10 Fun Things to Do This Summer in Evanston

This story was written and reported by Kathleen F. Miller with some additional reporting by Jennifer Fisher.

School is almost out—but don't let the last bell of the year alarm you. If you aren’t ready for three months of your kids being home, check out this list of ten great things to do with your family this summer.

1. Get crafty. Fill a shoebox with art and craft supplies and encourage your kids to use paper from the recycle bin to make their own masterpieces. You can get art supplies from Blick Art Materials or Tom Thumb Hobbies & Crafts. Need some inspiration? Purchase Carla Sonheim’s books Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists, The Art of Silliness: A Creativity Book for Everyone, and Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals from Barnes & Noble Booksellers or Amazon.com.

2. Renew your crush on your local library. Prevent “summer brain drain” by taking advantage of the Evanston Public Library’s summer reading programs for teens and adults, both of which begin Saturday, June 1, or the kids' summer reading program, which begins Monday, June 17.

3. Blow some bubbles. Bubble wands are the best summer boredom busters for toddlers. If you have kids six or younger, acquire a giant bubble wand set from the Majic Bubble Wand company, or visit Becky & Me Toys or Oliver's Trains & Toys.

4. Start a lemonade stand. Let your kids run a business while fighting cancer this summer by having a neighborhood lemonade stand. Have your kids sell lemonade and baked goods and donate the proceeds to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. 

5. Enjoy some tunes or a flick under the stars. Catch an outdoor movie or concert during the city's free Starlight Movies & Concert Series, beginning Thursday, June 13, in James Park.. And don't forget to check out the $1 Summer Movie Express program for kids on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Glenview's Regal Cinema.

6. Visit your local museums. The Evanston Public Library offers a Museum Adventure Pass to cardholders, which provides free admission to 17 museums and cultural institutions around Chicago, including the Brookfield Zoo, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Oriental Institute, Bronzeville Children’s Museum and Evanston’s own Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be picked up in person at the library.

7. Create an invention box. Toss some wire, recycled cans and bottles, pipe cleaners, kid-appropriate tools and other items into an “invention box” to have on hand when kids get bored. Author Nancy Blakey’s books Go Outside!: Over 130 Activities for Outdoor Adventures and More Mudpies: 101 Alternatives to Television have other great ideas for low-cost boredom busters and “activity kits” you can put together to have on hand. 

8. Put on a show! Toss leftover Halloween costumes, masks, dress-up clothes, shoes and hats in a box with some potential props and tell your kids to come up with a play. They’ll love performing for you. You can find great items for a dress-up box at Stepping Out on Faith, Crossroads Trading Company or the Thrift House of the Junior League of Evanston-North Shore.

9. Go on an adventure. Meagan Buckmaster-Ross, a Duvall, WA, mom of four and author of the blog An Adventure Every Day, frequently creates “day trip adventures” for her kids. Pick some interesting places to explore that are an hour or less drive from your house. You can help your kids remember their adventures, says Buckmaster-Ross, by encouraging them to take photos and draw the interesting things they see. Her 7-year-old already has her own sketchbook, and her older siblings have kept journals for years.

10. Have fun in and on the water. Take a trip to one of Evanston's many public beaches, now open for the season. Check the city's beach status website first for any closings or weather advisories.