20 Things to Do Before Summer Ends

Dig in your heels. Don’t let summer slip away. Here’s a quick checklist to make sure you enjoy some late-summer pleasures before the days get shorter.

by Christina Katz

1

Roll down a long grassy hill – then do it again.

2

Go somewhere where cotton candy can melt on your tongue.

3

Host a neighborhood sidewalk chalk drawing competition with fun prizes.

4

Use cake cones to bake, frost and decorate cup cakes.

5

Check out your local movie theater for inexpensive daytime shows for kids.

6

Lollygag away a hot afternoon at the local library.

7

Fill the house with cut flowers from the yard.

8

Enjoy the playful banter of family game or puzzle night on the picnic table.

9

Go for an after-dinner treat to a local ice cream shop for an in-season flavor.

10

Make spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes and basil.

11

Add color and flavor to lemonade or iced tea by adding frozen blueberries, strawberries or blackberries.

12

Throw a swing over a branch or hang a hammock.

13

Do nothing, all day…memorize how it feels.

14

Have an all-family water balloon fight.

15

Squish your toes in the sand or the mud.

16

Go to a drive-in or an outdoor community movie.

17

Lay under the night sky and look or constellations.

18

Splash around in a wading pool.

19

Use up the last of the fourth of July sparklers.

20

Make fruit cobbler in the wee hours and serve it for breakfast with ice cream.