Its summer. Its hot. The kids are tired of the old garden sprinkler. We have tried dozens of activities for the kids and while we don't claim to be experts by any means, we love to by outside, especially in the summer and we want something fun but simple. Sooo to maintain our mom sanity during the summer we've found that WATER in many forms is a must. So read on for some of our favorite tried and true ways to keep the kids cool while playing in the great outdoors. Hope you and your kids like them as much as we do. Oh, and one more recommendation, next time you are at the grocery store hit the frozen food aisle and pick up a non alcoholic Bacardi mixer. Pop it in the blender with water and ice and enjoy a smooth treat while the kiddos play. You can thank us later.
Pop Bottle DIY Sprinkler
Take a 2 Liter bottle or other plastic bottle and poke holes in it with scissors and a knife. This should be an adults job for obvious reasons. Take it out and attach it to the end of the hose with some duct tape. Its just different enough from the boring old sprinkler that the kids will love it. More holes equal more water.
DIY Water Blob
These water blobs as they are called are all over Pinterest with varying levels of difficult instructions. We used duct tape and painters plastic to make smaller "blobs" so each child could have their own. Simple buy some plastic, fold it in half so all the sides match and duct tape well around the edges. Leave a small hole for the hose and fill it up with water. Cover the hole with tape and let the kids jump and play on it. You can make these as big or as small as you'd like.
Kiddie Pools For All Ages
Even if your child has outgrown the kiddie pool, which lets be honest we still stick our feet in them. You can still fill them up with ice, toys, small squirt guns, kitchen utensils, and/or any number of other objects to make it new and different and not just a pool of water. This time of year usually has some great sales on them too. So keep your eyes out.
Paint With Water
Stop by the painter aisle at your local hardware store or even at Walmart and pick up a few cheap paint rollers. Fill sand buckets or any other bucket with water and let the kids "paint" the driveway, sidewalk, or deck with water. It dries fairly quickly and results in no mess for you as it is just water, and the kids love it. Smaller children like the water and the roller, while older children can practice drawing shapes, letters, or anything else they wish.
Dollar Store Finds
Hit up the local dollar store for cheap pool toys, squirt guns, and giant water squirt swords and nearly anything else you can think of and then hit the local lake, splash pad, or pool. If and when the toys break you won't feel too bad about it as it was only a buck.
Water Balloon Fights
Walmart and the dollar store sell packs of 100 water balloons for 1.00. Stock up and every now and again fill them up for the kids to have water fights with you, dad, each other, or just to play with the balloons. We started doing it about once a week and ambush Dad when he walks in from work. It has become something fun we do that the kids really look forward to.
Trampoline Sprinklers
You probably remember doing this as a kid. Our only warning is to make sure that the kids are supervised well as trampolines are slippery when wet. Place a sprinkler underneath and let the kids bounce. As they jump down it creates a double splash that is fun.
Freeze It
Freeze colored water in plastic gloves, small toys in easter eggs or ice cube trays. Peel the gloves off and let the kids play with the hands while they melt. Place them in a small swimming pool or plastic tub full of kids toys and let the kids cool off. These make a fun addition to a sensory table while the ice melts.
DIY Fruity Pops
Popsicle molds can be found at almost any store this time of year. Target, Ikea, Walmart, Smiths, Dollar Store. You name it they have them. Pick them up for a few dollars and let the kids help you make their own popsicles. It can be as simple as freezing their favorite juices or lemonade. You can also freeze smoothies, shakes, root beer floats, strawberry milk, yogurt or the ones pictured below are coconut water with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries in them.
Bubble Blowing
Sometimes the old classics work best. Some days it is just too hot to be outside and its best to wait for the evening hours and cooler temperatures to head outside and have some fun. We have really liked the bubble bases that hold 3 wands at a time and let the kids blow bubbles on their own. You can refill when you like and it lets several kids (and/or) you play at once.
