“Big Summer Fun” in the Backyard!

If you have more than one child or just like to avoid spending countless hours in the heat and humidity, may we suggest having “big summer fun” in the backyard?  Taking more one than child out for “big summer fun” can get to be expensive.  Or, if you spend a day out of the house having “big summer fun” you may end up contending with sunburn, irritable kiddies and/or spouse, and a stinky and sweaty ride home.  Why else do we have a backyard if not to have “big summer fun?”

These days, though, having a backyard can feel like hitting the lottery.  It seems that having a yard is an option, which is really sad if you think about it.  BUT!! The good news here is that the ideas we’ll suggest for having “big summer fun” in the backyard will work in any size yard!  Cool, huh?

1.  Squirt Gun Painting

Squirt Gun Painting is a new classic summer art activity for kids. It feels like using Nerf Super Soaker Alphafire Blasters may work best for this project. As much as we like a deal, try to avoid the super cheap multi-pack squirt guns typically found in dollar stores.  They seem to end up breaking within hours. The Alphafires are still inexpensive, but have the quality one can expect from Nerf products. An even better deal is to buy the 3-Pack of Nerf Super Soaker Zipfires instead.

Arrange the easels in the yard and clip two sheets of watercolor paper to each side. Have the kids fill their squirt guns with liquid watercolors and let them go to town!  No Easel?  No worries!  Lay the papers in the grass or use a thumbtack to secure the paper to a tree.

2.       Outdoor Movies

Movie night outside is a memory-making moment! It is magical. You can invite neighbors.  You kids can invite their friends and families.  All you need is a laptop, a projector, and a movie screen.  Putting your hands on a laptop with a CD drive shouldn’t be an issue.  You can rent a movie projector from a local furniture rental company.  But…you’ll need to DIY your movie screen.

Here’s what you need to make your backyard movie screen:

·         2 Sheets – they should be white and queen size sheets work best

·         Pole for top  of screen – 10 feet long and 1.5 inches in diameter

·         Pole for bottom of screen –10 feet long and 3 inches in diameter

·         Rope – you’ll need two thicknesses of rope, one for the top and one for the bottom of the movie screen

How to make your DIY movie screen:

·         Sew your white, queen-size sheets together using a white thread along the longer side. It will now form a tube shape.

·         Take the 1.5 inch diameter pole and insert it so the sewn sheets hang down from it.

·         Attach a length of the thicker rope to each end of the pole so it can be hung from a tree.
Now that your movie screen is hanging from the pole attached to a tree you can slide the heavier, thicker pole as a weight at the bottom of the screen.

·         You can attach the thinner piece of rope to each end of the pole at the bottom and then tie to tent stakes or wooden stakes to keep the screen taught.

Don’t forget to ask your guests to B.Y.O.S. (bring your own seat).  Some great seating options that people may already have at home are sleeping bags, patio furniture cushions, air mattresses…and if they want to be boring, they can bring their stadium chairs.

Lastly, don’t forget to offer popcorn with different toppings like parmesan cheese, peanut M&M’s, sea salt…whatever you can think of.  You’ll also need a cooler for beverages and a couple of bottles of bug repellant.  Now, you’re ready for your summer blockbuster premiere!

3.       Giant Tic-Tac-Toe

Giant Tic-Tac-Toe is perfect for backyard “big summer fun.” Frisbees and a shower curtain transform into an easy backyard game.  Here’s how:  Use duct or electrical tape to block out squares on a shower curtain liner. Use more tape to mark which disks are Xs or use color to divide the teams.  Then have players stand behind a throw line and follow the rules of tic-tac-toe. If the disk lands off the board or in an occupied square, the player can throw again.

4.       Stargazing

“I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” - Vincent van Gogh 

In our opinion, if star gazing was good enough for Vincent Van Gogh and Luke Skywalker, it’s good enough for us!  Fill a kiddie pool with pillows, blow up an air mattress, or lean back on the slant of the roof – do whatever is comfortable but just take some time to stare up one night.  You may just see that star to wish on!  Something extra fun is to shine flash lights into the night sky and play flash light tag.  …good times, my friend!

5.       S’mores & Stories

Well, this one should really be at the top of the list ‘cause it’s our favorite way to enjoy our favorite treats…marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers, oh, my!  And while doing our research on s’mores, we found a great list of variations on this campfire classic.  Enjoy!

Now, while ghost stories are a popular to tell around a bon fire, try this instead: Have someone provide the first couple lines of a story.  Then the person to the right add a line or two.  Then the next person to the right adds a line or two and so on, and so on, and so on until the story is finished.  You’ll be amazed at the story you come up with!  Be sure to record it and send it to all who contributed!

We hope you found some of these “big summer fun” ideas interesting!  Even more, we hope you’ll try one or two this summer.  You can find details on these and other summer activities on our “Entertaining” and “Fun for the Kids” Pinterest boards.  Search for us on Pinterest: jbmhhfmwr.  If you do enjoy one of these activities, please take pictures for your own memories and post those pics on Instagram or Facebook.  Tag us @jbmhhfmwr!  We can’t wait to see how you had “big summer fun!”