Have you ever thrown a party at the end of the school year? We like to mark the change in weather with an outing or a get together. This year, we had the cousins over for a Welcome to Summer party. Jordan, Liz and I divided up the activities and turned a regular old Sunday afternoon into an epic event! There was lots of laughing, lots of mess, and everyone ended the day with big grins plastered across our faces.
I was in charge of Lemonade Toasts and Sun-dye Prints. I’ll tell you all about one activity today and another next week, in case you’d like try them out at your own parties this summer. Liz and Jordan are writing about their activities too — Fruit Kabob Sundaes and a Giant Color Fight!
Lemonade Toasts was Ben Blair’s brilliant idea. It’s simple, adorable, and was a great way to start the party and get people thinking about how much good stuff there is to look forward to in the summer.
We printed out a basic prompt on cardstock and cut it into strips. Then the kids filled out the strips. The wording of the prompt is: This summer, I want to ________. Here’s to ______ and ______!
The kids filled them in with things like: This summer I want to go to the beach. Here’s to surfing and sand! Or, This summer I want to read 50 books. Here’s to free time and no school!
Then, they took turns standing on a crate and reading their toasts to the whole family — with a fancy glass of lemonade in hand!
Things that are awesome about this activity:
1) It couldn’t be easier.
2) The kids LOVED it. It gave each child a chance to be in the spotlight. Each child could think about what they wanted to say, and each one received a round of applause when they were done. It feels good to be heard and acknowledged!
3) Sometimes, kids doing grownup things (like toasts) is the cutest thing ever. Seeing their faces get serious, so they could concentrate and read the words correctly, then clinking their glasses of lemonade with their cousins, was as charming as can be.
4) It’s nice to find out what they’re looking forward to most about the summer!
I highly recommend this activity. Five stars! It really was a wonderful way to kick off the gathering, and was as fun for the grownups to watch as it was for the kids to participate.
Tell me, Friends. Anything fun you’re doing (or you did) to welcome summer vacation?
I love this! So fun!
We are doing a lemonade stand for my three year old son’s birthday in September (he’s been talking about it since Christmas – he is obsessed with lemonade stands!) We are just going to pass out lemonade and cupcakes to all who pass by but I am totally adopting the special-toast to kick off the event. He will love that! I would love to try the whole tradition when the cousins are all old enough – filing this away!
Three year old lemonade stands are basically the cutest thing ever.
How sweet! And all the kids look so grown up! (Also, I love Quaker Chewy bars; i might have to have one for “dessert” after lunch. ;) )
Totally! They are yum and feel like a treat.
I absolutely love this idea! One of the Mom’s organized a picnic/pizza party on the last day of school at a city park. It was from 5-7 so we could go home, decompress, and get ready to go. We all took something to eat and the kids played and the parents got to talk which we don’t really get a chance to really do at pickup and drop off. It was really nice. This would have been even a greater addition! Next year!! Thanks so much!
That photo of June reading her toast is adorable!
It totally looks like all the kids hat a bless…
B and I are figuring out a couple of wonderful ideas for a baby shower… maybe we can form this idea a little and use it for baby wishes…
Have a wonderful week and lots of love from a pretty happy Germany right now!
http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de/2014/06/its-wold-cup-time.html
B&B from fatcatconnection
That is such an adorable idea! I don’t even have kids yet but I totally want to do this anyway. Think I can talk my friends into it? ;)
Lemonade toasts – what a great idea! Happy 40th, too!!!
I just left a comment over on your June 2nd post, then clicked over to read this. So refreshing!
Cheers,
Tracey
Have you seen this? Really appreciate your bravery and all your responses.
http://askmormongirl.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/room-for-all-in-this-church/
I think this is my most favorite idea ever featured. Totally stealing it for next year as I’m usually barely hanging on at the end of the year and always ready for summer!
And that little blonde boy with the curls…I can barely stand it. Adorable.
Such a great idea! I have to figure out a way to incorporate it into my life soon!
Great pictures and joie de vivre! what I do love about your blog!
What a sweet and thoughtful activity!
What a great idea! I can’t wait for our little ones to be big enough to take part in this kind of activity!!
This is the BEST idea! Cheers to Ben Blair!
(brought to you by the letter “b”)
sorry i couldn’t resist ;)
xo, marni
Sigh…I can really relate to Olive, too young to hang with the old kids, too old to hang with the young ones, but I bet it makes her that much more unique and independent :)
This summer I want to hang out with my cousins. Here’s to
happy memories and awkward product placement.
For me lemonade and sweets are not compatible; something about the tartness? Kinda like drinking orange juice right after brushing my treeth.
Love the toast idea! I’ll be using it for sure. Maybe it could work for a back to school celebration? Something like…This year in 4th grade I want to make new friends. Here’s to recess and learning my times tables.
I love that Betty still has her French cursive handwriting!
What a great idea! I hope I find the time to do this with my class before summer holidays start here.
I am totally loving this idea! Cheers!
Lemonade toasts: SUCH an adorable idea.
I alաays used to study ƿiece of writing in news papers but now as I am a user of web so from now I am using net
foг articles οr reviews, tɦanks to web.
Pingback: Welcome to Summer: Lemonade Toasts | | The Original Make a Plate!The Original Make a Plate!