You guys. It’s happening.
You know what we’re talking about. We made it…
Okanagan SUMMER is on the horizon!
We have officially entered that sweet spot where things are beautiful and green, warm enough to be playing outside in the sun but not so hot you burst into flames if you stay out too long.
And honestly this year, it could not have come soon enough. Our kids are D-O-N-E with inside games. Sure, finger painting and fort building was amazing! It was even still pretty fun the 12th time.
But the 57th time? Yeah, they’re over it.
The kids are finally EXCITED about being outside, instead of crying that they might freeze to death (they’re pretty dramatic). And you’re psyched because the house might stay clean for longer than 1.2734 seconds. HURRAY!
And the longer they play outside, the longer you can sip cider in your lounge chair. So lather everyone up in some SPF 200 and enjoy these 7 great water-themed ways to keep the kids occupied in the backyard (for a while).
1. Sprinkler Freeze Game
You Will Need: a sprinkler and hose, music, bathing suits (or not).
Have the music ON and the sprinkler OFF. The kids can dance around to the music until it stops and the sprinkler turns on - they must freeze in place and get wet (muwa ha ha ha). Anyone who moves is out! Turn the music back on and the sprinkler off to keep the game going.
It’s Great For: super hot afternoons when the kids really need to cool down
2. Sponge Races
You Will Need: 2 - 4 buckets (depending on how many play), sponges (any size works but bigger is more fun).
Place one bucket of water at one end of the yard and an empty bucket at the other end. How fast can the kids fill the empty bucket with water using only the sponges? If you have two or more kids, or feel like playing yourself (it’s actually pretty fun and totally qualifies as fitness), set up two sets of buckets and make it a competition!
It’s Great For: getting their energy out - all that running makes them tired!
3. Paint With Water
You Will Need: paintbrushes, a container of water.
We all love our kids but…sometimes painting with paint can be PAINTful (see what I did there, that’s a total Dad joke). Painting is super fun for kids but usually means super messy clean-up for parents (you know… paint on the table, the walls, the kids, in your hair somehow). Outside water painting is easy to set up and relatively mess free - paint the fence, paint the driveway, paint the house. The best part is their paint evaporates and they can start all over (also a bonus science lesson!)
It’s Great For: keeping the kids busy without the hassle of clean-up
4. Frozen Dino Excavation
You Will Need: plastic dinosaurs or other figurines, freezable containers, ‘tools’ for excavation.
Plan ahead for this one! The night before freeze a container of water with figurines submerged. Once frozen you can warm the outside of the containers slightly and ‘plop’ them out onto the pavement or the grass. Let them chip away to free their friends in their very own ice covered dino fossil field.
It’s Great For: kids who love science and the odd ‘concentration’ based game.
5. Homemade Water Table
You Will Need: a big bin, random assortment of cups, spoons, measuring cups, sponges, empty yogurt containers, etc.
You know the situation where sometimes kids prefer the box over the toy. Well, sometime random water vessels are more fun than an actual water table… especially if they have non-toys to play with. Fill the bin with water (it helps if you add some warm water), throw in the ‘vessels’ and let them play away! They will have tons of fun scooping water, splashing, making things sink, racing anything that floats. Play the “sink or float” game where you guess if something will sink or float - this qualifies as a science lesson!
Safety note: depending on how big your bin is, they may try and climb in. In our experience toddlers love to do things as dangerously as possible, for no reason, without warning, when you’re not looking, probably with something sharp in their mouths… like olympic diving headfirst into a moderately filled bin of water. Just watch them.
It’s Great For: keeping young kids occupied (for hours sometimes!)
6. Ice Cube Towers
You Will Need: ice cub trays and other sized containers, water, time, food colouring (optional).
Freeze ice in various sizes of cubes and blocks - use some ice cubes trays and some small square containers, even big containers if you have the freezer space. Add food colouring if that’s your jam. Once frozen, spill them all out in the yard and let them build and play - race ice cubes down the slide or see who can build the tallest ice tower. The possibilities are endless… until the ice melts.
It’s Great For: being inventive and creative!
7. Child Labour
You Will Need: buckets, sponges, soap, a hose, humans under the age of 12, megaphone (optional).
Who doesn’t have some fond childhood memories of helping Mom or Dad wash the car? Kid’s are especially great for washing the tires or the bumper or anything else under the 4 foot mark - which means less bending down for you! If your kids are old enough, you can sit back and ‘manage’ the car wash whilst shouting instructions. If the kids are younger, you may have to help but it’s still mostly free labour, so win right?
It’s Great For: feeling like you’re getting something done while also keeping the kids busy.
