Backyard Activities to Beat-the-Heat

Everyone knows that the summer is hot, hot, hot, so it’s the best time to find ways to stay cool. Try these backyard activities to beat the heat with fun treats and games for kids while cooling off and having fun.

Freeze Pop Sabers – You can use these felt cozies to enjoy ice pops while keeping your hands unfrozen! For each ice pop, cut a 3-inch by 4-inch rectangle of gray felt and fold it over the treat. Use fabric glue to seal all of the edges, except the top, and clamp it closed, if needed. After that, slip it off the pop, and decorate it into a lightsaber, using glue on stripes and dots of black and colored felt. After the pops are frozen and the glue is dry, your kids are ready to enjoy a Star Wars-themed treat while staying nice and cool.

Frozen Yogurt Coins – Make a kid-friendly snack frozen in a flash and keep kids happy in the process. Spoon some of your children’s favorite yogurt into a ziplock bag and seal it shut. Then, snip off a corner and pipe quarter-sized dots of yogurt onto a piece of a parchment-lined cookie sheet. After that, you can add fresh fruit such as strawberries or blueberries on top of the yogurt dots. These fruits can be whole or sliced, depending on your child’s preferences. Freeze the coins for about 30 minutes, until they are firm, and then serve them to the kids. Be sure to eat them immediately, because they do melt fast. Now, kids can have a healthy snack to cool them off during a fun day of play.

Bottle Blaster – Turn a 2-liter bottle of soda into a fountain of misty spray to keep your kids refreshed. You’ll need a 2- liter bottle, a 3/4-inch female by 3/4 -inch female swivel hose adapter, and some rubber hose washers. Using a pushpin, poke eight holes on one side of the plastic 2-liter bottle and widen each hole with a bamboo skewer. Use the hose adapter to thread onto the bottle and onto the hose. Then, insert the hose washers and put one in the bottle side of the adapter to minimize leaks. Carefully screw the adapter onto the bottle and tighten it. Note that the threads may not match perfectly. After that, attach the hose and turn on the water. Then your kids can enjoy a misty fountain in their own backyard. Safety note: Make sure to check all connections for tightness periodically so that the bottle doesn’t come loose from the hose and hurt someone.  

The Cup Runneth Over Kids – are sure to have a good time with this fun game. Split the group up into teams of two. One player on each team is given a water squitter filled with water. The other player is given a plastic cup with a ping-pong ball inside. From 6 six feet away, the player with the squitter attempts to fill the other player’s cup with water so that the ping pong ball falls out. Kids are sure to get soaked with this game. Be sure to have a bucket of water to refill for multiple rounds of fun.  

Jump Rope Cup – This innovation takes the classic game of jumping rope and gives it a soaking twist. Give each player a cup full of water that they can easily carry. Then, on each player’s turn, they must jump rope 10 times while holding the cup in their hands. After everyone is done, the player with the most water left in their cup is the winner. This is an easy way for kids to get wet.  

Freezy Tees Contest – This game is a get-dressed-fast contest with something extra. Before the game begins, preparations need to be made. For each contestant, soak a T-shirt in water, wring it out, and fold it. Then, stack each shirt on a baking sheet, with a piece of wax paper between each one, and freeze them. When they’re stiff, distribute one to each contestant. Then, each must race to get their T-shirt on as quickly as possible. The first one to do so is the winner.  

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities

Stay cool and enjoy!

Related crafts: Jellyfish in a Bottle, July 4th Remembrance America’s Birthday and Cosmic Slime Art & Crafts.