I have been seeing a lot of my family and friend photos on Instagram and Facebook about their children’s first days of school. Yikes! It seems so soon! Happily, our kids still have 2 weeks left of summer. And I need to take in every last second of it!

To help me with this, I’ve partnered up with Odwalla Smoothies for Kids, becoming the Play ambassador for their Goodness Grove community over at BlogFrog. This community is a great place to ask questions all about kids and healthy living. And today I’ve been enlisted to come with up with ways to help get our kids active and play. And I’m all about playtime.

Here are 5 activities to get in some extra summer fun before (or while) school starts!

1. Take one more trip to the beach: We love the beach. But really, who doesn’t? This last time we went to the beach, I made it a point to really dive in with the kids. I’ve found if I can help out by starting them off with a sand castle or a giant volcano mound, they will be set for hours of fun in the sun.

2. Head to the mountains: Take a family day trip, or even an overnight camping trip, and head out for a family hike. Hiking can bring about so many fun conversations when you’re deep in the woods on a windy path. Follow these 10 tips and you’re all set for an adventure!

3. Make a batch of bubbles: I think bubbles are one of those toys that my kids can play with for days. Whether you buy the spill safe containers, which I love, or make your own bubbles, get blowing some fabulous bubbles in the backyard.

4. Giant life-sized spider web: All you need for this activity is a ball of cheap $2 yarn and a few patio chairs. We’ve even used our fence and one of our rose bushes to make it all across our yard. Half the fun is in making a giant web and the other half is being the “spider” once the web is complete. Give the kids tasks as they climb through the web: don’t touch the string, carry a stuffed animal through, only climb under all the yarn.

5. Have a bike parade: With a little tape and a roll of streamers, you’re set to look fancy for a neighborhood bike parade. Call over a few friends, make it a party as you craft up your bikes, and then find a loop or a park you can show off your stuff.

And obviously Odwalla would love for you to remember their kid-friendly smoothies when you’re out and about with the kids, found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store. It’s a sweet and healthy treat when you’re on the go! Here’s a little more about Odwalla Smoothies for Kids:

• Each of the new smoothies contains 100% juice and counts as one service of fruit
• They also contain 50% Daily Value of vitamin C
• Gluten free and made with no added sugar
• The new line of lunchbox-suitable, not-from-concentrate smoothies
• Odwalla Smoothies for Kids comes in three kid-friendly flavors such as Strawberry Banana Jungle™, Mango Pineapple Island™ and Grape Berry Prairie™.
• While Odwalla Smoothies for Kids has no sugar added, keep in mind that each box contains 110-120 calories, and thus is not a reduced calorie food
• For full nutritional information, including sugar content, click here
• Each Odwalla Smoothies for Kids box contains one serving of fruit. This is a great start to incorporating fruit into the diet – just remember that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend the majority of your daily fruit intake comes from whole fruit.

Please reply with some of your fun tips for giving your kids a good start and be entered to win a $200 gift card. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Odwalla has asked me to be a Good Mom ambassador through BlogFrog.  I am being compensated for my participation in the program but all opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Odwalla or The Coca-Cola Company.