Adventures in Our Backyard - Tampa Bay

Simple summer activities often become the sweetest memories. 

With all the “mom make summer fun tips & ideas” (camps, vacations, field trips, craft ideas, road-trip activities), it’s easy to forget that some of the best adventures happen in our very own backyard (and they are free and take no planning!)

I remember the little snails Savannah collected (and named) around our vegetable garden in Kansas, the kiddie pool they filled up with tiny frogs in Maryland, and the playful neighborhood cats who visited our backyard in Velburg, Germany. It was quite the "petting zoo” and made for the best imaginary stories.

Currently, our backyard (a short 3 minute walk up the street in this case) is Tampa Bay. When the ocean is at low tide, it's like another world. So many amazing creatures, birds swooping down to get their dinner, shells of every color, fossils, sea slugs, and crabs scurrying away as fast as possible. It has become one of Joshua and Cora's favorite evening activities. We grab buckets, sometimes old bread for the birds, and get prepare for a great adventure "in our backyard!"

What simple adventures are you and your children finding in your backyard this summer?