End-of-Summer Bucket List

Written by Alexis Evans

End-of-Summer Bucket List

Written by Julie Hying

As the temperatures reach their peak and summer joy tempers down in anticipation of back-to-school, why not plan a last family hoorah with the ultimate summer bucket list? Summer represents freedom, carefree play, lots and lots of water activities, popsicles, dirty faces and feet, and tired, happy heads. Get your kiddos ready for the final flings of summer before buckling down for a new school year.

Food and Drink

Summer is the perfect time to get adventurous with your food. Why not try out a new restaurant with an excellent patio or cook a recipe with your favorite summer veggies?

• Visit a brewery. Norton’s, Central Standard Brewing and Hopping Gnome are especially family friendly.

• Use a stand mixer to make homemade ice cream.

• Make your own popsicles with reusable popsicle molds.

• Host a build-your-own-pizza night.

• Create a movie food night with themed meals that go along with your chosen flick.

Outdoor Adventures

This little corner of Kansas has plenty of beautiful places with natural scenery. For fans of water, boating and swimming, visit any of these lakes for the perfect final summer lake day.

• Santa Fe Lake

• Cheney State Park and Reservoir

• El Dorado State Park

• Sedgwick County Park

• Oak Park and Riverside Park

Nature Lovers

Or, if you’re into a dry yet still beautiful view, our plains have some truly unique and breathtaking vistas just waiting for you.

• Pawnee Prairie Park

• Great Plains Nature Center

• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Strong City, Kansas)

• The Flint Hills (Greenwood County, Kansas)

• Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (Pawhuska, Oklahoma)

Get Creative

Sometimes the things that stand out the strongest in our memories are the things we create with the people we love. Whether you’re artistic or your skills would be interpreted as abstract, end of summer is the perfect time to explore your creative side.

• Experiment with paint, create some art that makes you happy and hang it where you can see it.

• Start a summer photo challenge. Take pictures of you and your family doing essential summer must-dos such as epic pool days, or getting cozy at the drive-in theatre.

• Coordinate an epic driveway-wide picture with painter’s tape and wet chalk.

• Orchestrate a city-wide scavenger hunt and document each step with a Polaroid camera.

At Home

Going into the school year with your mental health in order is also important. Take some time to spruce your home hearth so that home base is even more of a haven for your family.

• Declutter closets and cabinets, then take your finds to the thrift store.

• Take a day to clean those neglected spots in your home: cabinet fronts, baseboards, ceiling fans, door handles — whatever scratches that cleaning itch!

• Finish (or start) that painting project you’ve been thinking of forever. A bucket of paint can do wonders for a room.

• Rearrange your furniture. Whether it’s in your bedroom or living room, a little rearranging frees up a lot of mental space.