Water games
By Suzanne Perez Tobias
Knight Ridder News Service
You could greet the summer armed with a cache of fancy sprinklers, slides and water toys. But here's the thing: You don't need them. When temperatures soar and the kids crave refreshment, an old-fashioned sprinkler or wading pool usually does the trick. What you really need are some fresh ideas — fun water games and activities to keep handy and haul out the next time you turn on the hose. So here are more than a dozen to get you started.
It probably goes without saying — but we'll say it again: NEVER leave children unattended around water, even small amounts. And always make sure they wear sunscreen.
Let the water games begin!
• Bobbing for apples. This fall-festival staple makes much more sense in the summer. Put several apples in a large tub or wading pool and try to grab one using only your mouth.
• Musical sprinkler. An aquatic adaptation of musical chairs in which the sprinkler takes the place of the music — and everyone's a winner. You'll need a rotating lawn sprinkler and someone to man the faucet.
To play, start with the sprinkler turned off. Players move around the sprinkler area, jumping, dancing or striking poses. When the sprinkler goes on, they must freeze in position and get soaked until it's turned off again.
• "Obsta-cool" course. Turn your yard into a get-wet obstacle course. Stations could include drop-kicking a water balloon, jumping rope in the sprinkler spray and shooting a squirt gun at a predetermined target. Use a stopwatch to keep track of time for each player, or run a relay with two teams going through in opposite directions.
• Cold toes relay. Throw some large ice cubes into a wading pool, and have a race to see who can take the most ice cubes out using only their feet.
• Splash tag. Players run away from "It," who tries to tag them by throwing a wet sponge. Once tagged, that person becomes the new It.
• Paint with water. For preschoolers, a great alternative to sidewalk chalk is plain old water — and it's mess-free. Simply fill a few containers with water, give children brushes and have them "paint" deck railings, brick walls, wood fences, or any surface. They love to watch their pictures disappear in the sun.
• Water squirtball. For this game, you'll need a beach ball and Super Soaker-style water guns. Designate two end zones in the yard using cones, lawn chairs or whatever. Using the squirt guns, players try to blast the beach ball over the opposing player's goal line.
• My cup runneth over. Two players or teams stand on opposite sides of an oscillating sprinkler, holding empty plastic cups. When the sheet of water passes into his or her side, each player tries to be the first to completely fill his cup. Players must keep both feet planted; anyone who takes a step has to dump the contents of his container over his own head.
• Buried in ice. Freeze an action figure in water in a large plastic container or inside a water balloon. Then set your young paleontologist to work with a hammer and screwdriver (don't forget eye protection). He'll chip away at the icy tomb until he uncovers the artifact and discovers it has been — gasp! —perfectly preserved.
• Cold potato. Using a pin, poke a hole in a balloon before you fill it with water, so it has a slow but steady leak. Three or more players stand in a circle and toss the spraying balloon from player to player until it runs out of water.
• Will it float? For this backyard version of the popular "Late Night With David Letterman" segment, collect objects — leaves, shells, pennies, paper — from the house or yard. Drop them one by one into the water, predicting whether they will sink or float. (No, not the cell phone!)
• Water limbo. Turn a garden hose on full blast and have players limbo under the water stream. Each time the group makes it under the water, lower the stream.
• Water vault. Limbo in reverse: Start with the water stream low and have players try to jump over it.
• Ice cube necklace. Get a length of yarn and some pretty things from the yard (leaves, tiny flowers, etc.). Place the collected bits into an ice cube tray and fill with water, then arrange the yarn so each cube has a piece of yarn submerged in its center. Freeze it, pop it out, and you've got a pretty cool necklace.
• Water-balloon volley. You'll need a volleyball or badminton net, two old sheets and water balloons. Divide players into two teams of four and have them stand on opposite sides of the net. Each team holds one sheet (a person on each corner). Place a water balloon in the center of one team's sheet. The idea is to toss the balloon over the net, into the other team's sheet.
• Car wash. Provide plenty of buckets, soapy water, sponges and squeegees, and put the kids to work. When they're done with the car, they can wash their bikes, wagons or the family dog. They might even want to start a business washing neighbors' cars — a great way to turn a hot day into cold hard cash.
