Watch a Movie Outside! 7 Ideas for the First Weekend of Summer
Celebrate the summer solstice outdoors with relaxing, fun activities
Laura Gaskill
June 19, 2018
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
It’s official, summer is here! Celebrate the first day of the season (June 21) with juicy strawberries, outdoor movies and a solstice party. Seven summery ideas and simple pleasures for your weekend are ahead.
1. Kick back and relax. Let the to-do list go, unplug and kick back. It’s the first weekend of summer, so make the most of it — by doing as much, or as little, as you want. Sleep in, read a good book on the porch, stroll down to the ice cream shop. Let the dust bunnies live to see another day: You have more important things to do.
Simple Pleasures: A Relaxed Weekend at Home
Simple Pleasures: A Relaxed Weekend at Home
2. Hang up some hooks outside. Looking for a quick and satisfying little project? Put up a row of sturdy hooks for hanging damp beach towels, spare sun hats and outdoor gear. Positioned outside the back door, on the front porch or on a fence, you’ll wonder how you got along without them.
To get the job done, you’ll need the right mounting hardware and tools for the surface you’re attaching the hooks to. If you’re not sure what to use, ask a knowledgeable staff member at your local hardware store to point you in the right direction.
Get a Jump on Summer Prep for Home and Garden
To get the job done, you’ll need the right mounting hardware and tools for the surface you’re attaching the hooks to. If you’re not sure what to use, ask a knowledgeable staff member at your local hardware store to point you in the right direction.
Get a Jump on Summer Prep for Home and Garden
3. Set up an outdoor creative zone for kids. Wish your kids would engage in more free-form outdoor play? Set them up for success by carving out a corner of the yard for creative explorations. Depending on your kids’ ages and interests, consider adding:
- Art easel with paper or a piece of Plexiglas (which can be painted on and hosed clean for reuse) and washable paints
- Sandbox with buckets, plastic shovels and toy animals
- Bin of assorted materials (wood, sticks, cloth) for building forts and other structures
- Outdoor reading area with a basket of books (bring this inside when not in use) and cushy outdoor pillows
- Small watering cans for helping in the garden
4. Pick strawberries. Strawberries are ripe for picking this month in many parts of the U.S. — and depending on where you live, blackberries and blueberries may be ripe as well. If you’re lucky enough to have a berry patch in your backyard, keep harvesting the sweet jewels as they become ripe. If you don’t have strawberries growing in your own garden, visiting a u-pick strawberry farm in your area makes a fun day trip, and you get to come home with tons of juicy berries!
If you’re still hoping to grow strawberries, look for plants at a local nursery. ‘Seascape’, the variety pictured here, is a go-to strawberry for home gardeners who experience hot summers, since these plants can tolerate extreme heat better than others. Plants reach about 12 inches tall and spread up to 2 feet wide, and they grow well in USDA zones 4 to 8.
8 Delicious Strawberry Varieties to Grow at Home
If you’re still hoping to grow strawberries, look for plants at a local nursery. ‘Seascape’, the variety pictured here, is a go-to strawberry for home gardeners who experience hot summers, since these plants can tolerate extreme heat better than others. Plants reach about 12 inches tall and spread up to 2 feet wide, and they grow well in USDA zones 4 to 8.
8 Delicious Strawberry Varieties to Grow at Home
5. Spruce up the guest room. If you’re expecting overnight guests this summer, take some time to get the guest room ready. It doesn’t take much to make your visitors feel welcome and comfortable — start by clearing out your own personal items, making the bed neatly and stocking the nightstand with essentials, like a reading light and box of tissues. If you want to add a little something extra, go for new coverlets and pillowcases. The sheets end up mostly hidden anyway, so focusing on the top layer will give you the most bang for your buck.
Tip: Need to make room for more guests? Squeezing a few twin beds (or even a bunk) into a single room can maximize sleeping space. If that’s not an option, consider keeping an air mattress on hand for those full-house situations.
The Cure for Houzz Envy: Guest Room Touches Anyone Can Do
Tip: Need to make room for more guests? Squeezing a few twin beds (or even a bunk) into a single room can maximize sleeping space. If that’s not an option, consider keeping an air mattress on hand for those full-house situations.
The Cure for Houzz Envy: Guest Room Touches Anyone Can Do
6. Watch a movie outdoors. A satisfying way to cap off a long, sunny day is with a movie screened in the great outdoors. Attend a movie night held in a local park; in one of the remaining drive-in theaters (if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby); or show a film in your own backyard.
To create your own backyard movie night setup, purchase or rent a digital projector, pick a flick and rig up a white sheet — or point it at a white exterior wall. Then invite your friends over, pop some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Make a Memorable Backyard Movie Night | Find outdoor projectors and screens
To create your own backyard movie night setup, purchase or rent a digital projector, pick a flick and rig up a white sheet — or point it at a white exterior wall. Then invite your friends over, pop some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Make a Memorable Backyard Movie Night | Find outdoor projectors and screens
7. Host a solstice party. Celebrate the longest day of the year (and the official start of summer) with a solstice party. Create a festive atmosphere by hanging string lights, lighting lanterns and gathering outdoors as the sun sets. And if you have a fire pit, this is the perfect opportunity to roast some s’mores.
Your turn: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
More
20 Ideas for Easygoing Summer Parties
How to Grow Strawberries
Find outdoor furniture and accessories
Your turn: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
More
20 Ideas for Easygoing Summer Parties
How to Grow Strawberries
Find outdoor furniture and accessories
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After just finishing a five page todo list for our new 1955 home, we’re going to spend our weekend at a friends lakeside home! Avoidance and procrastination is the theme for our first weekend of the summer!