So, I live in Texas and we have been on water restriction for about a year. Which probably means many of the splash parks will be shut down this summer. I am looking for water activities to stay cool and need some help. We are not allowed to run the sprinklers during the day. I thought about water balloons, but that is a pain to clean up all the little balloon pieces. So, what do you suggest for a hot summer day to get kids out of the house, without them dying from sun stroke?
Small pool. I have an intex that stays up all summer. I did it because I hate wasting water. You put it up once so you use less water than the splash type things.
I thought sprinkler play was fine, you just can't use sprinklers to water your lawn unattended. Who knows, I could be wrong. (We're in Arlington) My kids just like to play in the hose. I just give them the hose and a wading pool and let them have at it.
Small wading pool.
Hopefully, the drought won't be as bad this summer! Fingers crossed. Some of the local spray parks are opening up around here already. So you can always take day trips to cool off and have some fun!
Here in Keller, we are allowed to water any time as long as it's by hand. So let the kids play in the hose. Go to local water parks (NRH2o, Hawaiian Falls, Hurricane Harbor, Great Wolfe Lodge) or pools. Let them soak sponges and play. Water guns. Splash pool. Simply play with buckets of water...drill holes in a few. Water table. Spray bottles with water. The tub!
To control the water balloon mess, we have had targets for the kids to aim at on our patio. It keeps most of the mess on the porch and contained.
Inflatable Intex pools with their own pump systems. We have two sets of cousins who own these and it seems to be the thing. They seem to last season after season. big enough for adults to cool off in and shallow enough for small kids to swim and stand in. You only have to fill it once, then treat the water. http://www.inflateus.com/easysetpool.htm
There's a great (free!) splashground behind the Village at Fairview (Allen...Stacy & 75) in the back by Purple Cow. It's open and running. Also, Celebration Park in Allen has a splashground that I think is open too.
The splash park in Carrollton is open so check yours out there if you have one. We are on water restrictions here to but apparently that doesnt apply to when the city wants to water or any of their parks or activities just to personal lawns.
I think it partially depends on the age of your children. Water balloons should not be considered a pain because the children are the ones that should be cleaning them up. It they are old enough that the balloons are not choking hazards, they are definitely old enough to clean up their mess. To make clean up a little more fun, make a game out of it. If your children are younger, have them each pick a color and clean up until each color is in the trash. For older kids, you can make a competition with how much they clean up and the next time, the winner can get a couple extra water balloons as a reward.
For little kids, buckets filled with water and cups to pour back and forth. I am not sure if this is allowed or not, but my 18 month old loves to be sprayed with the hose.
Squirt guns.
Have a few buckets of water on hand for quick/easy refills.
They can get a little wet and there is minimum water and mess to clean up.
