Four Fantastic Low Cost Summer Activities for Kids

I am a member of the #CapriSunCrew and have been compensated for my participation. We are long time consumers of Capri Sun and all opinions are my own.
Summer break is finally here and my kids are all about fun in the sun. As the former teacher, I’m always trying to sneak in something educational. My attempts have varied in success and my questions of, “Do you want to forget all you’ve learned over the school year?” are usually met with “Of course!” Over the years I’ve learned tips to slip in educational activities while convincing the kids they are having a good time. Here’s some of my favorite ideas for summer.
Capri Sun Smoothie

1. Cooking. This is one of the kids’ favorites. Not only do they have a tasty dish to serve to family and friends, we spend family time together. Do they need to know they are learning basic math and chemistry skills? Shhhh. It will be our secret. The best part? Children of almost all ages can participate in basic cooking lessons. If you need a beginner recipe, I’ve included a Capri Sun* Smoothie developed by the Kraft Kitchens.
• 1 pouch (6 oz.) CAPRI SUN Fruit Punch, (or flavor of your choice) chilled
• 1 container (6 oz.) vanilla nonfat yogurt
• 1 banana, cut into chunks
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup ice cubes

• Cut 1 corner off top of drink pouch with scissors; pour drink into blender. Add all remaining ingredients except ice; blend until smooth. Add ice; blend on high speed until thickened. Serve immediately. Serves two.
Capri Sun 1

2. “Camping Staycation.” Set up a tent in the backyard one evening. Don’t have a tent? Use a couple of old sheets. Snuggle inside the tent and read favorite stories. Add some easy snacks, like popcorn, Capri Sun and microwave s’mores. It’s a low cost night of memories.
Capri Sun DR 2

3. Day Trips. Make a list of low cost attractions in your area like state parks, free summer movies for kids, library programs and discount days to local zoos. Plan a picnic lunch and you have a day’s worth of activity! Tip: Don’t forget to keep a blanket in your car during the summer for the impromptu picnics.
Capri Sun in DR 3

4. Water Play. Whether it’s grabbing a package of balloons and having a water balloon fight, spraying each other with the hose or water guns, or giving the kids toys to use in the kiddie pool, water play has always been a favorite at our house. Although it requires careful supervision from adults, it allows kids to be spontaneous and invent their own games, just like the PushPlay movement from Caprisun.** What the kids don’t realize is all the concepts they are learning from creative play, but I’m certainly not going to tell them! Want to connect with Capri Sun this summer? Visit them on Facebook and Twitter.
Capri Sun Summer FUn

What are some of your favorite ways to keep your children active and learning during the summer?

fruit according to the U.S Dietary Guidelines. As part of a well-balanced diet, eat a variety of fruit every day and be sure to make most of your fruits whole fruit.
*Consume a variety of beverages every day.
*Capri Sun Juice Beverage has 16g sugars
*Each pouch of Capri Sun Super V fruit and vegetable juice drink provides ½ cup fruit and vegetable juice, which is one combined serving of fruits and vegetables according to the U.S Dietary Guidelines (3/4 from fruit juice and ¼ from vegetable juice). Be sure to make most of your fruits and vegetables whole fruits and vegetables.

36 Comments

  1. Oooo a smoothie. Such a great idea. Love Capri Sun.

  2. We love backyard camping. It’s like an adventure right outside your door! We do at least one time each week during the summer as long as the weather is not bad.

  3. MY whole family LOVES capri suns! Even my husband! LOL we will definitely make these!

  4. What a clever idea for that last uneven number of capri suns for my boys! No more fighting over the last way when we can share it this way!

  5. I would have never thought of using capri sun in a smoothie. My little one would love this recipe as it combines her favorite strawberries and capri sun.

  6. I probably would love to do this stuff when I get to have a family of my own and kids 🙂

  7. Day trips are fabulous! They’re a great way to spend time together without the added expense of travel and lodging.

  8. My kids love the Capri Sun low sugar drinks. We take them on all of our trips.

  9. Such creative ideas. I would never have though to use Capri Sun in a smoothie and your recipe is delish! They are great to tote along on the go.

  10. Ohh I really fancy a capri sun smoothie – they sound amazing! x

  11. This looks like a great smoothie. I love making smoothies for breakfast every morning. I will have to try this one tomorrow.

  12. That smoothie is right up my kids’ alleys! We love taking Capri Sun with us on summer adventures

  13. What a great smoothie. That sounds delish. I never thought about using Capri Sun to make a smoothie.

  14. Capri sun is the kids favorite. Loving those chairs!

  15. Some ways that we stay active and learning are to seek out new and interesting things to do in our community. Hiking or cultural activities. Also taking in plays and events are a high priority for us as well.

    • The community is a great resource! There’s always something going on somewhere, a lot of times for free, so it makes good sense to check in and see what’s going on right in your own backyard.

  16. My kids love to go to the park and play on the playgound. We also like to take walks around the neighborhood. It pays to stay active!

  17. These are such fun ideas! I love the camping staycation!

  18. We are all about the staycations! We can do so much in our own town and have fun doing it.

  19. The Capri smoothies sound amazing. What a great idea.

  20. I love to go on road trips with my family during the summer. As a matter of fact, we are going on one this weekend.

  21. When I was young I used to love camping in the backyard. The Caprisun smoothie sounds tasty!

  22. I always sent my daughter to camp to keep her busy. And they always did so many great activities.

  23. What great ideas for fun with kids, I am all about low cost ideas and I know my kids LOVE Capri suns, the other day the boys were asking me to pretty please buy some the next time I get groceries!

  24. Cooking has always been my favorite way of sneaking in reading, vocabulary, and math. All of your ideas are fantastic. I have a pop-up tent that just opens up and has lots of room for kids or a couple of grownups. I’m going to surprise my daughter tomorrow and make her a Capri Sun smoothie. Thanks for sharing that yummy recipe.

  25. What great ideas. My son always loved Capri Sun when he was little. The Capri Sun smoothie sounds yummy.

  26. These do sound like a lot of fun! My daughter liked to help me cook. My son always liked exploring outside though.

  27. I don’t think my kids have ever had Capri sun. I need to see if they’d like them, they look good!

  28. My kids love their capri suns. I would never think to do anything with it. They like it as is!

  29. I loved Capri Sun as a kid! I never would have thought to use it in smoothies, but that’s so smart!

  30. Since we moved to Florida, we’ve taken several day trips. It’s so much fun to explore a landscape that’s so much different from where we used to live.

  31. I never thought to use Capri Sun for a smoothie. Simple, easy and delicious and the kid will love it.

  32. We’ve never done a camping staycation and it sounds like a lot of fun. I’m sure my kids will love it.

  33. These are great ideas! My kids love to cook with me, so they’re always in the kitchen helping out.

  34. My kids like CapriSun’s. They are so convenient on the go!

  35. A camping staycation is perfect for us. We live in the south, so camping in the backyard is pretty much camping.