The rest of the world has New Year’s resolutions. We Northwesterners have summer resolutions. We start summer so very ambitiously, making up lists of camping trips, cabin trips, day trips, must-do parks, picnic sites and playgrounds. Then reality sets in: We haven’t booked the campsites in time. Or it’s mid-August and the sun hasn’t shone yet. Or the nap schedule isn’t cooperating.

So let’s talk mini-adventures instead — relatively brief family outings with an agenda that’s fit for small fry. With ideas from our staff and local writers, we put together a glossary of mini-adventures for the summer of 2012. (P.S. We’d love to add your favorite to the list: Post it online or email it to emurray@parentmap.com.)

Outdoor art. Mix art and the outdoors with a trip to the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park, which plans creative programs throughout the summer. This summer, the park is likely to once again host regular drawing sessions in the park for kids and adults, and kid-friendly evenings with food-truck eats, music and front-row seating for sunset over the Sound. 

Boeing factory tour. An excellent cloudy-day option that’s available seven days a week, the 90-minute tour of Boeing’s production line in Everett — the only public tour of its kind in North America — gives a bird’s-eye view of commercial jets in various stages of assembly and testing. At the Future of Flight Aviation Center, your kids can digitally design an airplane and print out their schematic to take home. Make reservations at futureofflight.org.

Camp Long. Camp without leaving Seattle or pitching a tent! Located deep in a forest in West Seattle, Camp Long is our only in-city campground, with 10 large and rustic cabins to book, ranger programs, a climbing rock, and an abundance of hiking and exploring opportunities for overnighters and day-trippers alike. Book now for overnights.

Discovery Pond/Tacoma Nature Center. The Tacoma Nature Center, a 70-acre wetland habitat in the heart of the city, has a new addition: a natural play area that includes a tree house, boulder scramble, snag climb and a slide built inside a log. You can also “do a quick, kid-friendly hike around Snake Lake and see wild turtles sunning themselves in the heart of the city,” says ParentMap writer and Tacoma mom Malia Jacobson.

Farm boat. For free summer fun, it’s hard to beat a farmers’ market — now imagine one held on a steamship. That would be the Lake Union Park Floating Market, held aboard the historic Victoria V on Thursdays. Have a picnic lunch on the boat, and then visit the other gems at Lake Union Park, including the model-boat pond, the Center for Wooden Boats, bridges and walking paths.

Geocaching. Think of it as an outdoor treasure hunt organized by someone else, which will get your family exploring your neighborhood anew. Simply check geocaching.com for treasures cached near you, grab your GPS and start ahunting.

Horses. And pigs, ponies, sheep, chickens, rabbits and goats. Spend some time with the farm animals at two city-owned farm parks on the Eastside: Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue and Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park in Redmond. Visits are free, and each park also has hiking trails, farm classes and other amenities, including an excellent playground (Kelsey) and riding classes (Farrel-McWhirter).

Ice cream. The gourmet ice creameries are everywhere — and we couldn’t be happier. Go to the newish Full Tilt in Ballard for a cone, and then walk to Ballard Commons Park for wading and gawking at skateboarders. Take the ferry to Bainbridge Island for a stroll to town and a dish at Mora. Drop in at one of Bluebird Microcreamery’s three locations and indulge in a scoop of Elysian Stout ice cream while your kids nosh on Olympia marionberry.

Jetty Island. Who needs Ocean Shores when you’ve got Everett? Located just five minutes via free ferry from the waterfront, Jetty Island features more than two miles of sandy beach — one of the few on Puget Sound — and warm, shallow water that’s perfect for wading. The ferry only runs in the summer; if you’re with a large group, you can book online. 

Light rail. Ride the Seattle rails! Your kids can practice navigating public transit, and it’s easy to hop off to explore ’hoods like the International District (Uwajimaya!), SoDo (Macrina!) and Columbia City (Tutta Bella! Columbia City Bakery!). Want tips? Check out Seattle travel blogger Debbie Dubrow’s detailed guide to light rail with kids at deliciousbaby.com.

Mercer Slough. Pick blueberries, watch birds, canoe, take a class, go on a guided nature walk or just observe it all from a tree house. These are a few of the mini-adventures available at magnificent Mercer Slough, the largest remaining wetland on Lake Washington.

Playground by the Sound. In an area rich with top-notch playgrounds, this new oceanfront playground at University Place in Tacoma stands out. Opened in September 2011, it was community driven, designed and built, with hundreds of local schoolchildren participating in the design. Plus, you can’t beat the sweeping views of Puget Sound.

Rainier Beach Urban Farm. Launched in October 2011, this former nursery has been reimagined as a community farm dedicated to teaching people how to grow food in the city. This summer, look for Seattle Tilth’s new Farm Camps, garden classes for adults, and opportunities to tour and volunteer.

Spray parks. Summer in the Sound means water play, sunny weather or not. Visit the renowned Rotary Spray Park at Les Gove Park in Auburn, which features water cannons, overhead fountains and views of Mount Rainier; the Northwest-themed Crossroads Park in Bellevue; or the newly completed spray park at Wright Park in northeast Tacoma, which also boasts a new playground.

Tidepools. On days with unusually low tides — called minus tides — volunteer beach naturalists are at many Sound beaches to help families like yours understand and explore the richness of intertidal marine life: sea stars, anemones, moon snails and more. Check seattleaquarium.org for specifics.

Urban foraging. Ditch the drive to a farm and head to a local park to pick not just blackberries, but thimbleberries, salmonberries, huckleberries, to name just a few. (A recent study of foraging in Seattle found that people were gathering 250 different edible species.) Search Google to see if your local park has been mapped for best foraging spots.

Vegetables. Hoping to break ground on a family garden this year? Download plans for a simple 4–by-4-foot children’s garden from local mom/farmer/writer Annette Cottrell’s website, sustainableeats.com, or check out the myriad resources at Seattle Tilth.

Water taxi. The King County Water Taxi from downtown to West Seattle is high on the thrill-per-dollar charts. The brief ride on the 77-foot catamaran — $3.50 adults, and free for kids 5 and younger — gets you phenomenal views and maybe even a close-up of sea lions. You can bus or bike to Alki after disembarking, or, as recommended by Seattle blogger Carla Saulter, poke around at Seacrest Park, which boasts a miniature rock beach, a chance to watch scuba divers and nearby fish-and-chips grub.

Zoo. Make this the summer when you take the short trip to Issaquah to explore the less overwhelming “other zoo”: Cougar Mountain Zoo. Specializing in endangered species, it houses residents of 10 “animal worlds” — including cranes, cougars, lemurs, wallabies and alpacas — and offers the chance to hand-feed residents.

Elisa Murray is ParentMap’s Out + About editor, the mom of a 2-year-old and the author of a far-too-ambitious annual summer wish list.