Is anyone else finding it hard to believe that August is here and summer is officially winding down? Whether you’re bummed about summer winding down or still looking for ways to enjoy the warm weather and keep your little ones entertained, here are five outdoor activities you’ll want to try with your kids before summer wraps up. The best part is they require only a few supplies, some of which you probably already have around your house or can be purchased at the dollar store, and the clean up is minimal.
5 Easy Outdoor Activities for Kids
Rainbow Soap Foam
A classic and a favorite in our household. Plus, it’s both easy to make and clean up!
Ingredients:
Water
A bin
Dish soap
Electric hand mixer
Washable watercolors or paint
Make the foam by mixing a small amount of water (1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on the size of your bin) with a squirt of dish soap. As your foam begins to form, add a drop of paint or small amount of watercolor to different sections of your foam and watch the rainbow magic appear – also note the big smiles on your kids’ faces!
Puffy Sidewalk Paint
Don’t throw away the tiny, unusable remnants of your sidewalk chalk! Instead, repurpose them and make some puffy sidewalk paint!
Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1 c. water
1 T. dish soap
1 plastic squeeze bottle
Finely powdered sidewalk chalk pieces
Whisk together the flour and water. Once you have a batter-like consistency, add the dish soap and mix until smooth. Add sidewalk chalk powdered pieces in the color of your choice. The brightness of the paint will depend on how much sidewalk chalk you mix in. Pour into squeeze bottles once combined. This will make enough to fill one squeeze bottle. Use within a day.
Bubble Art
If your kids are like mine, you have no shortage of bubble solution around your home or garage. Instead of using it to simply blow bubbles, why not try making some art?
Ingredients:
Disposable cups
Food coloring
Bubble solution
Bubble wand
Cardstock or construction paper
Begin by setting out a disposable cup for each color you’d like to use and pour a small amount of bubble solution into each. Add approximately 4-6 drops of food coloring to each cup, making each a different color. Stir well. Card stock works best, but you can get by with construction or printer paper. Lay the paper or cardstock on the grass. Dip the bubble wand into the colored solution and blow bubbles onto the paper. Watch the cool art that’s created as the bubbles pop! Let the cardstock or paper dry completely before displaying on the refrigerator or around the house.
Fizzy Colored Ice Cubes
This activity can help teach bigger kids about acids and chemical reactions, but is also fun for younger kids because who doesn’t like colored fizzing fun?
Ingredients:
Baking soda
Water
Food coloring or washable paint
Ice cube tray
Squirt bottle
Vinegar
Mixing bowl or pitcher
Make a 50/50 solution of water and baking soda in a mixing bowl or pitcher and pour into an ice cube tray. Add a small amount of food coloring or paint to each cube section and stir gently. You can use different colors and create different swirl patterns in each section. Freeze. Pour vinegar into a squirt bottle. Once cubes are frozen, pop them out and lay them on the sidewalk. Have your kids squirt the vinegar onto the cubes and watch the fizzy fun unfold!
Shower Curtain Gel Painting
If you have an old shower curtain or liner you were thinking of replacing, don’t throw it away just yet – that will make the perfect canvas for this art project!
Ingredients:
16 c. water
16 oz. cornstarch
16 T. sugar
Food coloring
A large pot
Plastic containers for each paint color
Shower curtain or liner
Wire or twine and clothespins (if you want to hang it up)
Make the gel paint first. Mix the water, cornstarch, and sugar in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir well and frequently for approximately 10 minutes until thick. Once the mixture is gel-like and translucent, remove from heat. Scoop into different containers and add food coloring. Stir food coloring in well and let cool. While the paints are cooling, set up your workstation. Hang up the shower curtain or liner outside, or set it out in the grass. Once the paints are cooled enough for your little ones to touch, you’re ready to go! Have your kids use their hands, paintbrushes, and their imagination to create a work of art.
 ways to keep kids busy outside? Check out these 5 easy outdoor activities for kids.){kind=link}