Short on funds this summer? A lack of cash does not have to mean a shortage of summer fun! Outdoor ecstasy for your cooped up kids can be as close as your own back yard. Even when these fun ideas are not completely free, they are still pretty darn cheap. So open up the back door and let the kids out while you let the summer fun in. These activities are fun for kids of all ages, grown up kids included.
1. Build a worm box
2. Play “Kick the Can”
3. Stage a backyard puppet show or play
4. Use a wagon as a mobile sandbox
5. Experiment with original sun tea combinations
6. Be a backyard geologist
7. Arrange a stuffed animal parade
8. Chase moths or butterflies
9. Host a neighborhood “Trashion Show”
10. Drape together a napping tent
11. Paint large stones bright colors for the walkway
12. Host a neighborhood water balloon fight
13. Construct a ladybug house
14. Wash the car (or the dog!)
15. Come up with alternatives to the lemonade stand
16. Create an oversized map for an outdoor treasure hunt
17. String together a giant bubble wand
18. Pretend to be a professional outdoor photographer
19. Fill a wading pool with mud instead
20. Set up the sprinkler or slippery-slide
21. Arrange a fairy garden
22. Use sidewalk chalk somewhere besides the sidewalk
23. Construct a city out of recycled items
24. Grow plants from seeds
25. Erect and attempt an obstacle course
26. Break out the bathing suits and body paints
27. Shape a bug maze with tiny rocks
28. Draw or paint what you see in “En Plein Air”
29. Fill and bury a time capsule
30. Pick and arrange flowers
31. Squirt empty cans off of a ladder
32. Prepare a sunset picnic
33. Put fresh batteries in the walkie-talkies
34. Chase fireflies with recycled jars
35. Play past-your-bedtime flashlight tag
36. Camp out in the yard overnight
Christina Katz loves to enjoy time outdoors in the yard with her family and pets all summer long. Her most recent book (written partially in the back yard) is The Writer’s Workout from Writer’s Digest Books.
