Summer activities for all ages
School’s Out! For parents it can be a blessing and a curse. Sometimes within a few days of being home, children are whining about boredom. Stave their complaints with some fun nearby outings.
Outdoor Fun
Traders Point Creamery walk:
Hike around the property and watch the cows graze. You may even happen upon a variety of wildlife abundant in the area. Then grab an ice cream or milkshake – Thanks cows!
While currently closed, keep an eye out for the milking parlor’s reopening in the future. Watching cows happily return from the fields to be milked is a memorable experience for all ages.
https://www.traderspointcreamery.com/the-farm/tours/
Splash Pad at Mulberry Park
Nothing like splashing through water on a hot day. The perfect time for elementary ages to visit is in the afternoon when younger children have naps and the heat is at its worst.
https://www.zionsville-in.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Mulberry-Fields-9
Learning opportunities
Time to be creative:
Youth and teen camps are still open at both SullivanMunce Cultural Center, Palette and MyArt. Or check for summer classes that will pop up.
https://www.sullivanmunce.org/camps.html
https://www.itsaspacetocreate.com/
http://www.myartindy.com/ZionsvilleArtClasses.htm
Dance fever:
Students of all ages can take a variety of dance classes at Village Dance Studio in Whitestown. The beginning/intermediate tap, jazz and ballet classes for teens are great for older kids who may be hesitant to be placed in a class with preschoolers. There’s even a tap fitness class for adults. Former dancers can dust off those old shoes and see what they remember.
http://www.villagedancestudio.com/summer-registration.html
Close to goat yoga
If you’ve been curious about goat yoga but aren’t fond of goats, try pig yoga. Trader’s Point Creamery hosts the June 6 event.
https://www.traderspointcreamery.com/events/goat-yoga/
Bee-lieve it or not
Older kids (8 and up) can bring their parents to Maplelawn Homestead to learn about beekeeping this summer. Sign up for the class to learn how to start your hive. Preregistration required.
https://maplelawnfarmstead.org/events2/
Rainy-day fun
Museum of Miniature Houses in Carmel:
Browse tiny worlds in this small Carmel museum. Bonus points for reading The Sixty-Eight Rooms, a book about the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. One of Narcissa Thorne’s rooms is located at the Carmel museum.
https://museumofminiatures.org/
Zion Nature Center and Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library:
Now open Tues – Sat from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., the nature center lets children learn about animals and their habitats. While you’re at the nature center’s new location – in the library – check out a few books about these animals and what makes them interesting.
https://www.zionsville-in.gov/270/Zionsville-Nature-Center
Kids (literally) climbing the walls?
All ages can try indoor rock climbing at Hoosier Heights just south of Zionsville.
https://www.hoosierheightsindianapolis.com/
Family fun
See how many items on this summer fun list you can complete:
- Learn to play marbles or hopscotch.
- Draw “roads” on the sidewalk or driveway for bikes or toy cars.
- Find five different kinds of insects in your yard.
- Have a picnic.
- Pick berries or fruit (try Spencer Farm or Stuckey Farm).
- Eat ice cream.
- Roast marshmallows.
- Make lemonade.
- Visit a farmers’ market.
- Eat watermelon.
- Look at the clouds and draw pictures of what you see in the sky.
- Take a bike ride.
- Explore a park (Zion Nature Sanctuary behind Eagle is a less visited location at the edge of the Village)
- Skip stones in the White River.
- Build an outdoor obstacle course.
- Have a water gun or water balloon fight.
- Make a fairy garden (or mini-dinosaur garden) with as many items from nature as possible.
- Hairdoo experiment – use gels, rubber bands, bobby pins, etc to create funky styles.
- Paper airplane contest.
- Shutterbug – experiment taking pictures from all different angles and types of light.
- See how long you can hula hoop, jump rope or dribble a basketball.