What Are Your Fondest Memories of Summer As a Kid?

There were six kids in my family so there wasn't alot of money for extras. We didn't have hand held video games, high tech computers and such so we were left to entertain ourselves. In the summer time we could stay outside all day al long as we were in the house before the street lights came on. I often played with the other children in the neighborhood but for the most part, I couldn't wait to escape my siblings and head for the woods behind our house. There it was nice and quiet and I would sit for hours observing the wildflowers and wildlife that abounded in that small patch of woods. I grew to love the tiger lilies and wild sweetpeas, the many different colored buterflies and caterpillars too. I took my children to the woods behind the apartment we lived in and now that I am a grandmother, I take my grandchildren on nature hunts, observe the bugs, and bring home bugs, crayfish and flowers just like I did when I was young.

My favorite memory was when we had summer get togethers at my house. It was a time to talk to people you haven't seen in a long tiime. My dad would make hot dogs on the grill. His hot dogs were the best too, he makes them absolutely prfect. Then we would roast marshmellows on the bon-fire

We (4 children) were raised in foster home but everySummer we got to be together.
It was so great to see each other.

When I was a kid we used to visit our grandfather's farm on the country side during summer vacations. it was a great activity. We used to take bath in those large tube wells, run across the wheat and rice fields, and milk the cows (yes, my granparents taught me that). I am talking about the early 90s. There's a canal running through the village and we used to swim in it, stroll on its bank, and enjoy the eateries while sitting on the bridge. Those were the times :-(

When i was kid my umm had a boyfriend who took care of a house along the beach during the summers. We would go to this cabin style houise. we would bbq, swim, go on picnics, hike... his daughter and i would go around the "backyard" pick raspberries, lemons, and oranges and go to the creek right in the backyard and play around..then at night we would have bonefires, and we would sit on the porch swing , listen to andrea boccelli and just relax. I wish he and my mum would have been together longer so i could have appreciated this better as a teen and adult

When I was a kid, fireworks were still legal. The passing of this holiday made me think of the fun we used to have lighting sparklers and those dumb snakes - I can't remember all the names of the fireworks but I miss that fun for my kids! We'd spend all day outside since there weren't video games in every household, besides, how many hours can one play 'pong'? I remember playing tag and running so hard your face was red and out of breath. Riding bikes or skateboards down ridiculously steep hills and hitting the pavement and doing it again! Roller skating on any flat surface. Having sleep overs and daring each other to do "Bloody Mary" which no one could ever do! hahaha

I remember staying with my cousins for a week, and we always played hide-and-seek or played colored eggs or touch football or raced against each other.then my aunt and uncle would take us to get ice cream or snowballs.when i was home i would ride my bike to our stream or pick blackberries with my best friend. we would spend the night in her treehouse and be scare to death to go outside because we were afraid we would step on a snake.lol

We moved around a lot so it seemed almost every summer was spent with a different bunch of kids, each neighborhood having it's own brand of fun. But, summer was never summer without sparklers outside after dinner... contests to see who could write their name the fastest before the path of golden glow disappeared. Or the desperate need for popsicles on the back porch step, the winner of the game of the day getting first picks between the green, the red and the orange ones. Or the fireflies flickering amongst the sounds of night bugs. No matter where summer found our family, the fireflies were always there waiting for the nightly game of tag, or me, at my bedroom window long after I was supposed to be sleeping, watching them glitter in the dark hollows created by the trees. Nowadays, my favorite part of summer is watching my and all the kids in the cul de sac enjoy their summer memories in the making. Yep, sparklers, popsicles and fireflies!

I grew up as the only girl in a neighborhood full of boys, and couldn't have loved it any more. There was puddle jumping in the pouring rain, endless games of hide and seek, kick the can, and ghosts in the graveyard, hours upon hours spent trying to beat teenage mutant ninja turtles for nintendo, movie days that turned into movie nights that were filled with tons of candy, pillow fights and wrestling, games of "shark" and marco polo in my pool, picking wild blackberries off the neighbor's bushes, bike riding to the burger place down the street for lunch and fudgesicles, catching lightning bugs, talking on our front steps until our mothers called us in... I'll never forget those summers. One of my childhood freinds died four years ago this summer, at the age of 17, and on the day of his funeral, the neighborhood gang got back together and played one last game of hide and seek, for old times sake. If only we could go back to those days.

I enjoyed the summers I spent with my cousins & grandparents. I grew up in a rural area, so coming to visit them in a less rural area where there was an ice cream truck was a treat. I still remember eating ice cream sandwiches, sundaes on a stick, missle pops, fudgesicles, & other great treats. I also remember us running through the fields, riding horses & other lovely things during my childhood.

Two big events happen to children during Summer in the Philippines: school vacation and the lenten season. My most memorable was the one spent in the air men's village which opened up to a vast rice field. Come Holy Thursday and Good Friday, an uncle would bring my brother and I to the rice fields in search of the aromatic which emits its sandalwood scent only every Good Friday, Tenaciously, we would fork the thicket of shrubs and weeds, with a tree branch chosen for its sturdiness for it must also serve as a lethal weapon to scare or maim the green snakes,the rice field residents. This dangerous task belongs to my uncle, the leaderof the pack. The kids follow his trail, no wanderings to either left of right of his path. Good Friday is the year's hottest so by 12noon, we must be home, with the scented grass in our hands and pride in our hearts.

Yes, catching lightening bugs and putting them in a jar and letting them go later, wading in the creek, playing with the neighborhood kids, blackberry picking in the hills of Ky., running through the sprinkler, playing in the rain, climbing to the top of the three big rocks on top of our mountain, heart to heart girl talks on the hilltop cemetery, singing on the porch after twilight with my aunt and cousins.

Playing hide-and-seek with my cousins after dark (there were a lot of us) and going wading in the creek. Having nothing specific to do and lots of things I *could* do. Freedom from routines and responsibilities.

Spending lazy summer afternoons reading books in my tree fort.

Kool-Aid stands, Popsicles and running through the sprinkler.

I was an only child till 13 yrs of age and having sleep overs with my two cousins who were sisters was the best of times. My Dad told bedtime stories that he MADE UP and we always went somewhere fun such as an amusement park in town or horseback riding. Those were the days :)

Running through the sprinkler in my very stylish, green, one piece knit suit with the white fish swimming on it!
Running for the ice cream truck! Swinging and jumping off the rubber tire swing into Back Creek!

My favorite summer vacations were when I learned how to ride a bicycle. it was my frend's red new bicycle and I did all my work at home to get permission to go to my friend's house you know wash the dishes, sweep the floor... hahahah !!!

Swimming lessons in the morning, spending the day running through the sprinkler. Bike riding on our dusty gravel road and burying treasure in our back yard. Exploring with my trusty companion Snow. Softball games and ice cream.

My fondest summer memories were when I was about 11 or so. I would spend every dusk chasing and catching lightning bugs. I would always let them go, but there was just the feel of the challenge of hunting down the bugs by their last light-up and actually catching the little creatures in my hands.

Spending the whole day at the beach with friends swimming in the Arctic Ocean to beat the heat! We would have big bonfires, roast marshmallows and weiners, and just have fun!

I woud be smelling like Coppertone number four and eating tuna wth mayo at beach club with sand in the food and great ice tea from thermos the day just folding open like a blanet in the wind. It would be open and fun no plans just beach, pool, mom and friends. It was before days of camp and work and schedule. Pure bliss.

Getting up early and realizing there was no school and seeing my friend Suzanne across the street and we would get on our bikes and not say a word and ride to the creek and sit there watching the little fish and just smiling at each other and then just burst ou laughing because we could. 45 years later we are still good friends and sometimes we still don't have to talk.

Walks to my grandmother's house every morning for a muffin.

Afternoons and evenings swimming in our swimming hole - The Brook.
Swimming deep in those cool waters, looking up to see the sun ripple through the surface.

Roaming the shores of Nova Scotia looking for lost treasure.

Sitting in a tent made from a blanket spread over a picket from a fence with my dog beside me.

Climbing tall trees. Perched on a high branch, I'd watch the world unfold below me

Hiding from my dad when he came home drunk.
Cringing under my blankets when I heard him and mom argue

Laying in the damp grass and watching meteor showers streak the sky
with lines of white

Reading a book and dreading summer was half over

The never ending summer sleep overs with friends, riding our bikes all over the neighborhood where I grew up without a care in the world, swimming, camping, listening to music way too loud, etc... I was also in a baton & drum corps for several years, so summers were spent marching in parades in all the small towns in Ohio and Michigan, competing in state and national competitions, etc... Memories that will always stay with me!

Fish fries with the family on the weekend and riding my bike with my friends, hanging out with my cousins. Hide and go seek, catching lightning bugs, kick ball just so many things I can think of. I had so much fun when I was a little girl each summer...I will miss the fish fires the most I guess and my son will never experince them with my father like I did because he passed away before he could take his grandbaby fishing...I get to my tell my son of all the fun we had as kids and he knows his grandpa loved him.....

Summers remind me of picking fresh peaches and cherries from the backyard, seeing how far we could make it up the dry creek bed behind our house, running around barefoot and swimming, and taking trips up to Tahoe to jump in the lake...I plan on doing much of the same as an adult.

My favorite memories were summers spent on the shoreline of Westbrook, CT with my extended family & countless cousins, even a few lucky friends we tagged along... later on, we vacationed up in Lake Placid, NY at a boat-access only house which we swore was the most magical place on earth, truly found at the end of the rainbow....

Camping as a family were magical times when I was a kid.

My favourite memory was getting up at the crack of dawn to play house with my next door neighbour and swimming in my grandma's pool

My sister and I played softball every summer growing up (still do.) After each game my dad would take us to McDonald's for an ice cream cone. Then we would go to Cheny Lake (Anchorage, AK) and feed the ducks. It was so simple yet such a wonderful time to spend with our dad.

I have one special place to thank for all my wonderful summer childhood memories – Town and Country Farm School. It was a daycare on a huge farm that included a pool, all kinds of animals, arts and crafts building, gardens, dance classes, playing fields etc. My memories include building scarecrows for the gardens, learning how to dive at the pool, watching goats being born (gross, I know, but as a kid it was fascinating), catching lizards, making friendship bracelets …never a dull moment during those summers. Wish I could go back and play again…

Summers for me were spent at friends' pools or at the neighborhood pool near my house. I could spend hours swimming and splashing around. To this day, the smells of chlorine and Hawaiian Tropic are extremely nostalgic for me. Or if I wasn't swimming, I was playing jump rope or rollerblading with friends. Side note: never try to play basketball on rollerblades! That was a lesson that never quite seemed to stick with me as a kid...but it still remains one of my favorite summer memories. :)

My family's summer vacations were always really fun. We road-tripped from Ohio down to South Carolina or Florida every summer, and on the way we'd stop in the Smoky Mountains and visit all the tourist traps. Once we got to the beach, we spent all our time either playing in the sand, visiting water-parks, and playing mini-golf. Then when my brother and I got older, we'd play real golf, go jet-skiing, or scuba dive. My dad always worked and traveled a lot, so those weeks in the summer were some of the only time we'd get to spend with him all year, and we definitely packed our days full of cool stuff to do.

I used to live sitting on the front porch with my family, drinking iced tea and shelling peas or snapping green beans from our garden. Also loved playing hide and seek way past the time my mom was calling me in, when the last bit of light was about to leave the sky. And running through the sprinkler, chasing down the ice cream man, and riding my bike all over. Simple things, but so much fun.

Definitely roller skating with my best friend Kassy. We would do it for hours around our houses, blocks, parking lots, and next door to my mom's work. We would rotate between that and lemon baseball, where we would pitch lemons to each other from off of her mom's tree and hit them till they exploded, and then suck on the tart juice. And running through the sprinklers. Ah, the good ole days...