While going out to places during the holidays is great fun, it can get very expensive during the long summer break. We have some great ideas for activities that kids can do outdoors, that don’t cost a cent. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of playing games and activities like these at home with friends!
Explore with an underwater viewer
Paddling in rock pools or a shallow sea is far more interesting if you can see below the surface. If you don’t have goggles and a snorkel, why not create your own underwater viewer instead?
Take an empty two-litre plastic soda bottle and remove the lid so you can squeeze it flat, then use a pair of craft scissors to cut a slit about 10cm from the bottom. Now re-inflate the bottle, replace the lid and use your scissors to cut from that slit to form a rectangular opening about 20cm up the bottle and 10cm along the top and bottom. You can rub down the edge with sandpaper to smooth it or simply put duct tape around all the edges to cover any sharp bits.
Hold the bottle sideways and submerge the bottom section in the water. You can then look through the hole to see the wonders below. As always, when you are near water, take a grown-up with you.
Have a blindfold shootout
You’ll need four people playing – two will be shooters and two guides. The two shooters are given empty water pistols (or squeezy bottles), then blindfolded and a bucket of water placed about two metres from each of them. Next, the guiders turn their shooters around five times each to make sure they are a little dizzy and don’t know where the bucket is.
The idea is for the guider to shout out instructions to their shooter to guide them to the bucket from where they will have to fill up their water pistol without removing the blindfold. The guides will then need to give the shooters instructions on which way to fire to shoot their opponent. The first one to wet their target wins, and everyone swaps over.
Use a Pooter
A pooter may be a ridiculous name, but it is very useful for collecting small insects. To make your own pooter, take a small, clear plastic food container with a lid and make sure it’s thoroughly washed. Now take the bottom section and place it on its side on top of a large lump of plasticine before pushing a ballpoint pen through the plastic to create a hole in the side. Keep pushing the pen until the hole is big enough to fit a straw. Now add another hole in the opposite side using the same method.
Cut your straw in half and then take one piece and cut off a 2cm section. Next, make a 2cm slit down one side of the rest of the straw before pushing this through one of the holes. Now place your gauze or piece of old tights over the slit end, before pushing the 2cm section of straw over both from the inside the pot. This forms part of the straw you will suck through and the gauze will stop you from swallowing any critters by accident. Push the second half of the straw into the other hole, replace the lid and you’re ready to go!
Take your pooter outside and, when you find a small creature you want to study more closely, place the collection straw close to it and then quickly suck hard on the other straw. This creates a vacuum in the container, pulling in the insect. To release it back, take off the lid and carefully tip up the pot so it can escape.
Source: 101 Things for Kids to do Outside by Dawn Isaac.