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Backyard Fun on a Budget
Ten ways to liven up the dog days of summer
1. Create a miniature golf course.
Design the holes by laying plastic cups on their sides. (Put rocks inside to hold them steady.) For obstacles, place some of your children’s toys on the lawn.
Approximate cost: $4 for plastic cups
Don’t forget: Make sure your course grounds are clear and level.
2. Re–create a day at the ballpark.
Organize a family baseball game. Then decorate T–shirts and hats to match your favorite team’s uniform, and create a makeshift stand for hot dogs and popcorn. You can even ask a family member to sing the national anthem during the seventh–inning stretch!
Approxmate cost: $20 for food and fabric paint
Don’t forget: Provide sideline seats for anyone who wants to watch the game.
3. Build a milk-and-cookies stand.
Instead of lemonade, bake cookies in the morning and stock up on milk. If need be, make yourself a very hungry repeat customer!
Approximate cost: $15 for ingredients
Don’t forget: Discuss what your child will do with the earnings ahead of time.
4. Host a carnival.
Invite some friends over, and set up a few backyard “booths.” (Soda bottles make great bowling pins, and an old laundry basket can be turned into a ball toss. You can even create a face–painting area.) Set the mood by handing out prizes and setting up a couple of small outdoor speakers.
Approximate cost: $0–$20, depending on the prizes
Don’t forget: If you will be playing music, alert your neighbors ahead of time. Better yet, invite them too!
5. Have an afternoon campout.
Put up a tent or make a fort out of beach towels. Then tell ghost stories, play games, sing songs, and eat hot dogs and marshmallows. You could even build a bonfire to make your S’mores.
Approximate cost: $15 for food supplies
Don’t forget: Check your town’s community restrictions on bonfires.
6. Hold a bocce tournament.
All you need is one small ball and eight larger ones. The winning team gets to pick the next family–night movie!
Approximate cost: free
Don’t forget: The heavier the ball, the easier it will be to play the game.
7. Set up a treasure hunt.
Hide several small toys around the backyard and draw a map for your child. You can add to the festivities by making paper hats for the occasion. Don your head–gear and set off to discover the hidden booty.
Approximate cost: $5–$10 for “treasures”
Don’t forget: Save your map in case the hunt gets interrupted. (Otherwise, you’ll never remember where the toys are stashed!)
8. Make a finger–painted mural.
Put on your bathing suits and set up a few pieces of poster board outside. To make your murals edible, substitute washable paints for chocolate syrup or instant pudding.
Approximate cost: $7 for poster board and chocolate syrup.
Don’t forget: Hook up your hose or sprinkler for an easy, fun clean up.
9. Make a water park.
Turn on the sprinkler, and create a homemade “slip and slide” using a garden hose and a tarp. Then, fill an inflatable kiddie pool with water and put it at the base of your child’s slide.
Approximate cost: $20, depending on whether you have a kiddie pool and tarp
Don’t forget: Make sure the ground below your “slide” is clean and level.
10. Invent a new sport.
Let your imaginations be your guide! Start out with Wiffleball, but use water balloons to get someone out. Write down the rules and enlist neighborhood kids to play.
Approximate cost: $3 for water balloons
Don’t forget: Take input from everyone to ensure all players understand the rules before the game begins.
About the author: Stacy DeBroff is president and founder of Mom Central, a company devoted to providing pragmatic tips and savvy advice to strengthen busy families and enhance the home environment
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Being unemployed and very limited income, these are great ideas on a small or NO budget! I have most of the ingredients, so do not have to buy and spend money I do not have! Thank you!!!