We’re on to the latter half of summer vacation– as heralded by the full rows of school supplies showing up in stores and back-to-school ads in all the various media forms. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with those last few weeks of summer! For many military families, funds are not aplenty, but the kids still need things to do. These ideas will solve one problem, without creating another. End of summer fun at home. The best part – you probably have these items already. No shopping involved, just fun!
Slip and Slide
No need to purchase the fancy slip and slide. If you have plastic sheeting (or several shower curtains – you know, from when you had a house that required them, but now you live in a home with shower doors), landscape anchors, dish soap, and a hose – you are set.
Lay out the plastic sheeting across a flat space or going downhill. Once the sheeting is laid out, push the landscape anchors through the sheeting. Make sure to push the anchors down flat to no arms or legs are injured on the slide. Get the hose wet with dish soap or baby soap and spray with water – viola! If you don’t have plastic sheeting or shower curtains, plastic bags work but won’t hold up to anchoring, so be prepared to lay them out multiple times. But it will be fun to slide down!
Sidewalk Chalk Paint
If you have a muffin tin, paintbrushes or sponges, cornstarch, and food coloring, then you are all set. Mix equal parts cornstarch and water and whisk to combine. Divide this mixture into the muffin tin so you can separate it by color. Add the desired color to the mixture in the muffin tin. Give the kids sponges or paintbrushes and go to town on the sidewalk or driveway. All that is needed for paint removal is a hose. It is that simple.
Go for it- create art for the neighborhood!
Cloud Dough
Another simple DIY with two ingredients at home – corn starch and scented conditioner. You can use any conditioner you have on hand. Perhaps that conditioner you got with a coupon is just sitting there because no one is going to use it – this is your chance. Combine 2 cups of cornstarch with 1 cup of conditioner. Mix together the mixture – this will require using your hands and getting a little messy. Once the dough is together, add it to a sealable plastic bag so you can knead it, and it will be less messy. If you want to add coloring, add food coloring into the plastic bag and knead it through. This is a fun way to play, and you can make as many colors as you want!
Popsicle Puzzle
Have popsicles or craft sticks? This one is perfect! Collect a few popsicle sticks and line them up together, forming a square or rectangle. Once lined up, draw a design on them. Perhaps a scene from your favorite summer outing or a funny joke. Once the drawing is complete, mix up the sticks and put them together like a puzzle!
Make it a group challenge by passing up the mixed up sticks to the family member or friend to your right. Once they complete the puzzle, they mix it up and pass it to the person on their right and so on.
The summer season may be going by quickly, so take advantage of those long summer nights to enjoy some fun utilizing things you have at home.
