Summer 2021, One Week In

Joss became a Kindergarten graduate last week! So now, along with the rest of the city of Tulsa, we’re officially on summer break! Starting next week through the end of July, he’ll be in full-time summer camps. Which means I’ll be heading to the office five days a week for the first time since August! Whoo!! So he’ll be pretty busy most of the summer, but I want to take the time to think up a summer bucket list for our weekend adventures. Find that below.

In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been up to so far:

Science Camp at Discovery Lab

Joss’s preschool offers a wonderful summer camp option for kids who did preschool there. Joss can attend that up until second grade, which sounded amazing, in comparison to piecing together weekly camps and just hoping they don’t all fill up. However, due to the pandemic, I wasn’t 100% sure if that was still an option early on, so we ended up signing up for three science camps at Discovery Lab. (This was after a whole debacle when he decided he hated art for a week and ONLY wanted to do science camps.)

Discovery Lab will be moving to its new location at Gathering Place in late 2021. So this is the last time kids will do camps at the current location!

The first camp, which took place this week, was just three hours each on Tues. and Wed. He loved it! They painted with jelly, made toilet paper-tube binoculars and scented play dough, etc. He’s very ready to go back next week for Culinary Chemistry!

Homemade binoculars

Discovery Lab has a great lineup of camps in June and July, and some still have space available. Learn more here: https://discoverylab.org/programs/camps/.

Of course, after his second morning of camp, we had to spend some time in the neighboring splash pad at Owen Park!

Summer Reading Program

We’ve also signed up for the library’s Summer Reading Program! Because Joss checked out 10 books from Central Library, we’re already halfway done with his reading log. I think we need to start reading some longer books…His favorite book so far is “Plume” by Isabelle Simler, about a cat who loves feathers. It’s very minimal text and lots of beautiful feather illustrations. Plus a cat who looks exactly like our Raven! 🙂

Raven has some “behavioral issues,” so I take every opportunity to share embarrassing photos of her 😉

Sign up for the library’s Summer Reading Program at your favorite library branch, or find a link online at https://www.tulsalibrary.org/summer.

Brain Yoga!

After reading his Miles Morales Spider-Man book together, Joss has become a huge fan of Jason Reynolds. He’ll be happy to tell you so, too. Another thing Joss loves? Inventions! So when I saw on Instagram that Jason Reynolds was coming out with a Brain Yoga card deck, I knew we had to get it. How does it work? Simply pull two cards from the deck at random. Each card has an object pictured on it. For example, a shoe and a ladder. Combine the two objects to come up with a totally new invention! (This could be a fun road trip game as well.) I’m just glad to have another screen-free activity he’s excited about!

Summer Bucket List

So, given that our weekdays will be full of camp and work this summer, how can we still make some summer memories? Here are some ideas:

1. Go berry picking.

We haven’t gone berry picking since we went to Berryhill Blueberries a couple years ago, and I’m sorry that they won’t be opening this summer! But there are plenty of other options.

2. Try new splash pads!

Joss loved the Owen Park water playground and is half-convinced that’s the only one he wants to visit. But I think we need to try some we’ve never been to before! Let me know what you recommend!

3. Speaking of aquatics…Try the new Whiteside Pool.

I’ve never taken Joss to a parks pool, despite thinking about it for the past couple years. Now that Whiteside has a new pool, we want to check it out!

4. Go running.

This one’s more for me. But I recently took Joss to visit his school playground, and they have a full running track. So I want to try running while he plays this summer! Win, win.

5. Visit at least one of the following:

• Will Rogers Memorial Museum
• Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park
• OKC (specifically, the National Cowboy Museum’s Liichokoshkomo’ outside space)
• Blue Whale of Catoosa
• Keystone Ancient Forest

These are all some close-to-home landmarks and attractions that I’ve never been to. Time to cross at least one off the list!

6. Watch the Tulsa Tough!

It’s an annual tradition. Of course we’ll be out at the Tulsa Tough!!

7. Watch a Film on the Lawn.

Every year, I want to take Joss to a film on the lawn. But because the sun goes down so late in the summer, they all start past his bedtime. However, when I saw that Philbrook is showing “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” in July…we may just have to give it a go this year. What’s one late night?

8. Cook together.

OK, this is something we do anyway, but I got Joss the America’s Test Kitchen Kid’s Cookbook recently, and we have yet to cook from it. Since the recipes are all geared for kids learning to cook, I definitely want to make that part of our summer plans!

9. Visit Wichita

We haven’t been to visit Wichita since Covid hit. Thankfully, my mom and step dad have driven to Tulsa to visit several times. But we are long overdue for a visit. Wichita makes for a fun trip, by the way. Highly recommend the Sedgwick County Zoo and Botanica! And Watermark Books!

10. See a Movie?

Hotel Transylvania 4 is coming to theaters July 23. I don’t hate this franchise, and Joss really likes it, so we may have to return to the theater this summer. It’s been awhile! What new releases are you looking forward to this summer?

I’m going to end our Summer Bucket List at 10 items. I’m sure we’ll pack in a lot of other fun (including a trip to Miami in August – Joss’s first plane ride!! Fairly nervous.) Let me know in the comments what you’re looking forward to doing this summer!