Silver Spring Cares Summer Kids Page

Time certainly flies when you’re having fun and summer is FUN! There are so many adventures to be had and vacations to take.  Speaking of vacations, August is an excellent month for that around here, many people leave and the city seems almost abandoned.  Take advantage! Read some ideas below on how to stay generous and giving! 

Cat/Dog Sitting Service 

As I mentioned before, lots of people go away in August for vacation.  Take advantage and make some money for yourself and for a good cause by pet sitting! There are plenty of cats that need to be fed and dogs that need to be fed and walked.

  1. Pick a charity you want to support – plan to donate some or all of your pet sitting earnings! 
  2. Make some flyers and post them around the neighborhood, put your service on list-serves and spread the word to family and friends.  It might be wise to put a price per walk/feed/visit to be clear to everyone. 
  3. Gather clients and take care of those adorable animals!
  4. PET SIT YOUR HEART OUT! 
  5. Count up your money and donate some of it to the charity of your choosing! 

Plant Watering 

Piggy-backing off the whole “people go on vacation in August” theme, you can also offer to water plants inside and out for people that might be away.  It’s basically feeding pets but instead of pets they’re plants and you’re watering them. 

  1. Pick a charity you want to support – plan to donate some or all of your watering earnings! 
  2. Make some flyers and post them around the neighborhood, put your service on list-serves and spread the word to family and friends.  It might be wise to put a price per watering visit/hour to be clear to everyone. 
  3. Gather clients and take care of those previous plants and gardens!
  4. Be sure to ask the grown-ups how often and what type of care the plants need. 
  5. WATER YOUR HEART OUT! 
  6. Count up your money and donate some of it to the charity of your choosing! 

Neighborhood Movie Night

Being outside comfortably is one of the best things about summer! Why no host a movie night for family and friends! You can do it as fancy or as simple as you like! You might want to ask a grown-up to borrow a projector and a DVD player. 

  1. Charge a flat rate per movie viewer! Pick a good price (under $5/person) and if you want, you can sell concessions like popcorn and candy and drinks for kids and adults! 
  2. Gather supplies for your movie night! A sheet for the projector to play the movie, pillows and blankets for people to sit on, etc. If you do decide to sell candy and popcorn, buy those and figure out how much you will charge for it! 
  3. You probably will just need to ask family ad friends for this one, not sure having strangers in your backyard is the best idea. 
  4. ENJOY THE MOVIE! Be sure to pick a family friendly one so that a variety of ages can enjoy! 

Ice Cream Sandwich Party

As I was reading the daily holidays, one caught my eye – NATIONAL ICE CREAM SANDWICH DAY! This is a thing? How can we capitalize on this amazing holiday I never knew existed.  Here’s how! Make your own ice cream sandwich party! It’s the best yet! FYI that Ice Cream Sandwich day is August 2nd! 

  1. Pick the local community organization you want to help. Make signs for your ice cream party explaining about the organization so people know all about it! 
  1. Advertise on flyers and list-serves and social media. Pick a price for each sandwich and have people come and make their own delicious creation! 
  2. Gather materials: ice cream sandwiches, freezers/coolers, sprinkles and other items you can put on the sides of the sandwiches (YUM!) 
  3. Have the event! Sell and make some delicious ice cream sandwiches! 
  4. Donate some or all of the proceeds to the charity of your choice! Cheers! 

Need some INSPIRATION? What sort of fun un-official holidays are coming up to get your creative juices flowing? Here’s a small list of the coming months!

July is: National Picnic Month & National Ice Cream Month

July 24th – Amelia Earhart Day

July 28th – Day of the Cowboy

July 30th – International Day of Friendship

August is: Family Fun Month & Peach Month

August 2nd – National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

August 4th – National Clown Day

August 5th – Sister’s Day

August 10th – National S’mores Day

August 17th – National Thriftshop Day

—————————
Send us your pictures and let us know how you served our community this month. We love hearing from you!


For more ideas, suggestions or to share your experience, email Heather@SilverSpringCares.org.