Summer family adventures: Kid Links, volunteering and the Ordway

It's my fault. Over the years my boys have run a dirt path into our back yard. I planted grass seed yet again this spring and then hoped for rain. I must be doing something right this year because we got it. Oh, have we gotten it. So I apologize.

Summer doesn't technically begin for another couple of weeks, so I think we still have a shot at some sunshine. But, for all intents and purposes, my summer starts today. My boys and I just finished another school year and now we are looking at several months of togetherness.

With all this time staring us in the face, we need activities that get us out of the house every day. Maybe you do too. That's where Daily Adventures come in. I'll share the free or inexpensive things that I find to do with kids over the summer. I plan every weekday for you! Sometimes I'll even throw in bonus ideas for the weekend.

If you'd like to share a fun idea, send me a tweet @AColdOmaha. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 11

I'd like to start by providing a fallback that you can use all summer long. My favorite resource is Hennepin County Library's Kid Links. Here you'll find all sorts of free activities for kids including book clubs, performances, and hands-on science classes. Today you can make your own Diary of a Wimpy Kid, make your hair "fly" using static electricity, or get charged up about how batteries were invented. Yes, that was a corny pun, but when you imagine your iphone without a battery, you might get charged up too.

Wednesday, June 12

Thursday, June 13

I don't often dance. My rhythm is decent enough, but I have no moves. None. I just recently started putting my hands up around my shoulders while "Love Shack" plays at weddings. If I'm feeling really spunky, I might walk in place and snap to the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." But there's hope for me. The Ordway is hosting a Summer Dance Series on Thursdays beginning today. They'll have pros teaching basic steps from Surf Rock to Swing. Meet for the free lesson at Rice Park at 5:30 pm, then practice your newly acquired steps to the sweet sounds of a local band beginning at 7:15. Even if dance isn't your thing, a summer's eve in Rice Park isn't too bad.

Friday, June 14

I'm a schoolteacher, and I don't have anything named after me. Harriet Bishop was a schoolteacher during the pioneer days of St. Paul, and she has a whole island named after her! The Minnesota Opera is performing La Boheme on Harriet Island tonight for free at 7 pm. Tomorrow evening the Lake Harriet bandshell will witness the soaring vocals. Lake Harriet, in case you're wondering, is named after Harriet Lovejoy, the wife of Fort Snelling's founder. I guess you gotta be in the right place at the right time to get something named after you. Anyway, I don't know if opera is my thing, but the fact that it's outdoors and free make it worth checking it out. Add a picnic and I might just go both nights.

Bonus: There are all sorts of family activities to be had at the Stone Arch Bridge Festival this weekend. You'll find lots of music, art, car shows, and even free bicycle repair. The festival runs from 6 pm tonight to 5 pm Sunday.