Budget-Friendly Outdoor Activities to Celebrate Summer

After what feels like the longest winter in recorded history, we’ve finally made it to spring. But, before we know it, spring will be over (since most of it was spent on winter weather already), and summer will be here. June 21st is the longest day of the year this year, and it marks the beginning of summer.

Have you made plans for how you’ll spend your extra daylight? If you don’t already have an outdoor activity on your list, check out our suggestions here at Daniels Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC for water games that you can play without breaking the bank.

Bring Your Sprinklers Into the Mix

Have you ever walked past a sprinkler in someone’s yard on a hot day and wandered in a little bit to let the edges of the water mist you? We’ve all been there. Sometimes you just need a quick cooldown, and sprinklers are a great option!

Running through the sprinkler is one of the easiest water activities you can set up for your family. When your kids finish playing at the park or riding their bikes up and down the street, turn on the sprinkler and let them cool down.

They’ll have a blast running back and forth, dancing under the water, and racing each other from one side of the spray to the other. Letting your kids play in the sprinkler is essentially a cost-free activity for you because you probably need to water your lawn anyway. You can be penny-wise by sending your kids to cool down in the yard while you’re already running the water.

Water & Cool Down with Hose Fights

If the intense summer heat begins to dampen your solstice celebrations, you might turn on the hose and cool your family or your guests down with a quick squirt. A surefire way to give up on outdoor activities is to get overheated, so don’t be shy about breaking out the hose to keep the celebrations going.

If your kids need to work off some energy, let them “fight” with the hoses. Few sounds compare to the beauty of a child’s laughter, and they’re sure to be full of giggles as they soak each other, the dog, and maybe even you if you’re not careful!

If the yard starts to get too soggy, you could give them squirt guns instead. Having them use barrels of rainwater that you collect is an even better way to manage your water bill. They’ll still be helping to water your lawn, but with free water instead of water from your outdoor taps.

Water Balloons Battles

For just a couple of dollars, you can create an epic family water balloon battle. The set-up is as simple as arming each member of your family with a basket of color-coded balloons.

You want to make sure that little Johnny and little Jane each have their own colors to remove the temptation to steal each other balloons. Come to think of it, you’d better make sure that dad has his own color too!

You can set up various obstacles or home bases where each person keeps their ammunition. The more hiding places that you can create, the more exciting the game will become. Even glum teenagers won’t be able to resist the temptation to stalk mom and dad around the yard and pelt them with water bombs.

When you’ve all run out of energy and ammunition, you can decide whose clothes are the driest, and that person is the winner of the game. Everyone else can work together to clean up the mess while the winner relaxes on the patio.

Your kids will never forget the night that they hit dad square in the back with a balloon or the way that mom dodged dad’s best effort to soak her. They’ll still be bragging about their best shots at Christmas!

Budget-Friendly Fun

For just a few dollars, you can plan simple and fun outdoor activities with the help of your plumbing, for your family to celebrate the start of summer. All of our suggestions help conserve water as well because any droplets that don’t land on your family will land on your lawn, which desperately needs a drink after a hot summer day.