Filling summer: Week 1

Inside my dusty brain, an activity has been rattling around which involved chalk and throwing things, something I knew I wanted to try with my kids at some point. I finally found the original post I'd been thinking of and followed her links back to this game.

Normally I might not be ambitious enough to whip up the frogs on the sewing machine but these guys bore an eerie similarity to some greatly treasured beanbags of my youth. My kids still play with my long-suffering orange critter, christened with all my childhood ingenuity: Orange. I was thrilled to find this pattern.















The pattern is really simple and free with detailed directions at purl bee!















Ethan and Drew were excited to be part of the process and each picked out the fabric for their own frog. Ethan named his Hoppy and Drew, Froggy. Yep, my kids for sure.















When the frogs were done, the boys painted the lily pads and later numbered them 1-5.















The game was a hit (see the second link for rules and modifications to fit the game for different ages). Sadly, Hoppy saw a little too much action and, in spite of exhaustive efforts to retrieve him, will spend a lonely night tonight up in a tree.

Some other great sites where I've found summer inspiration include Family Fun, archives at Kiddley, Martha Stewart Living and archives at Melissa's Buzz Off. Also, my kids love participating in the summer reading program at the local library.