End of School Year Party

For the first time ever, I was finished teaching and working post-planning days before my children were finished with school.  Which meant this year was the perfect year to hold an end of school year party.  If you’ve been around this blog for a while you know how much I adore all Amanda from Dixie Delights does.  One thing I’ve read on her blog year after year was her last day of school celebration (I’m linking up to her Walk of Fame from this year at the end of the post), and I always wished I could pull something like that off for my own children.  Well, the stars aligned and this was the year for an end of school year party right in our own backyard.

I started off by creating a “Welcome to Summer” banner out of butcher paper and die-cut letters.  I wanted the letters to pop so I chose black paper.  I took the kids to school in the morning and they didn’t even know it was waiting for them all morning behind the gate.  🙂

I made Hayden run rather slowly so Luke would have a chance to break through the paper sign too.  I’m not even going to lie…we had to string that sign up at least five more times just so Luke could run through it over and over again.  Again + Again =Success

I also die cut the words “Summer Starts Now” and created the pennant banner out of scrapbook paper and twine.  It was so affordable and easy…I don’t know why anyone buys the pre-made ones.  I strung them up on the fence because we would be eating outside.

Since it was only about 10:00 in the morning and they had eaten breakfast not too long ago, we snacked on fruit, tropical smoothies, and doughnuts.  I covered our patio table with my Lilly Pulitzer for Target beach towel and it was all the color I needed on the table.  We used our totem pole glasses, Mr. Handsome, showed up with one day after work and I stuck umbrella straws in them to make it more festive (found at Hobby Lobby).

After filling up on all this sweetness, we settled in to discuss what activities we wanted to put on the list to do this summer.  As the boys told me everything they wanted to do I quickly wrote it down on colored card stock squares.  Grandpa suggested the Jekyl Island Waterpark and Luke just kept saying it over and over again.  But in the end we ended up with a pretty good list you can find toward the bottom of this post.

I wanted to find a way to display them in our home so we would follow through and plan to do all of these activities.  I picked up this letter holder last Christmas in my mother-in-law’s local grocery store (Sendik’s).  It is seriously the nicest grocery store I’ve ever been too.  I thought it would be the perfect item to hold all of our ‘to do’ list.

This little black console sits on the wall between our family room and breakfast nook so it is right in the heart of our home.  I love that it will be a daily reminder of the plans we have for the summer.

I didn’t think it would be enough to have them displayed on the card holder…we might still not accomplish our list if they just sat there.  The last thing I want for my boys this summer is to sit indoors in front of some sort of screen.  We have vowed to do at least one thing on our list each day of summer.  I’m sure the beach will happen several times.

I saw this chicken wire frame with clothespins and I thought it would be the perfect way for us to put things on the calendar without actually writing them on a calendar.  I bought some chalkboard tags and used a white chalk paint pen to put the six days of the week we are going to work on the list (resting on Sunday) on each tag.  We can simply pull cards off from the card holder and put them on the day we want to go do the activity.  This way, everyone knows what is coming up.

I had so much fun photographing this new little place for me to create vignettes I thought I would share some more photos with you.

It was such a blast to welcome my kiddos to the summer in style.  I’m so looking forward to all we have planned.  Here’s comprehensive list in case you are looking for some activity ideas to do with your wee ones.

• Play Air Soft
• Velocity Sports (an indoor trampoline fun center)
• Beach
• Go to the movie
• Ride bikes downtown
• Farmer’s Market
• Sounds on Centre (our local outdoor community music fest)
• Breakfast at T-Rays (a local favorite)
• Jekyll Island Water Park
• Attend Miss Georgia Pageant (cheer our girls on!)
• Make Pizza on the Grill (anyone have tips?)
• Make homemade ice cream
• Perfect a shrimp pie recipe (anyone have a good one?)
• Night walk on the beach
• Go to the zoo
• Sign up for high school marching band
• Dog groomed (big deal to the kids)
• Build a birdhouse
• Multiple play dates and friends “hanging out”-high school kids don’t play (so I’ve been told)
• Trip to Michigan (dinner at the Detroit Athletic Club, a week on the lake, bike Mackinac Island)
• Trip to Chicago (stay at the Waldorf Astoria (squeal!), Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium among other things)
• Swimming lessons for Luke

Whew!  If we accomplish this all it is going to be one busy and fun summer!  I can’t wait!  It’s going to be a blast.  So let’s all give three cheers for…

If you want more end of school year inspiration, be sure to check out my friend Amanda’s Walk of Fame party for her boys.  You won’t be disappointed.  Here’s a sneak peak.

Have a fantastic day!