How to Make Campfire S'More Nachos

Oh gosh this sounds like such a great fun night treat at a either a backyard fire pit or a camping weekend Campfire S'more Nachos!  

How to Make Campfire S'More Cones 

For this recipe, you need foil and a foil pan, along with your traditional s’more fixings which include marshmallow, chocolate chips or bars and  graham crackers 

These grilled s’mores are cooked over the campfire, on the grill, or in an oven at home.

These  fun dessert nachos in an 8″x8″ foil pan. If you have a large family, you will want to make more in a larger pan. Everyone will want more, so maybe even two large pans.

Get your supplies for s'mores and all your camping equipment 

Find step by step instructions and materials on  Nacho S'Mores 

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Kiddie Pool Bubble Ball Pit

 Do you have toddlers or preschoolers! Check out this bubbly ball pit for kids that give hours of fun ! They are a blast, and bubbles make them even better in this kiddie pool activity idea

You’ll need a bin or container big enough to hold a few or as many balls as you desire.  A kiddie backyard  pool is perfect for this .  You will want a bag of balls that go in the ball tents or ball pits you see at play places  You can buy the balls quite inexpensively at  Amazon or Walmart.

You check check out all the step by step fun here 

Get your supplies for summer backyard fun 

How to Make Campfire Brownies

  Campfire Brownies are probably one of our favorite parts of camping out or a backyard  fire pit type of night ! Our desserts out camping are usually this recipe, a Berry Crisp or delicious Campfire S'more Cones!

1 Box of Brownie Mix with ingredients to prepare

egg

oil  

Candy- M&M, Reese Pieces anything that floats your families boat 

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Dutch oven or a cast iron pan 

Follow the step by step instructions here 

Get your supplies for s'mores and all your camping equipment 

Get your supplies for summer backyard fun 

Homemade Tin Can Backyard Bowling

Looking to recycle  and  have some fun with the kids! Paint cans pretty colors and set them up to create an outdoor bowling game for the kids.

If you have  cans with the pull tab that will be ideal as they are  going to give you a lip that won’t cut little fingers! So keep that in mind!  However any canned good will work including larger coffee tin  cans.  

You can stack them or just lay them out. Use rocks, a ball, even bean bags! Bowling is classic! I don’t care who you are…knocking stuff down is always fun!

Check out  

Do it yourself Glow In the Dark Bowling

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Popped Bubble Art Creative at Home Project

Looking for something fun and different for  your creative kids at home!! 

Simply color bubble mix with food coloring and blow bubbles onto paper - as the bubbles land and pop, they create beautiful works of art. It goes without saying that this project is best done outdoors on a backyard deck or patio . A great one for those lazy summer afternoons. 

What you need 

Bubble Mix

Bubble Wands

Food Coloring

Paper

Find the Step by Step instructions here 

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How to Make DIY Puffy Sidewalk Paint

Try making this easy  DIY puffy sidewalk paint! It’s a perfect project to get the family outdoors and spend some time being creative with your little artists.  this is a fun take on the typical sidewalk chalk activities!!

Supplies for Puffy Sidewalk Paint

•  squeezable bottles
• large mixing bowl
• rubber spatula

You will need these ingredients for EACH color you want to make.

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dish soap – just about any dish soap will work.
5-10 drops food coloring or washable paint

Find the Step by Step instructions here 


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How to Make Easy Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course

Making an easy sidewalk chalk obstacle course in your own drivewayis a great way to get kids outside, creative and moving. We have done this since our boys  were young many times, and I love it because as they get older, they can build it themselves.

Sidewalks  and driveways right at home are a great place to build an obstacle course. One of the advantage of doing it in chalk is that you don’t have to move obstacles out of the way should a car come along.


Some ideas to include  
Run to the circle and jump 3 times
Hop across the line back and forth
Follow the arrow path and spin 4 times
Jump into each shape and say them (triangle, square, etc.)
Do a leap at the finish line
Jump through the boxes
Jump in and out of the circle
Do a cartwheel through the drawn ladder (but don’t touch any lines)

Dance party as you run around the circle

See it in action


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Throw and Flip Backyard PE Game

We love simple kids activities. The easier the better!  You have everything you need for this game in your house!  We are finding some of those old Gym class games are perfect for the backyard during the spring and summer months!  Throw and Flip is one those  PE class games. 

Throw and Flip 

1. Find an object to be your target. You could use a laundry basket and a rubbermaid storage container. 

2. Find an object to throw. You could use sock balls, a ballon

3. Find objects for a starting and a finish line. You can use what you have in the house such as a lawn chair, shoes etc 

4. Throw the ball to the container if you make it you flip it, if you miss  return to the start line and throw again. if you are playing with others, take turns throwing

5. Goal is to get to the finish line as fast as you can against the other team!! 

See it in action

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Indoor or Backyard Fly Swatter Hockey

We love simple kids activities. The easier the better. Who needs to get hockey sticks and go to a rink to play hockey  when you can make an inside version and play in your living room?  Also this works well in the spring and summer months outside! Here is a simple way you can make a fly swatter hockey . Hours of fun!

All you need is a couple of fly swatters, a couple of laundry baskets (or larger rubbermaid bins)  and a some balloons



The secret to this game is to under fill your balloon!  It makes the balloons easier to swat each time!! 


Get your supplies for  summer backyard fun 

Backyard Balloon Dart Game

Ballon Darts is a  fun game you can play at your next backyard  BBQ or kids birthday party! It's also perfect for school carnival game. 

Large foam board or  plywood

Pins to hold the balloons to the board
Darts/plastic or metal (use with caution for ages 10+)
Balloons  (do a red, white and blue for a July 4th party) 

Directions

1) Paint the foam boards in desired colors; if you want to make clean lines for stripes, use


2) Blow up balloons, and attach them to the board with a pin at the bottom.


If you want you add in numbers to claim a prize if you want for a fun birthday party game. 


Get your balloon and darts here 


Get your supplies for  summer backyard fun 

DIY Backyard Giant KerPlunk Game

Take backyard games to a whole new level with a GIANT  homemade version of the classic Ker-Plunk game! Adults and kids will love challenging each other to see who wins!

This is great fun to make for your backyard fun!  Make it for your summer fun, birthday party, bbq family reunion.  

How to play Ker-Plunk:
Take turns having each player remove one stick at a time.
The object of the game is to remove the stick without having any balls fall out.

In the end, the player who has the lowest number of balls wins.


Here is how to make a giant KerPlunk Backyard yard! Head to Lowe's or Home depot for the wire and other supplies! Amazon will have your ball pit balls!

What you'll need:

4 (16-inch) 2 x 4 boards
4 (10-inch) 4 x 4 boards
Drill
Screws
Spray paint
Wire netting
18-gauge wire
Wire cutters
Staple gun and staples
30-40 bamboo garden stakes

Ball pit balls

Follow the step by step instructions 


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Create a Backyard Mud Run Obstacle Course

What a great idea.... of course you could do this with out the mud create a fun obstacle course for the kids during the warmer months.

Inspired by the Warrior Dash, we created an obstacle course for the kids  It was awesome. I was jealous. We planned it for boys…no coordinating decorations, no handmade bunting…just dirt, mud and competition. The party favors were plastic insects the boys had to dig out of a pool of mud.

It's also a great idea for KIDS birthday party idea

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Create an Ice Block Treasure Hunt for Hot Summer Day

Are you looking to keep the kids cool on a hot summer day! 

The kids had a ball treasure hunting and were able to stay cool in the process. I made a separate ice block for each of my children with age appropriate toys in each. This activity kept them busy for over an hour, which is saying a lot for three boys under the age of nine. I have a feeling we will be trying this again later this summer.

Materials:

• plastic container or bowl
• water
• small toys: plastic animals or dinosaurs, tops, rubber balls, shells, coins (for older children), etc
• optional: ice cube tray, food coloring and water to make colored ice
• warm water, spray bottles, paintbrushes, salt, a hammer --anything that you or your child may think of that could be used to get the toys out of the ice block

What to do:

-(Optional) Make and freeze colored ice cubes using the food coloring and water

- Fill the plastic container with about and inch of water. Add three or four toys and some colored ice cubes and freeze.

- When the first layer is frozen solid, add more water and a few more toys and ice cubes. Repeat this process until your container is full and you have a solid block of ice. It may take a couple of days to create your ice block.

Check out the steps here 

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Indoor or Backyard Paper Plate Tennis

We love simple kids activities. The easier the better. Who needs to get rackets and go to a court to play tennis when you can make an inside version and play in your living room?  Also this works well in the spring and summer months outside! Here is a simple way you can make a paper plate tennis game, with paper plates and balloons. Hours of fun!

You will need craft sticks or rulers  and duct tape, along with your paper plates.  You can paint the paper plates if you want to as well!

The secret to this game is to under fill your balloon!  It makes the balloons easier to direct with each hit  of the paper plate paddles.


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Make your Own Tetherball Backyard Set

If you are looking for something a bit smaller than a volleyball court but one that might keep people of any age busy this tetherball creation would be a great way to get everyone active.

Our friends at Simply Kristie  wanted to do a  DIY  After re-discovering tetherball at our friends’ home several weeks ago, the kids begged us to get a tetherball set for them.  I checked them out on Amazon, and when I saw the price (around $100), I knew I could make one for less. I did!  I saved more than half by making our own, plus it’s incredibly sturdy and durable.  We absolutely love it, and our family has already spent a lot of time outside enjoying it.

You can follow her step by step one and involve the kids 
Find the step by step instructions here 

Get your supplies for  summer backyard fun 

Or just buy one for less than $100 at Amazon lol 

Summer Hot Day Fun Water Pistol Target Range

Here’s another activity to add to the list of things to do with the kids this Summer — Make your own water pistol target range! It’s super easy to set up. Start by stacking some paper cups into a pyramid shape, as shown below. 

Then use some dollar store water pistols to try to shoot them down! No water pistols on-hand? Spray bottles filled with water would work well too.

Find the Step by Step instructions here 


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Backyard Fun with Water Balloon Pinatas

Are you looking for fun backyard ideas for a hot summer day or something different the typical pinata

All you need to do is fill up water ballons and then tie them to some low tree branches 

See it in action  Water Ballon Pinatas 

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Sponge Balls Kids Summer Craft & Water Fight

Practical, reusable and cute, this sponge ball craft originally from Martha Stewart  will be a favorite kid-friendly summer activity. 

Creating them is only half the fun! The other half of the fun is using them for a crazy hot day  summer water fight!

 All you need is colorful sponges, curling ribbon or string, scissors and a bucket of water!

What you need:

Colorful Sponges
Curling Ribbon or String
Bucket of Water


To create your sponge balls, start by cutting sponges into strips. I used small kitchen sponges, which each yielded seven strips about 3/4 of an inch wide. (I did not measure, I just eyeballed it.) Then I gathered my strips and tied them tightly in the center with curling ribbon. (You could use simple string, but I always have a lot of curling ribbon on hand so that’s what I used.) Once your strips are bound, fluff and ta-da.

Find the Step by Step instructions here 


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Make your own Sidewalk Paint with Cornstarch

Do it yourself sidewalk paint makes for a quick and easy afternoon craft during the summer months. It only requires water, cornstarch and food coloring and is perfect for children of all ages, including infants, toddlers and preschoolers.  

What You Need:
1 part water
1 part cornstarch
food coloring
container/cups for paint (ice cube trays or muffin tins work well)
paintbrushes

Find the Step by Step instructions here 


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Use a Small Tent as your Backyard Sandbox for Kids

Do you you have a little one toddler, preschooler that love the sandbox but you hate keeping it clean each year.

 Consider using a 2 or 4 person  Tent to and filling the bottom with sand. You should be able to  keep the bug, grass and hopefully all the extra dirt plus keep the bright sunshine out.


 Another option would to put a small sandbox inside.

Get your 2 or 4 person tent here from Amazon 


Get your supplies for  summer backyard fun