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Trying to stick to a no money challenge.
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Here is another list.
Even though the weather has been gorgeous here in Southern Minnesota this month, lots of moms are reporting that they're having a hard time getting the kids to play outside.
The most common kid complaint? "There's nothing to do."
Nonsense! There are oodles of great things to do outside, and I'm betting that any kid could get inspired by at least a few of the options on the following list.
View slideshow: Fun and easy ways to play outside
Make a water wall (we used plastic funnels and connector tubes from Fleet Farm Supply to make ours even more fun).
Climb a tree.
Spread out a tarp, use the hose to cover it with an inch or so of water, and make a homemade slip and slide.
Have a picnic in the back yard.
Read a book in a shady spot.
Make a giant "waterbed" trampoline for the kids to jump on.
Set up the tent and play games inside.
Build a treehouse.
Pound nails into a tree stump.
Ride your bike.
Run in the sprinkler.
Plant a garden.
Play hide and go seek.
Draw an elaborate sidewalk chalk world on the driveway.
Wash the car.
Make mud pies.
Have a tea party.
Go on an alphabet photography hunt -- take a digital camera and photograph one thing that starts with each letter of the alphabet (make it harder by doing it in order!).
Do sheet painting.
Play basketball.
Put on a pedometer and try to log 10,000 steps (or more!).
Skate board.
Have a jump rope competition.
Dance in the rain or go for a walk in the rain.
Hula hoop.
Fill the kiddie pool with one of these 21 things.
Have fun outside after dark with glow in the dark goodies -- hide them for a glowing treasure hunt, put glow sticks in balloons and bop them back and forth, etc.
Do weed science -- dig up some weeds and pot them up, then try treating them with various things to see how it affects them. What happens if you water them with vinegar? Boiling water? Soda? Salt water?
Make an aluminum foil river.
Take pictures. Look for tiny bugs to catalog, take photos of beautiful flowers, look for normal things to take in weird ways, dress your sister up and do a photo shoot...
Fly kites.
Fill spray bottles with water and do water art on the sidewalk and anywhere else you like.
Set up ping pong ball targets and try to hit them with squirt gun sprays, water balloons, balls or a sling shot.
Go hiking.
Make a carnival in the back yard. Use a hula hoop for a ring toss, set up floating objects in the kiddie pool for a duck pond game, set up a pop bottle shooting range with spit balls as ammo, and so on.
Drag an old mattress into the back yard and use it as a crash pad under the swing set. No old mattress? Fill a duvet cover with old pillows.
Go bird watching (even in the back yard). Keep a log of all the kinds of birds you see this summer.
Start a nature journal. Here's plans to make your own.
Hide large dragon tears (flat glass marbles) around the yard and let kids know there are treasures out there to be found. Periodically replenish the stash.
Go puddle stomping. No puddles? Run the hose long enough to make a nice one and then have a blast in it.
Do messy science experiments like the elephant toothpaste experiment.
Make bubbling driveway art: Mix baking soda, water and food coloring to make a thick paint. Paint designs on the driveway or sidewalk and then spray them with vinegar to make them bubble up. Careful to avoid eyes!
Create a nature orchestra. One person can "play" a blade of grass, another can run a stick along a section of tree bark, another can click stones together, and so on.
Do land art.
Hit up local appliance stores for giant boxes and create all sorts of wonderful creations in the back yard (temporary houses, cars, rocket ships, store fronts, puppet stages...)
Sketch.
Throw a fairy party.
Saw some scrap wood into giant building blocks, paint them bright colors and play with them outside.
Fill spray bottles with colored water and let the kids tint the sand in the sandbox.
Fill a small kiddie pool with corn starch and water to make a giant oobleck pit to jump in.0
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