150 Canadian Summer Bucket List Ideas

It’s officially summer now, and soon classes will be letting out. Here are 150 ideas to add to your summer bucket list. There is a wide variety of ideas for all age and ability levels, and many of these are appropriate whether you’re making a summer bucket list for your family, or on your own. How many of these fantastic summer adventures will you check off your own Canadian summer bucket list?

150 Canadian Summer Bucket List Ideas

150 Canadian Summer Bucket List Ideas #Canada150

      1. Have a Bonfire

      2. Swim in the ocean

        Make sure to slap on some sunscreen for all your water sport fun, to keep from getting uncomfortable and dangerous burns from the suns rays. Here are my favourite natural sunscreens.
        ocean swimming beach

      3. Swim in a lake

      4. Swim in a river

      5. Take a hike

        You can find the Canada Trails website here, and check out a list of 60 awesome hikes in Canada here.

      6. Search for Geocaches

        Read more about these real-life treasure hunts here.
        things to do outside geocaching

      7. Place Your Own Geocache

        Want to add one of your own to the list of registered caches? Find instructions here.

      8. Watch for Whales

        Head to one of our oceans and get yourself on a whale watching tour.

      9. Go Fishing

      10. Eat From a Food Truck

      11. Shop at an Artisan or Farmer’s Market


      12. Find a New Playground

        This is a fantastic app for finding all the playgrounds near you when you’re out of your element anywhere in the world.

      13. Attend a Music Festival

      14. Watch an Outdoor Movie

        Are there any playing in a city or town park near you?

      15. Go To A Drive-In Movie

        Here’s a master list made in 2016 of all the drive-in movie theatres in Canada.

      16. Go Camping

        Hesitant to camp with a toddler? Here are some tips from our personal experience.
        camping canadian summer bucket list

      17. Camp In The Backyard

      18. Go On a Roadtrip

        Canada’s Rocky Mountains make for a breathtaking summer road trip I remember dearly from my own childhood.

      19. Swim and Slide at a Water Park

        Here are Canada’s 10 best water parks to get you started.

      20. Splash at a Splash Park

        These neat parks where you can spray water and splash through sprinklers, wading pools, and other shallow water features are also called spray pads, splash pads, and spray parks. Search for one near you.
        dsc_0876

      21. Go To A Fair or Amusement Park

        Check out Canada’s top 10 amusement parks here.

      22. Grow Something

        Whether you have acres, a small garden bed, a few planters on the patio, or some small pots on your window sill, you can grow something pretty or tasty (or both).

      23. Pick Berries

        Raspberries, blueberries, huckleberries, mountain huckleberries, strawberries, blackberries, salmon berries, thimble berries, saskatoon berries… Canada is ripe with berries in the summer time.

      24. Make Jam

        Here is the most simple way to make blackberry jam, that doesn’t require special canning equipment.

      25. Bake a Pie

        Save yourself the hassle and buy a quick-mix pack for the crust, but invest the extra time on a lattice top. You’ll feel pretty proud of the pretty pie.

      26. Build a Fort

        stick fort canadian summer bucket list

        You can make lots of different types of forts using blankets, tarps, lumber, sticks, and whatever else you can find. Here are some useful instructions for building a stick fort in the woods, if you want to get more technical than leaning up some sticks against a tree.

      27. Host a Potluck

        Have a summer picnic or BBQ celebration in your yard or a park, and invite everyone to bring a dish to contribute.

      28. Watch The Clouds

      29. Build a Fairy Garden

        Bring the magic of Salt Spring Island’s Mt Erskine and Fairy Landing to your own backyard.
        fairy garden canadian summer bucket list

      30. Have a Sing-Along

        Whether you’re at the beach or around a campfire, sing-alongs make my heart feel happy. If you or someone with you plays guitar, ukulele, or another instrument, great. But sing-alongs are still fun a cappella. (Read this for an easy way to teach yourself to play guitar or ukulele.)

      31. Go On A Picnic

      32. Have a Staycation

        Play tourist in your own town and see what your part of the world has to offer.

      33. Build a Sand Castle

      34. Go Canoeing

      35. Go Kayaking

      36. Go Paddle Boarding
        paddleboarding with kids

      37. Have a Water Fight

      38. Drive Go-Carts

      39. Go Paint-balling

      40. Ride a Gondola

        Here is a list of all the gondolas in Canada here and aerial tramways in Canada here.

      41. Play Street or Field Hockey

        What’s more Canadian than a good ol’ hockey game?

      42. Relax on an Island

        East Coast or West Coast, island life is a little bit slower. Here are some fun things for families to do when visiting Salt Spring Island in the Gulf Islands.

      43. Make a Bow & Arrow

        The most simple way is to tie a string tight to both ends of a straight, bendy stick, and use pine cones or twigs as arrows.

      44. Paint Stones

        Find some rocks and paint them. To create little treasures for others to find, hide them along a trail or in an outdoor play space.

      45. Watch for Wildlife
         . . #itsthedeerouthere #saltspringisland #saltspringdeer #pnwwildlife #pnwwonderland #deer #onthelawn #backyardbabies #canadianwildlife #ilovebc #ilovecanada #fawn #mamalove #motherhoodrising #mamadeer #wildlifephotography #ohdeer #summerbabies #spotted #babydeer

        Keep an eye out while on road trips, hikes, and camping adventures for some of Canada’s plentiful wildlife, like bears, beavers, deer, eagles, moose, rabbits, mountain goats, and so much more.

      46. Fly a Kite

      47. Go Skinny Dipping


      48. Tube Down a River

      49. Grow a Sunflower House

      50. Plant a Vine Teepee
      51. Read a Book

        One you actually want to read for fun.

      52. Go On a StoryWalk®

        Check if your local library puts on any of these neat literature walks that motivate your children along a trail. If not, here is how to get one in your community.

      53. Take an Outdoor Yoga Class

        Or if you want to do yoga on your own with your little ones, read this post on yoga tips and tools for kids.

      54. Start a Meet-Up

        There’s not a group with your interests that gets together in your community? Start one!

      55. Build a Toy Boat & Sail It

      56. Learn To Tie Knots

        Find some advice on this and other outdoor learning here.

      57. Run Through & Lay In a Field
        DSC_0039

      58. Gaze at the Stars

      59. Take a Train Trip

        Find out more about the different Canadian train trips here.

      60. Fly On a Canadian Helicopter Tour

      61. Put Together an Obstacle Course

        Not wanting to make one up yourself with what you have around? Order this splash obstacle course on Amazon here (Affiliate link).

      62. Leave Random Kindness Notes

      63. Set Up a Lemonade Stand

      64. Have a Yard Sale

      65. Go On a Scavenger Hunt

        Get instructions to make up your own nature scavenger hunt here.

      66. Start An Ant Farm

      67. Start a Worm Farm

      68. Make a Daisy Chain

        daisy crown

      69. Build a Wind Chime

      70. Make a Sun-Dial

      71. Watch a Parade

      72. Volunteer

        What’s important to you? Contribute to your passions or your community and see what volunteer options are out there.

      73. Play Disc Golf

        Find free disc golf courses in Canada here.
        things to do outside disc golfing

      74. Play Tennis

      75. Play Golf

      76. Visit a Tree-Top Adventure

        Find a zip-line park in your province here.

      77. Go Horseback Riding

      78. Plant a Tree

      79. Plant Flowers

        Make sure they are bee-friendly plants, grown without dangerous neonicotinoids that do more harm than good.

      80. Ride a Bike

      81. Join a Photography Club

      82. Find a Waterfall

        Here is a list of the waterfalls in Canada.

      83. Go on a Winery Tour

        Wine Tasting Lessons Learned in West Kelowna, Okanagan, BCRead my experience and what I learned on my first winery tour here.

      84. Make Popsicles

        Check out this recipe for healthy protein popsicles.

      85. Play Bocce

      86. Play Horseshoes

      87. Go Beach-combing

      88.  Visit a Farm
        visit a farm canadian summer bucket list

      89. Build a Birdhouse

      90. Explore a Cave

        Here is a list of caves in Canada.

      91. Attend a Sporting Event

        Baseball? Soccer? Lacross? Even if you don’t follow a sport, it can be fun to go out and cheer for your local team.

      92. Blow Bubbles

        Get a giant bubble recipe here.

      93. Play Capture the Flag

      94. Walk on a Slack Line

        Order one on Amazon here. (Affiliate link)

      95. Visit a Corn Maze or Labyrinth

      96. Jump Through a Sprinkler

      97. Make Duck Calls with Grass

      98. Go Bird Watching in Canada

      99. Climb a Tree

      100. Make Smores

      101. Weave a Basket

      102. Pick a Wildflower Bouquet for Someone

        Be careful about where and what you pick. Don’t pick endangered species or anything out of park lands.
        Inspiration for Taking Time to Get Outside with Children

      103. Make a Stepping Stone

        Personalize your garden or make a gift for someone special. If you line the concrete with heavy-duty plastic wrap, little hand and foot prints could be made for each year. DIY instructions for stepping stones here.

      104. Enjoy Cabin Life

        Head up to the family cottage on a lake, make friends with someone who has a cabin along the coast, or rent one for yourself.

      105. Paint with Natural Paint Brushes

        Find more details in this post on Autumn fun activities.

      106. Watch Fireworks

        You can usually find fireworks on Canada Day, or at these other popular fireworks festivals in Canada.

      107. Make a Plant ID Journal

        Get to know the plants in your ecosystems and create a journal to keep notes and examples of local flora.

      108. Check Out a Viewpoint

        Climb a mountain or take a drive, and find a beautiful view. Find some of Canada’s most scenic drives and viewpoints here.

      109. Collect Loose Materials

        Wander outside and collect natural materials for loose parts play and transient art.

      110. Send a Message In a Bottle

      111. Make a Map

        Learn some simple mapping skills and map a route you travel.

      112. DIY a Water Discovery Wall

      113. Build a Sandbox

        Use a kiddie pool or a small tent for an easy version.

      114. Take a Balloon Ride

        Here is a list of hot air balloon operators in Canada.

      115. Host a Pancake Breakfast

      116. Go Boating

        Buy, rent, or borrow for adventures on the water, fishing, swimming and taking in the views.
        sunset on the boat canadian summer bucket list

      117. Visit a National Park

      118. Check Out One of The Seven Wonders of Canada

      119. Take a Multi-Day Trail Trek

      120. Visit a Brewery

        Canada is known for it’s beer, so we couldn’t leave this off the Canadian Summer Bucket List. Hang out on an outdoor patio at one of the many entertaining Canadian breweries.

      121. Soak in Some Hot Springs

        Here’s a list of hot springs in Canada.

      122. Pan for Gold

        There are many locations to pan for gold across Canada. Here are some instructions on gold panning.

      123. Draw or Write in the Sand

      124. Blaze a Trail

        If you own a bit of property, take some snippers and make a new trail to walk.

      125. Build a Portable Sauna

        Otherwise known as a sweat lodge or steam tent. DIY instructions here.

      126. Carve or Whittle

      127. Hang in a Hammock
        hammock bare feet

      128. Make a Slingshot

      129. Set off a Bottle Rocket

      130. Make Potions and Perfumes

      131. Paint with Dandelions

        Pick dandelions (which are often considered weeds) and rub them on paper, cardboard, or even your own skin.

      132. Place Rock Designs

        Make temporary art with rocks placed just ever so.
        rock design canadian summer bucket list

      133. Build Balancing Rock Towers

        It’s a task of patience, steadiness, and physics.

      134. Set Out a Bee Watering Station

        All you need is a bowl with water and marbles. Watch this easy DIY that helps the bees here.

      135. Spray Water Colours

        An old sheet or some large paper, and a spray bottle with water colour paints (or even water with food dye) makes for some interesting art experiences.

      136. Make Dandelion Wishes
        dandelion wishes Canadian summer bucket list

      137. Press Flowers

      138. Set Up a Mud Kitchen

      139. Hang a Zip Line

        You can hang your own zip line in your back yard with this kit from Amazon (affiliate link).

      140. Get Buried in Sand

        Extra bucket list points if it’s creatively done, so you look like a mermaid or something else neat.
        Bury me! . . #summerfun2016 #childhooddays #childhoodunplugged #pnwkids #outdoorkids #letthembelittle #buryme #sandy #atthebeach #gettingdirty #livelifehappy #inthesand #childhood #summerfun

      141. Go Rock Climbing

        Check out this information on rock climbing and bouldering in Canada.

      142. Feed Ducks

        Don’t feed ducks bread crumbs, though, as it actually hurts their stomachs. Learn more and find some duck-friendly nibbles here.

      143. Paint with Water

        When it’s dry and sunny out, you can “paint” with just water and paint brushes, watching it disappear as it dries.

      144. Make a Rock Garden

        If you have a little one who likes to collect rocks wherever they go, this is not only easy but a useful way of displaying the kept rocks.

      145. Make a Driftwood Sculpture

      146. Go Diving

        Get certified and see some amazing underwater sights. Check out the best dive sites in Canada here.
        Bestbuy.ca

      147. Make a Light Show with Phosphorescence

        If you hit the coastal waters in the right place at the right time, you can experience stunning bioluminescence when plankton in the dark waters are agitated.

      148. Make a Flower Petal Sensory Bin

        Take this Canadian summer bucket list idea and make a real summer bucket. Roses and lavender work especially well and have beautiful fragrances to enjoy, as well.

      149. Find a Sit Spot

        Remember Pooh’s thoughtful spot? Find a quiet place of your own to go sit, reflect, and just be. This is a great practice for children.

      150. Forage for Edible Plants

        Be careful and make sure you know for sure what you’re harvesting as there are poisonous plants out there that can make you very sick or worse. That being said, here is a list of 15 edible plants in Canada. Look around for a foraging class near you to learn proper identification of local species.

 

What did I miss? I know I left plenty out of this Canadian summer bucket list. Leave me a comment below or on social media to let me know what you would add to your own summer bucket list, whether or not your in Canada.

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3 thoughts on “150 Canadian Summer Bucket List Ideas

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