As the final weeks of summer break wind down, the weather continues to heat up and Mom and Dad’s patience draws thin, it seems like a great time to research new outdoor activities for the kids to enjoy during these remaining long days. If you’re beginning to think you’ve exhausted all your boredom busters and you don’t have another vacation planned before school starts, it’s time to employ one of these fun outdoor ideas. For even more, log on to the Cheap Summer Fun board on Pinterest.

Keep cool

While heading off to your favorite swimming hole or splash pad for the afternoon is the most popular way of staying cool during the summer heat, packing up all the floaties, sunscreen and energy-filled kids might not always be feasible. On days when you just want the kids to spend time in your backyard, try some of these water-filled activities to keep them happy. Have the kids play a round of Water Balloon Baseball where they must hit a water balloon with a wiffle bat, run through three bases featuring some sort of water activity — kiddie pool, sprinkler, squirt gun obstacle course — and then must slide into Home Plate on a Slip ‘n’ Slide. A competitive water balloon fight is always fun on a hot day. 

Create your own … 

Do your kids love miniature golf? How about bowling? Laser tag and pinball games? All those fun activities you enjoy at the local family fun centers are also easily recreated with a fun unique twist in your own backyard. Who says you can’t create your own mini golf obstacle course? Grab some colored chalk, spray paint, old playground toys and anything else you find that could be used and create your own course all around your yard. Start with some chalk-drawn holes on the driveway and then progress to a “windmill” using old hockey sticks and the plastic playhouse no one uses any more. Use that same chalk on the driveway along with some old 2-liter soda bottles to create a fun bowling alley. Cardboard boxes and spray paint can be used to create a great obstacle course for a rousing game of tag. 

Rainy day fun

With some rain predicted in the near future, there are sure to be days when your kids may think their outdoors fun is halted. Don’t let a few raindrops keep your kids from enjoying the warm summer showers. Instead have your children pull out their galoshes and embrace the much-needed rain. Introduce the kids to the famous Gene Kelly’s “Singing in the Rain” song from the musical and have them show you their best imitations of his classic moves, umbrellas optional. Create chalk puddles ready to jump in after the rain stops. Create a homemade rain gauge and then check the nightly weather report to see if your measurements were accurate. Or you can simply enjoy a puddle splashing contest. There are hours and hours of fun just waiting in those puddles. 

– Jennifer Durrant, Daily Herald