

Come up with a theme, and have children create baked goods over the course of a day. Designate judges, and offer prizes in several categories.

17. Create a weekly art project day.

Gather supplies, and pick a day each week to designate as “Cool Craft Day.” Paintable sidewalk chalk, pulled string art, melted/blended crayon ideas, bleeding tissue paper, friendship bracelets, permanent marker crafts – so many quick, easy, inexpensive ideas are just a Google away.

18. Hide several Emergency Boredom Bags in your closet for challenging days.

Gather age-appropriate items from the dollar store and create a bunch of brown paper lunch bag kits for each of your kids. Having some tricks up your sleeve is always a good idea for changing the narrative.

19. Go through the alphabet this summer.

Tell your kids tomorrow is “A” day, and have them brainstorm activities, food, shows, movies, and games that begin with the letter A (and so on). Use items you already have on hand, and pick an animal, bird, plant, or sea creature that begins with the letter of the day to research as a family – you get the idea.

20. Visit one of Southwest Florida’s family-friendly farms.

Southern Fresh Farms in Fort Myers has a variety of animals that visitors can feed, along with a play area for children. The Adventure Park at Springtime Plant Farm in Fort Myers has a massive petting zoo, playground, aviaries, and a jumping pillow. In Alva, 31 Produce has opportunities for children to mine for rocks and fossils, as well as visit their petting zoo to fee animals. There are lots more around town, and it is always interesting to learn about the ways in which farming contributes to our local ecosystems.

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