Families Tell Their Favorite Summertime Activities

Summertime on the North Shore is hard to beat--beautiful weather, blue skies, cool lake breezes and (hopefully) time to enjoy them all. We asked several North Shore families to tell us their favorite family activities during the summer. Here are some of their ideas:

"We enjoy packing a picnic, our mini-Weber grill, and some kites and balls and then heading to the beach for the afternoon and evening."

"Our family likes to explore parks that we’ve never visited before."

"The kids and I have roller-bladed to Chicago from Winnetka, while my husband follows slowly in our car, just in case of a fall or accident. After dinner on the town, we toss the blades in the trunk and drive home."

"Each child has a nature collection that he or she adds to all summer. Sometimes it’s bird feathers, other times it’s rocks, bugs or shells. Sometimes they will find interesting ways to display them. We’ll read books and do research on the items they’ve collected."

"We love to take a "flashlight walk" at night. Each child has a flashlight and we’ll walk around the neighborhood or sometimes to a park or the beach."

"On a hot day, we’ll have a ‘toy wash.’ We fill our wading pool with soap and water and sponges. Then we bring out (waterproof) toys, such as Fisher-Price sets, plastic play dishes, and plastic cars and animals. Then we scrub all day. To be sure that the soap residue is gone, we put the toys in a final rinse of water and vinegar."

"We love to draw on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk."

"Our children never tire of walking to the train station to meet Daddy’s train."

"We enjoy exploring the Forest Preserves. Some of them, such as Ryerson, have rangers on duty and/or small museums. The Grove in Glenview has a late summer festival with crafts and activities."

"We enjoy the tram ride at the Botanic Gardens."

"We go to the Northfield Farmer’s Market every Saturday for fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, etc."

"A family I know used to have "air baths." The children played and danced in the late dusk and evening without clothes, enjoying the warm evening air."

"One family could not accept the verdict that their oldest son couldn’t sing, so they gathered around the piano and sang together on summer nights. The son went on to travel around the world with the Amherst Glee Club!"

"Our kids love to go to a water park on a hot day, such as the Wheeling Water Park or the new Highland Park Water Park."

"Every summer, we take the kids to Lambs Farm, the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo."

"We love to take bike rides on the Green Bay Trail. Sometimes we ride to Homer’s in Wilmette for dinner or an ice cream cone or to 31 Flavors in Glencoe. It’s more fun when there is a goal in mind, such as ice cream."

"Our children love our block party each year. Every family brings something to share and then the kids play games like "Kick the Can," while the adults socialize."

"We never miss taking a picnic to the concerts on Thursday evenings at Hubbard Woods Park, courtesy of Harris Bank."

"At least once a summer, we have a backyard campout. We pitch a tent and pull out sleeping bags, flashlights, camping mattresses, and bug spray!"

"We like to go berry picking each summer. Besides eating our fill as we pick, we pick enough to make freezer jam and a pie when we get home."

"As the children have gotten older, we’ve all taken an interest in stargazing on warm summer nights. Although it’s harder to see the stars here on the North Shore, so close to the lights of the city, on a clear night, you can make out some of the constellations. On vacation in Michigan, it’s, of course, much easier to see. The kids love to find the Big Dipper and the North Star. We’ve gotten some star charts to help us identify others."