Summertime and the living is analog. Or it can be with intentionality. Here are some fun ideas to get off the screens and out of stale indoor air and into the sunshine and fresh air. Okay, there are a few “inside” analog living in summer ideas in this post too because the days do get way too hot! Read on for inspiration on slow living and intentional living in the summer.
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Summer heat, humidity, and bugs!
It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s humid. There are too many bugs! And there’s plenty to do outside or inside when the conditions aren’t favorable.
- Morning and evening sunshine
- Get outside in the morning sun when the bugs and heat are minimal.
- Go outside in the evenings when the sun is setting (wear your natural bug spray, light citronella candles, or wear lightweight and breathable long sleeve clothing).
- Bonus: your circadian rhythm will sync up to enjoy the morning and evening red light. AKA you’ll sleep better.
- Eat early dinner when it’s hot then to go back outside to enjoy summer evenings
- Summertime outdoor projects or activities can be enjoyed in the cool(er) of the evening. Prepare ahead to eat dinner early then get back outside just before dark and bedtime.
- Chase fireflies, tend the garden, take a walk.
- Mosquito dunks and citronella candles, non-toxic bug sprays, long sleeve breathable clothing can help with the bugs
- Additionally, try using coffee grounds to keep mosquitos away. Some methods work and some might not. Read up more on coffee grounds as a bug deterrent here.
- Fans!
- Battery operated or plug-in fans if you are porch, balcony, or patio sitting. Air flow can keep bugs away.
- Actual hand operated fans work well too.
Analog Living in Summer Inspirational Ideas
Now that we’ve gotten a few of the excuses out of the way for not wanting to be outside in the summertime. Here are a few suggestions for both INSIDE and OUTSIDE analog living in summer:
Inside Activities
Library Summer Reading Programs
- Be sure to check out your local library for their schedule of events for your littles. Libraries generally will offer a summer reading program for adults too!
Summertime Pen Pal
- Write actual letters to friends using pen and paper and a stamp.
- Kids of all ages will want to check the mailbox every day for a reply!
Learn playing card games
- Look up directions for how to play a new card game with regular playing cards (maybe take it easy on a gambling aspect of some card games like poker.)
- Alternatively, new board games and jigsaw puzzle make excellent indoor fun in the hot months (actually, year round).
Learn an instrument
- Time to take up guitar, bass, piano… anything but a kazoo or recorder!
Read real, paper books
- Library days help with a summer reading list
- To take the pressure off of “school in the summer” by letting your children check out age and maturity level appropriate books of their choice. No classics on the reading list this summer, Mom!
- A another option, go thrift books! Cheap and a great way to recycle. Also another device-free way to spend your analog living in summer is inside the thrift stores.
No Social Sabbath Rest Saturdays or No Social Sundays
- A beautiful tradition to start– no doom scrolling or content creating one day a week.
- Pinterest is iffy so only use it if it’s your go-to search engine and not for scrolling or pinning for views. Blogger writers, I’m looking at us!
- Rest means no work. If it feels like work, it’s a no.
- Therefore that means that dishes can go unwashed. Freestyle Feedings for meals one day a week is an option. Laundry will ALWAYS be there the next day and the next and so on. It can all take ONE day’s break. YOU need it.
Grab your copy of this incredible read: The Nature of REST
Outside Activities
Hang laundry outside to dry
- This idea is a “quick do” to hang out and take in when dry but it’s another easy way to get outside and enjoy the benefits of the sun and the breeze. Functional enjoyment, if you can imagine it!
- A clothesline has been one of my favorite home and garden investments. Something about clothes that are crispier and smell like sunshine just takes me back to my childhood and simpler times.
- No space outside for a clothesline? Try these retractable clotheslines or folding racks.
Visit parks, farmers markets, u-pick farms
- Get outside and support local farmers and growers!
- Also, flower farms and roadside produce stands count.
Water play
- While water play is cool and refreshing, it is also fun for kids of all ages. Try these water options:
- pool
- tarp + dish soap + water hose = country bumpkin kind of outdoor summer fun!
- sprinklers
- water table
- ocean, river, creeks, etc.
Summer Supper Club
- Enlist a small group of family friends who want to rotate each month or every other week for a Supper Club.
- Whoever cooks one supper makes dessert for the next supper in order as you rotate. Or whatever spin on the Club you want.
- Make suppers themed for fun! BBQ night, grillin’ & chillin’, cold plate salads, Taco Tuesday, etc.
Take a couple meals a week outside
- Maybe even simply morning coffee and toast on the porch.
- Find shade in the yard and have a picnic meal on the ground.
Gardening
- Arguably the G.O.A.T. of analog living in summer is gardening.
- Get your hands in the soil (research shows it’s good for us!) and grow something even if it’s simply herbs!
- Do it for the food you’ll get and because your body will be rewarded by the soil.
- in-ground
- raised beds (fill them using this method to save money!)
- container
- vertical grow towers
Hammock, swing, rocking chair evenings
- Indeed, I do believe our grandparents were on to something with their porch sits. We could take a play from their book.
- Lay in a hammock, sit in rocking chair or swinging chair, or just a simple folding lawn chair and enjoy the great outdoors.
The list goes on
As we approach summer, this is merely a jumping off point to get your own ideas flowing for how to do analog living in summer. To reduce the use of screens and devices as entertainment for the entire family.
Kids just want their parents’ attention. Give it to them with quality time well spent together in nature or when it doesn’t allow, inside with device-free activities.
To see more ideas like this and seasonal bucket lists, visit my Pinterest page and follow the Seasonal Bucket Lists board HERE.
Lastly, feel free to follow Johnson Home NC on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
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