A 90’s summer (with photo proof)

Maybe you are asking yourself what exactly IS a 90’s summer? Maybe you are jogging your memory from when you were a kid, or maybe you are a gen Z parent who just missed that era, but you want that simplicity for your kids this summer. You are in luck, because I was definitely here for the 90’s, and I have a great bucket list for you! The key here is to show your kids how to have some summer fun without hurting your wallet.

First things first:

Before you begin your 90’s summer of fun, go grab my guide I have written called “10 tips to help you take better pictures of your kids.” I have several pointers for you, and you definitely don’t need a big fancy camera to put these tips into action. Trust me, you will want the photo proof for this one. When you click this link, it will take you to a page where you can sign up for my email list, and then you will get a link to the page to download it. Side note: once you are on my email list, you can unsubscribe – if you must. But – My email list is the first to know about all the good things. AND sometimes I share a promo code in there just for the email list.

Get the guide

Creating a bucket list for your 90’s summer.

I have put together a great list for you. I have even dug out some of my own pictures from the YEARS of stored pictures of my kids and from past clients. The picture below is my daughter who will turn 22 this summer. I want you to know this list comes from my heart.

Here we go!

Your 90’s summer – low key, low spending, fun list

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• Play tag – water gun tag, actual tag, tag with a bean bag, or even go play laser tag if you are willing to spend a little more money. Pin Stack in Plano has laser tag.
• Go to the splash pad. I even have a link for you to a list of many of the splash pads in the North Dallas area. Check out that list here: splash pads

• Create a summer playlist on Apple Music or Spotify and then have a dance party at home. Make sure to label your playlist with summer 2024. Years from now, when your kids are older, those songs will remind you of the days when they were younger.
• Play in the backyard. I know, it sounds so simple, but remember this is a 90’s summer. It is about showing your kids the fun in the simple, everyday things. Don’t forget to take the pictures! Swing pictures were always my favorite. If you don’t have a pool, a blow up pool works well for little ones. My kids are all older – ages 15-21. I dug back into my personal photo archives to show you these cuties! This was 2008! We were definitely living our best 90’s summer that year.

• Popsicles on the porch – Go outside with them and share a popsicle. Be sure to bring a bucket of water out with you for them to wash their hands in. Then when they are done, they can dump the water on their bare feet to cool off, or pour in over the plants.

• Pillow forts – I know, as a parent these can be a pain to clean up, but remember this is the 90’s folks. The kids can clean it up with you.
• Movie night – Leave the pillow fort up for a day or two and combine it with a fun family movie. Some of the older favorites in this house are any of the Night of the Museum movies, Cars, Tangled, Cinderella, and Mega Mind. My personal new favorite is Wonka.
• Pizza party – As much as I love a good take out pizza, homemade pizza is super yummy and really not hard to make at all. One of my favorite recipes is from Pioneer Woman. You can see it here: pizza recipe. One of my favorite things we did for birthday parties growing up was make homemade pizza. Each kid would get a small ball of dough, and we would make our own small personal pizza. Give it a try!
• Swim – I know I already mentioned this. But I cannot stress enough, you will want these pictures when they are older!

Make art!

For the parents who don’t love a mess, hear me out on this one. Choose your supplies wisely, and then be okay with a little mess. This one it’s own little sub category, because I have a few of ideas for you on this. (This might become an additional with blog post. I could write for days on this topic!) I don’t mean making crafts – although there is nothing wrong with a good craft project. However, often times craft projects end up with YOU doing more of the work than you intended. This is a time to let them use the art supplies you have and enjoy the art making process. I was an art education major in college, so this is my wheelhouse.

• Go get a roll of craft paper from a store like Michaels like this: craft paper roll. Have your child lay down and trace around their body. Don’t cut it out yet. Then get out your markers, crayons, paint, etc and let them draw on it or decorate however they want. Once they are done, they can either cut it out or not. Hang it on the wall to enjoy. Better yet, roll it up and save it once you get tired of it on the wall. Next year you can pull it out and see how much they have grown.
• Watercolors – Buy a set of watercolors at the any craft store, but PLEASE for the love of all things holy, buy a quality paint brush. You can buy a pack of brushes that are decently priced at a craft store. If you are wondering why I feel so strongly on this, I will tell you. Those brushes that come with most kid’s watercolors have bristles made of plastic. It doesn’t soak up paint or water well, and is impossible to create anything beautiful with them. They are trash. Here are a few of my suggestions. These paint brushes or these paint brushes. When your kids are done painting have them wash their brushes with soap and water. Yes, folks that is right! There IS a right way to clean the paint brushes. Tell your kids put a little liquid soap in their hand and swirl the brush around in it. Rinse and repeat till the water runs clear. Also, when it comes to paper, buy it it big, and buy a lot (on sale). I really like this mixed media paper spiral.
• Draw – some kids can immediately get to drawing when given the chance. However, others are completely stumped on what to draw and they also want to know how. So here are some great books for just that. I have always liked the Draw Right Now series. You can also buy these individually. Often you can find them at Half Price Books too. If you are looking for a drawing book for older kids, look for something that teaches how to break it down into shapes. This is a good one on Amazon. – Also a shoutout to #MakeItWithMichaels

I dug out some more images from the Roorda vault. Here is my daughter painting on our porch when she was 5. And I think it looks like she was using one of those awful paint brushes! LOL Also, don’t judge my photography editing skills too harshly. I was still a baby photographer.

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Last but not least

I have a pinterest board for you that I have started some pins for some low key, summer activities. Take a look here. I will continue to add to it.

So let’s get out there and have some low key 90’s summer fun, and don’t forget to take the pictures!

P.S. – I have a bonus goodie for you!

As you go through the summer, upload your pictures to Mixbook. Follow my link for 40% off. Upload as you go, and at the end of the summer you can print a book of your summer. I really like the ease of Mixbook’s site for making books.