Fill a toddler sized pool with water and apples. Depending on the size of the pool, two or three children can bob for apples at once. The players must keep their hands behind their backs while bobbing. The player must grab the apple with his or her teeth. The first person to retrieve an apple is the winner. The game can also be played until all the apples are retrieved and the person with the most apples wins the game.
Invite some kids over for a backyard scavenger hunt. Divide the kids into teams of two. Give them a list of objects to find and collect such as a pine cone, a leaf, a colored rock and a four-leaf clover. You can also add items on the list for them to locate and record such as moss, spiderwebs, ant hills, signs of small animals and birds, etc. Encourage them to draw out or journal their findings.
Gather the children in a circle and slip the hula hoop into one child's arm, and then have the children join hands. The object of the game is for the hula hoop to make its way around the circle without the any of the children letting go of their hands. For large groups and more of a challenge, send two hula hoops around the circle starting from different directions.
Teach your child how to use a digital camera. Bring the camera on family outings, trips, parties, etc. Have each family member collect mementos from each trip such as a stamps, coasters, movie stubs, dried flowers and stickers. At the end of summer, put the scrap book together. When making a scrapbook, you can matte the pages, add embellishments and journal in the pages.
Purchase a variety of vegetable, herb and flower seeds from a garden store. Remove the seeds from the packets and place into one large bag. Space the seeds out and plant them in a garden. Have your child take pictures of the different plants as they grow and keep a garden journal.