There are some great websites with all kinds of activities for children of all ages. Here are three that have a wealth of outdoor games, activities and recipes for fun all summer long.
1. spoonful.com: Water games, scavenger hunt, Tacos and Bridges (check it out!) and lots more .
2. Parenting.com: Eleven water games and other activities for kids. We all knew water was fun. These activities will keep the kids cool on a hot day.
3. Alphamom.com has games such as driveway baseball, elbow tag, musical sprinklers and more. These games are great for parties and get-togethers.
Kind of makes me wish I was a kid again. It’s a great excuse to put on a swimsuit and join the fun!
Now that school is out for the summer, you may be wondering how to keep your children entertained without spending tons of money. If finances are tight, don’t despair. There are plenty of fun filled activities you can do with kids to make the summer a memorable one.
1. Pitch a tent for the GREAT AMERICAN BACKYARD CAMPOUT. You can sleep under the stars in your own backyard. Identify constellations, make s’mores (check out my recipe under the recipe section of this blog). Tell stories, sing songs, eat hotdogs, and do everything you’d do at a camp far away. Visit: http://www.nwf.org/great-american-backyard-campout.aspx
2.Check out: http://www.parade.com/summerschool for 14 days of how-to steps and expert tips on everything from building a sand castle, to how to skip stones. You can also learn things like HOW TO HOST A BACKYARD MOVIE NIGHT, SPOT CONSTELLATIONS, TEACH KIDS TO FISH, and even HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ICE CREAM.
3. Put on a Show. A Puppet Show that is. There are tons of videos and sites on how to make your own puppets and puppet theatres. To get you started, enter: Making puppets in your search engine and a load of sites will appear. Here’s a good one:
http://www.about.com/od/puppets 
You can also use stuffed toys, pencils with funny tops, or socks with painted faces. Or even cookies! (see photos) Let your imagination run wild.
To make it a real event, sell popcorn and lemonade.
4.And…you can’t go wrong with water. If you don’t have a pool, a sprinkler on a hose works great. Squirt guns and water balloon fights are sure cures for boredom and cool everyone off on a hot day. For little ones, fill up a bucket with water and let them “paint” the sidewalk to their hearts content. Add a few cups for pouring and you’ll keep them entertained for a long time.
