Our summer adventures have kept us on our toes this year; sometimes deciding the day before to drive far to seek the sunshine and beach. We love packing a few new activities for our kids to do in the car, a new book to read when we get there, or something new to play with outside. We have some inspiration below for you and your kiddos to try out a few new books or activities that our family love to pack with us on summer adventures.

Bendon - If you live in the US, Bendon is one of our favourite brands to look for in the Target dollar section! you can even find some of their products at the Dollar Store or online at Amazon. Bendon creates educational items that are perfect for travel like the Human Body and Bug Magnet tin kits. They also make Addition and Subtraction flip books using their imagine ink that are awesome for reviewing in the summer.

Kid Made Modern - Our favourite craft kit company. We love that everything you need comes in the package, even glue! These kits encourage our children to explore their creative side and we love when they follow the instructions, however their creations are just as beautiful when they create on their own! Kid Made Modern’s Pastel tie dye kit, Under the Sea Shrink Art, DIY Card Making Kit and Summer Camp Kit are all perfect for summer. These 4 kits allow children to create so many different activities and are perfect to share with a neighbour or two. You could even plan your own neighbourhood art party and create something beautiful.

David Cook - Our oldest son really enjoys reading comics. There are some comic book series that he has enjoyed but the Action Bible is one of his favourites. The Action Bible covers so many stories from the Bible in a comic strip form. I love how inviting and engaging it is for young boys and they learn the truth from the Bible in a format they love. The Action Bible Devotional is something new we are starting this summer. There is also a Guess it Game and a Handbook where children can dive deeper into some of the characters and themes of the Bible. We think this would be an excellent addition to any summer reading plans.

Spin Master - A summer without sports doesn’t exist for our families. Both our boys are eager to play throw and catch whenever they can so we will bring the Aerobie Disc or Sonic Fin Football to the beach or park and see how far we can throw it. Spin Master always has lots of new products to try and gets us playing outside more which is always a plus in our books!

Dover Books - During the summer we are always driving on mini road trips or traveling farther for extended summer trips. I love to bring activities that are easy to use in the car on road trips. Dover has an incredible variety of colouring books, colour by number and activity books. Some of our favourites include Maze Mania (a whole book of different mazes for kids), Alphabet hide and seek (kids are learning and colouring at the same time), Horses Colouring Book, Color by Number books and Baseball Facts and Fun Activity book. Dover also creates little mini sticker and activity books that could fit in any purse, pocket or mini backpack! Some of the themes include Common Birds, Aquarium animals, Frogs and Toads, Jungle Animals, Tropical Fish stickers etc. You can find these on amazon or at your local Mastermind Toys

Zonderkidz - Even after a sun filled day outside, you can still always find us at the end of the day, cozied up in our pyjamas reading books before beds. Zonderkidz has a huge selection of quality, stories and devotionals that we love reading to our kids. Character building stories and books that teach us about how to live more like God are really important to us. We just started reading The Spirit of God devotionals and they are perfect for my kids who are ages 2-6.

Raincoast - We are always eager to try anything from Raincoast, especially activities made by Mudpuppy. Our kids love using these magnetic play sets in the car or on a ferry ride to see our parents. We also love to break up a hot day with an inside activity of colouring on these activity rolls or something like this new ocean puzzle with a bowl of snacks.

Nature books are probably our families favourite category (sports is a close second) and there are some newer titles that our family is enjoying. The Mystery of the Monarchs is perfect for any butterfly lover and the Smithsonian Animals of the World Flash Cards are a small item to pack for any adventure. Each card is filled with fascinating facts and pictures about animals all over the world.

Do you remember the American Girl dolls? Well now they have a selection of books in the Step into Reading series all about the American Girls. The stories are heartwarming sharing values of kindness, helping others and being a good friend.

From the author of the Judy Moody series (which my 8 year old enjoyed) is a second series all about Judy’s younger brother who she calls Stink. These are great beginner chapter books and there are so many in the series which is wonderful!

Next up we want to share with you these freezies, made by Deebee’s Organics, which are delicious if you have never tried them. Freezies are such a classic treat yet Deebee’s Organics has made them with real ingredients you can pronounce and of course with zero artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. We choose these every time for our kids for the perfect hot summer day treat.

Whenever we head to the beach, water park or adventure outside we love to bring along some of our favourite snacks. Our family loves chips and these organic chips by Humble Potato Chips are delicious. The flavours are perfect for families and our favourites are The Original and Smoky BBQ! You can eat them plain or enjoy them with your favourite chip dip as well. However, our favourite fact is that they are a Canadian company!

Wherever your summer adventures take you, bring along a new book, snacks, stickers, crafts, or a puzzle to keep learning through play as you make memories as a family.