Splatter It Up!

It's scorchin hot around here.  No other way to sugar coat it.  Temps reaching to 118 degrees in the shade.   For those who don't dwell in the desert ... You can cook an egg on the asphalt.  Crayons ooze if left out in the sun.  Kids tend to melt, moms too for that matter.

Hence my mission, to splatter joy in our summer days with these simple activities.  

Wet Murals - strike a pose up against the backyard fence (block works great).  With the hose on mist (put your finger over the nozzle) and spray away.  When done, have the kid move away, and the silouhette is the dry spot on the wall.  Kids can get creative, do them together, add props.  The best is that they dry crazy quick and you have a new canvas.

ICE Smash - Fill up a balloon with water.  Drop in a little something (penny, small toy, etc).  Tie the balloon up and sneak it in the freezer overnight.  Make enough for every smasher in the family.  Once frozen, cut off the balloon knot and peel away from the ice.  Arm your crew with mallets, spoons, any age appropriate device.  Their mission, to free the item from the ice.  Happy smashing.

Mega Slip and Slide - My kids bust through the conventional slip and slides.  We've gone industrial.  Head to the local hardware store and buy some heavy duty painters plastic or a large tarp.  Spread it on the lawn, add a bit of dish soap to make it extra slippery and spray away.

Sword Training - pool noodles make the best swords.  Simply cut them in half (to make a shorter noodle).  They make a loud whack, which delights the kids.  They cause no pain, which delights the mom.  Take them to the back yard, turn on the sprinklers, and let the joust commence.

Book Fort-a-rama - Diving into some good books tops our list of must dos.   To get the book groove on, create a mondo family fort (you know the adults want to join in too).  Once the fort is constructed, choose great books for the kids to devour.  Grab a bin (dishwashing bins work great) for each child & load them up.  Head to the library if you need more books (as for us, our house oozes kidz literature).

Chalk It Up - You know I have a love for chalk.  So why not grab the largest canvas around and create.  Head outside, hose off, then hit the sidewalk with some chalk (or your own sidewalk paint).  Even better, head to someone else's house (that would adore it) and decorate.  Gramma would love it!

Bless their Socks - (aka not so random acts of kindness).  With your family, brainstorm ideas to bless people in your lives.  (neighbors, grandparents, strangers, mailman etc)  Write down all of their zany ideas, nothing is off limits.  And of course, put the little special in a sock to get the giggles going.  Then go for it!

JOY Jar - Grab a jar (an old cleaned out peanut butter one works great)  Grab some paper and gloppy glue and have the kids decorate it.  Create as many as you need.  We are working on kindness around here.  Label it big.  Then, every time someone shows kindness (or your own theme), the kids can catch each other and drop a marble in the jar.  Once the jar is filled ... it means a celebration!

Body Art - Grab some washable finger paint (or make your own).  Head outside to decorate EACH other.  Paint mom's face.  Design Dad's legs.  C'mon, you've always wanted to paint ON your kids, so have some summer fun.  Then hose them off when the creations are finished.

#10 - Always room for more ideas ...  I could use your creative help (because around here, summer ends in November.)   Would you join in my splatter joy summer fiesta?  Simply leave an idea (or a whole bunch of them) in the comment section.  Ready.  Set.  Splatter it up!