Welcome to the 2nd edition of Family Fun Fridays! Got any corn? Cuz I *do*!

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This week, it’s been corn, corn, and more corn. So family fun has to be, well, simple. And it doesn’t get much more simple–or fun–than water.

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Outside, it’s very, very August. It’s hot. And in the two weeks before school, we are at the END of our ideas.

Insert water fun. I shamelessly stole these ideas from things I saw during our parish’s VBS, as well as a piece on water balloon fun I wrote for the Catholic Family Fun website last month. (If you click that link, you’ll have to scroll down.)

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What you’ll need:

  • A package of small or medium kitchen sponges
  • Some plastic or styrofoam bowls
  • A couple of buckets
  • Some water balloons (see note below)
  • Water (I prefer a hose, but you could get by from the kitchen sink, too)
  • A baby pool (or a big bucket or a few more small buckets)

Sponges can replace water balloons. That’s my big, useful, very handy take-away from VBS this year. (Arguably I was paying attention to the wrong stuff.) Not only do you have less mess in your yard, but they are reusable. How did I not know this before?!?!?

So in everything I share below, feel free to replace “water balloons” with “sponges.” I either a cheapskate, forgetful every time I’m at the store, or a very cruel mother, because I don’t buy water balloons. Sponges, though: we have sponges. Oh yes, we do.

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Prepare yourself:

  1. Cut the sponges in half
  2. Fill the water balloons with water (Tip: fill them to overflowing if you want them to explode easily, but only put a teeny bit of water in them if you want them to last all day)
  3. Get out one bowl for every two kids (or people who are playing)
  4. Set up your baby pool, fill the buckets, and gear the kids in swimsuits

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Catch the Sponge

  1. Everybody gets a partner (or Mom partners with everyone, as it works in my house).
  2. One person puts a bowl on their head. One partner gets a pile of drenched sponges (or alternatively, a bucket of water and sponges).
  3. The sponge partner tosses drenched sponges at the bowl partner. Presumably, Sponge Partner is aiming for the bowl. Sponge Partner may or may not “miss” a time or five to get Bowl Partner sopping wet.
  4. For added fun: take a step backward with every successful score of sponge into bowl.
  5. Now switch places and smile. It’s sure to be fun!

Dunk Balls, Sponges, or Anything in Water and Throw Them

Does this activity need an explanation? If so, I give you this:

Water Balloon or Sponge Tag

Some lucky kid is It. The rest of the crew runs around. It gets to slosh water balloons or sponges at everyone else.

Options:

  1. When you’re tagged, you become It.
  2. When tagged, you’re out. Last one left is It.
  3. Set a timer. Everyone gets a turn at being It (depending on the attention spans of your kids).

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My goal is this:

Happy, sopping wet kids. The mess evaporates if I make them stay on the screened in porch for a while and maybe they’ll sleep well.

Sometimes, they like to play together. Other times, not so much.

I have noticed, though, that when I get into the water fun with them, the whole tenor of things changes. And if my husband joins in, all bets are off and the phrase “best day EVER” is guaranteed to be part of the conversation later.

It’s hard, sometimes, to just let myself join in, to have fun with the kids. It’s well worth the effort, though.

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Want some other ideas? Here you go:

Can’t wait to see what family fun YOU are up to!

Include a link back here, if you would, and enjoy the journey through the other submissions.


This post is also linked to 7 Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.