by Emily Orr
School is nearly finished! That means the days will be longer and hotter, and leave much more time for outdoor play. Here are a few fun and easy activities to keep kids cool this summer.
- Make Sponge Bombs: A super easy way to keep kids cool and entertained is with sponges. Get colorful sponges from the dollar store and set up buckets of water around the yard. Prepare for a water war!
- For toddlers and those learning to develop motor skills, make a giant ice cube: In a deep 13×9 dish, freeze small toys and other fun items and dye with food coloring drops. Freeze for 12 hours! Then take it out of the freezer and let the kids have at it! The only rules to get the toys out is are careful of fingers! You can use utensils and other household items for them to hold.
- Make your own DIY Slip ‘n Slide: All you need is Extra Heavy Duty 6 mil Plastic Sheeting (can be found at any home improvement store) Fabric Pegs, a hose, and dish soap (for better sliding). Role out the sheeting on a relatively flat and smooth space (grass works best), secure with fabric pegs, and douse with water! The fun will go on for hours!
- Make a water obstacle course: Set up fun activities around the yard. Make a high jump with pool noodles, a shot put with the water sponges, play laser tag squirt guns or even get a kiddie pool with pool toys and see who can get them all out the fastest.
My fiance and I are thinking about getting outdoor blinds to make our backyard cooler. We want to look into more things that can cool down the backyard for our guests. The water obstacle course sounds like a really fun way to do this.