Oh summer, how I heart you. Sprinklers, pools, the beach, and my very favorite part… it stays light outside until 9pm! I can totally sympathize with parents of school aged kids who hear “I’m bored” 2 bajillion times a day, all summer long. I teamed up with Zappos and Crocs to bring you a list of 11 activities for kids that are fun, free, and can be enjoyed in the great outdoors. If you and the fam plan on spending lots of time outside this summer, you will all need a great pair of summer shoes. I love that Crocs are lightweight, odor-resistant, and come in tons of shapes and colors… they are the perfect shoe to #FindYourFun with the family all summer long.

11 Free Activities for Kids this summer:

1. Splash Pads and pools: Take advantage of the free splash pads and pools available in your community! Austin has 11 free splash pads that we thoroughly enjoyed last year. Bring tupperware containers, plastic cups, buckets, and other fun things you have around the house to play with in the water.

2. Make a bird feeder: This is as easy as saving a few empty toilet paper rolls, spreading peanut butter onto the empty roll and covering in birdseed! Then just slip the roll on a branch and wait for the birds to find it!

3. Set up on obstacle course: There is no wrong way to do this! Use toys, household items, and/or nature to create a backyard or driveway obstacle course for feet, bikes, scooters, or any other kid vehicle you have on hand. Consider setting up 2 of the same obstacle courses so that the kids can race each other.

4. Nature scavenger hunt: Make up a list of nature items for example: one yellow flower, a heart shaped rock, something red, a black rock, and a “y” shaped twig. Then hand the kiddos the list and send them on a hunt! If you have a few kids over, divide them into teams and make it a competition!

5. Hammock: The initial investment is not free, but I promise a hammock will provide hours of free (and sometimes relaxing) fun for the whole family! (Some of our favorite Crocs are pictured below: Andy, Jamie, Max)

(Photo by Brooke Taelor Photography)

6. Play car wash: This is a great activity for kids because it involves water, bubbles, and you’re getting a chore checked off the ol’ to do list!

7. Check out a new local park: Make a list of all of the parks in your community (don’t forget elementary schools) and try to visit each park this summer. We recently discovered a tether ball at a park very near our house that we don’t go to very often. It’s our new favorite!

8. Start a compost bin: My 2 year old son loves composting! Composting is how the Earth recycles, and it’s so fun for kids they won’t even know they are getting a lesson and you will soon be getting free plant food!

9. Visit a fire station: We are pretty lucky and can walk to our local fire station, so this is one of our go to activities. As long as the trucks are in the bay, the firefighters are happy to show your littles around. Our firefighters even let kids spray a hose form the truck. They want kids to be familiar with their truck, outfits, and gear so in case a real fire happens, littles won’t be as scared to see a fire fighter show up!

10. Plan a backyard campout: Picnic, tent, s’mores and you’ve got yourself a campout! Or consider just setting up a tent in the backyard and let the kids craft up their own daytime camping adventures. Friendship bracelets, books, legos and drawing are all good tent activities.

11. Scooter/ Bike tricks: It’s always fun to learn new tricks! Things like riding a bike with no hands is a trick that takes a little time to learn. Talk to your kiddos about setting goals and make no hand bike riding a summer goal! A few simple scooter tricks for younger kids include riding the scooter like you are sitting in a chair (see top picture) or riding while standing on one foot. It’s also really fun to ask kids to invent their own tricks!

You’re going to need some fun shoes to enjoy the outdoors with the kids this summer! Crocs are great for fun in the sun and I love that they work so well for water activities too! Grab a pair of Crocs from Zappos and get free shipping, a 365 day return policy, and awesome customer service. Anyone else super excited that summer upon us?! (First official day is June 20!) Oh and here are our favorite pairs of Crocs:

Rain Boots | Bump It Shoe | Sexi Flip | Isabella T Strap | Isabella Sandal | Swiftwater Clog |Bump It Shoe | Croc Band II

Maxwell’s loves his rain boots! He wears them everyday rain or shine. The reason I love them? I bought them 2 sizes bigger than he usually wears and he can put them all by himself! With a 2 month old in my arms, the fact that he can put on his own shoes is pure greatness.