pin to present: school's out for summer ideas

Hendrik's school year finished up two weeks ago already, but now he's officially done, after wrapping up the nature camp that his teachers organize for the couple of weeks following the end of the school year. And suddenly I have a kid who is home a whole lot more during the day... I'm sure all the other parents out there get that feeling of mild panic, so I have checked my archives for some good/cheap/easy Pinterest-inspired ideas to keep them occupied during summer break!

For some good outdoor time (and a way to use up last year's leftover bits and pieces of chalk), this sidewalk chalk painting is fun and easy.

Baking together is always a nice way to spend time together (or just kill some time, when you're going nuts). We love any kind of baked treat or muffin - and especially zucchini bread in the summer - but these cereal bars are a good option for being relatively healthy and having easy ingredients, plus they're no-bake, so they're doable even on the hottest of summer days.

We like to do a lot of craft time in the summer too, which gets bonus points when it uses paints and markers we already have on hand + any other items just laying around the house, like paper plates to make these adorable llamas.

And summer isn't necessarily all fun and games - stuff's got to get done sometimes, and kids (like mine, anyway) need at least a bit of structure, so a job chart can come in quite handy. I'm thinking of adapting this one into a summer version with a few extra chores, since we have more time at home than during the school year - and with it the opportunity to earn a little extra spending money to take to the bookstore this summer.

What are your summer vacation kid occupation go-tos?