Bloggernacle Back Bench: A 'gazillion' ideas for summer fun

OK, maybe not a “gazillion.” Today’s column spotlights blogs that list hundreds, actually thousands, of fun ideas to make your summer an absolute blast.

Let’s get right into the “gazillion” part with Sassy Sites' “A ‘Gazillion' Summer Activities.” She includes many of her own ideas but has also done us the favor of sifting through Pinterest and other websites. There’s even a printable that assembles 101 ideas all on one sheet of paper. Don’t believe me? Check it out!

Speaking of clever ideas, here is a darling “Washi Tape Summer Journals Tutorial” that not only is cute, but can spark creative memory-taking or drawing all summer long.

Then I also appreciated this blog that outlines “Five Summertime Math Activities,” since summer isn’t all about letting your brain atrophy out of school. But even those these are educational, they are also cleverly fun.

Now say you have a teenager soon to go independently out into the world. Well you could be like this blogging parent, who is using summertime as a springboard for “Teaching Teens to Grocery Shop.” She explains, “At the store, I let her push the grocery cart, choose the food and fill the produce bags. It was fun to teach her how to choose a cantaloupe or an avocado. During this 45-minute trek, she started getting hungry and tired of this project. I led her to the bakery for a free cookie, then reminded her of all the times I had done the shopping for her. She has a new appreciation for me, but it is still a new and tedious experience for her. She actually thinks she is too young for this! I just smiled at that. If these teens can create PowerPoint presentations, drive cars and master an iPhone, surely they are old enough to plan menus and grocery shop.”

Unlike Sassy Sites, not every blogger is excited for the chaos of summer. I’ll let this comedic blogger have a say about the “10 Reasons I Hate Summer,” including “6. The late nights. I'm super old, people. I need my sleep. My kids? They turn into crazy vampire children in the summertime. They want to sleep all day and party like vampire rock stars all night long. By 10 p.m., I can hardly keep my eyes open, and if I go much past 11:30 p.m., I feel like I have a giant no-sleep hangover.” Click in to see if the commenters agree.

Finally, I discovered “A Mormon in Midtown” and loved her post “Announcing: ‘Top Ten Free Things to Do in New York’ Blog Series.” In this first installment, she summarizes one discovery: “The first was free concerts and events at the Julliard School. A-maz-ing! We went to 'Romeo and Julliard' one night (rivaled even Globe Theatre productions; no joke) and a senior dance concert the next. Exceptional talent, and I'm picky. And this is a regular occurrence. According to the calendar, there are multiple free events every night. Not unsurprisingly, I heard about the concerts from another Mormon.”

Now let’s find other sizzlin’ posts from the Bloggernacle world:

Power pick: After almost 10 years, on June 1, Rachel Bruner Decided to Step Down as About.com’s LDS guide. Wow, in this Internet day and age, 10 years might as well be a hundred. Congratulations for a wonderful run, Rachel. And here is part of her message to her readers: “I want to thank everyone who has visited this site and accessed its resources, for all the blog comments you've shared, all the emails I've received and for those who have subscribed to my newsletter and followed this site on Facebook and Twitter. It has been a true joy to share my passion and testimony about Christ's gospel and his restored church.”