Iceberg Excavating
By Julie Dikken - arvada.macaronikid.com, evergreen.macaronikid.com

Iceberg Excavating is a fun activity that is designed to keep kids busy for hours! This is something you can do to fill an afternoon with hours of fun in the sun (perfect for a hot day), or would be great for an outdoor birthday party activity.

Supplies (Iceberg):  Plastic tub (keep in mind your freezer space! I cleared out a shelf in our garage freezer and used a large tub, but you can use a shoe box size as well.), plastic toys such as small army figures, dinosaurs, bugs and butterflies, use your imagination! Ice Cubes and Water.

Supplies (Excavating): Water guns, or water bottles, toothbrush, plastic droppers, water

Directions (Iceberg): Scatter a few plastic toys on the bottom of the plastic tub. Add a layer of ice cubes along with about 1 inch layer of water. Place in freezer until completely frozen. Add more plastic toys scattered about on top of frozen layer. Add another 1 or 2 inch layer of ice and water and freeze. Repeat until your plastic tub is filled. I like to leave a few toys sticking out the top. 

Directions (Excavate): Remove iceberg from plastic tub and place in a kiddie pool (can also be placed on a deck or the grass, as long as you don't mind the area getting wet) Have the children begin squirting water around a toy they want to begin excavating. They can also use a toothbrush to help clean away the ice and a plastic dropper to squirt water into tighter spaces. Keep working until all toys have been excavated!

Pour and Play for Infants and Toddlers
By Debra Jaramillo - commercecity.macaronikid.com/

Scooping! Pouring! Dumping! Squeezing! Splashing! The power of cause and effect makes kids think and brings big smiles to little faces.

Supplies: Dish Tub or Kiddie Pool, Water. One or more of the following: Measuring Cups, Ping Pong Balls, Funnels, Ice Cube Tray(s), Small Toys like Sea Animals or Dinosaurs, Teaspoons, Sponges, Plastic Eggs, Straws, Small Fish Net, Plastic Cups, Dowel Stick or Wooden Spoon, Fill cups with colored water, Anything you have on-hand that’s water and baby safe.

Directions: In a small/medium dish tub or a kiddie pool, fill with water and supplies. Play with your little one by showing them: how to scoop water and dump it out, squeeze water from stuffed toys or sponges, throw floating ping pong balls, watch the water pour through the funnel, splash with the wooden spoons or dowels, and use your imagination and find new ways your little one likes to play and what they find interesting.

T-Shirt Freeze
By Christen Reiner - lakewoodco.macaronikid.com

Plan ahead for this fun and easy game! Let the kids prep it themselves...they will be so excited to play! 

Supplies: T-shirt (one per person playing), Water, Gallon size Ziplock bag

Directions (Activity Prep): Grab a t-shirt that either fits well or is a bit big, run the shirt under the faucet or dunk in a bowl or pitcher of water until it is soaked through. Wring out the shirt a bit, but be sure to keep some of the water in it! Fold up the shirt, and place in a gallon size ziplock bag. Zip it up! Place the bagged shirt in the freezer overnight. 

Directions (The Game): Remove the bags from the freezer. Take the bags outside and set them down. Give the starting signal! The person who gets the frozen shirt correctly onto their body first is the winner!  For even more fun, freeze a few shirts and play again and again!

Sponge Splash Balls
By Kyrie Collins - highlandsranch.macaronikid.com

Supplies: 2 new sponges, Twine, Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut the sponges lengthwise into quarters.
2. Cut a piece of twine long enough to wrap around the sponges a few times (about 18-24")
3. Stack the sponges over the twine and then pull to tighten. Wrap a few times and tie in a knot to secure. Trim the ends of twine.

And that's it! Once you have at least one splash ball per person, head outside. Douse your splash balls with water from the garden hose or dunk them in a bowl of water. Then it's time for a game of catch or splash ball tag!

Water Balloon Fun
By Nicole Hoeper - coloradosprings.macaronikid.com

Supplies: water balloons (Bunch O Balloons or regular), water supply, water toys (scoops, water balloon bouncers, water sprayers) 

Directions: Fill your water balloons with water. If you have regular water balloons, we suggest having a water sprayer ($1 at DollarTree) to fill your balloons up with. The sprayer makes filling balloons really easy with no mess in the house at the sink or running to turn the hose on and off.

Ways to Play:

• Just give them a toss.
• Use the scoops to play catch with a friend.
• Use a water balloon bouncer to bounce the balloons on your own or from one person to another.
• Use your imagination for more fun and games!

Colored Water Bottles
By Kristin Kindred - aurora.macaronikid.com

Kids are so simple when it comes to playing with water, they want to do it with anything they can get their hands on. We came across this fun little trick when we were taking our water to the next level.

Supplies: Squirt Bottles or Mustard/Ketchup Bottles, Food Coloring, Water

Directions: Mix the food coloring with the water in the bottles, add as much food coloring to the water to get the color that you want! Shake it and mix it well. Check out this video of the demonstration of how you see the color then it disappears: https://youtu.be/ts-LvSWYGwg

Squirt Gun Fun
By Michele Pullo - longmont.macaronikid.com, boulder.macaronikid.com

Supplies: Squirt guns from Walgreen's or Oriental Trading Company, several small buckets, water, and KIDS!

Directions:  I chose squirt guns that look like space guns, for something different. Fill your buckets up with water and set them out in your yard or open space with plenty of room in between them. Fill up the squirt guns with water and place one by each bucket. Assign each child a bucket and squirt gun. Set some ground rules: keep 6 feet apart, buckets are "safe" zones, wear masks and gloves, be kind. Then blow a whistle or a good "Ready, Set, Go!" and let the fun begin!

Painting with Water

By Sarah Hauge - englewood.macaronikid.com

Supplies: Water, Paintbrushes, An outdoor space, Your imagination!

Directions:  Use your different shaped and sized paintbrushes to paint with water all over your outdoor space! 

• Sample a variety of paintbrushes to explore how they each function in different ways.
• Teach letter or shape identification by painting them out on the pavement.
• Practice those pouring skills by providing a variety of water buckets, canisters, and measuring tools.
• Encourage creativity by asking what color they would paint various items if they had a choice.

Soap Boat Race

By Melissa Shrader - fortcollins.macaronikid.com, loveland.macaronikid.com

Supplies: 

• Aluminum Foil (Heavy duty recommended)
• Bar of soap (1 for each participant)
• Toothpick (1 for each participant)
• Masking Tape (cut into 3” sections)
• Markers
• Scissors

Directions - Making the Track: Measure out a the length of track you'd like with aluminum. Fold the edges over two times to get rid of the sharp edge. Then fold the foil into a gutter shape so boats will stay in the track.

Directions - Making the Soap Boat: First make a flag for the top of your boat. We took a strip of masking tape (colored tape also works well) about 3” long and placed the toothpick about halfway in (1-1/2“) on the tape, and half way up on the toothpick. You can leave the flag as is, or make it fancy with your scissors by cutting any shape into it that you'd like. Then you can decorate it! Place your flag into a bar of soap. We found that soap rounded on the bottom it goes faster and spins! If you have older kids you can also carve your soap into a boat shape for even more fun. 

Now just put your garden hose at the end of the track, put your boats in, and the race is on!