Sensational Summer Fun Activities
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Sprinkler fun day
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Ice block or ice Cubes in the water table (fun in the sand table too!)
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Paint sidewalks, buildings, and fences with water
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Lunch or snack picnic in the shade
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Provide a towel/beach chair, sunglasses, umbrella, and a basket of books
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Dish washing stations, truck & bike washes, dress up or baby clothes washing
& line drying, etc. WATER PLAY OUTSIDE EVERY SINGLE
DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Use spray bottles with food coloring and water to tie-dye large sheets,
towels, shirts, etc.
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Sand castle building
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Provide Picnic and Barbecue props for dramatic play (paper plates for
painting and red & yellow paint in ketchup & mustard squeeze bottles)
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Plan, plant, and tend a butterfly garden
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Fill a wading pool with water and use it to sail boats, fish, or put sand on the
bottom & hunt for hidden seashells (constant, direct supervision is a MUST).
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Invite students to trace peers shadows using sidewalk chalk and fill in
individual features and details
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Chain link fence or fishnet weaving (set up a large fishnet between two trees
or posts, set out long, colorful pieces of material or ribbon, and weave away)
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Show students how to make rubbings using paper & crayons. Invite them to
find a variety of surfaces, pavement, tree bark, wood grains, etc.
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Sink or float guessing games- fill dish basins with water and provide a
variety of items with which to experiment
IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE COLD WATER AVAILABLE OUTSIDE…WE
MUST REMIND THE CHILDREN TO DRINK, DRINK,DRINK!!!
Outdoor Messy Play
Oobleck: mix up a batch and allow students to experiment
2 cups of corn starch
3 drops of food coloring
enough water to make a thick mixture (about the texture of pancake
batter) approximately equal amounts of water and corn starch, mix water in
slowly. Mix all ingredients together. Provide pans, spatulas, bowls, funnels,
etc.
Bubble Prints: place colored bubble mixture in a small, wide bowl and invite student
to blow bubbles in the mixture with a straw. Lay a piece of white paper over the
top of the bubbles to make a print.
1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid (Dawn or Joy)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of sugar
Food coloring
Soapy Slime
1 cup of soap flakes
3 cups warm water
Food coloring
Large mixing bowl, large container or tray and an electric beater.
As you beat the water and soap flakes the mixture multiples, so I placed the large
bowl on top of our container to catch the over flow.
Sidewalk Paint
Mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1 cup of water until combined. Pour mixture into
divided container and add food coloring until desired color is reached. A muffin tin
makes a good container. Use paintbrushes or foam brushes
Freezy Dough
Mix shaving cream with a bit of food coloring and freeze (fruit scented woman’s
shaving cream works well too). Freeze for 3-4 hours, pull your dough out and
PLAY!
It’s feels like ice cream. Rainbow rice makes good “sprinkles” for this. Allow
children to explore with their hands or provide bowls, scoops, plastic sundae
“glasses” etc.
Mud Play Dough: Use with trucks, cars, dinosaurs, or insects
4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
5 cups water
2 1/2 cups salt (just about the equivalent of an entire container)
3 Tablespoons cream of tartar (I ran out after 1 Tbsp…see the substitution
below)
10 tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)
Mix dry ingredients then add oil & water. Stir all ingredients together & cook over
low-medium heat. The mixture will start to thicken & pull together. Continue
stirring until it is no longer sticky when a piece is squeezed between fingers
Turn out onto clean surface and (while still warm) knead together until smooth
Cover with a dishcloth for 20 minutes and place in a Ziploc bag (leave it open until
all condensation disappears, squeeze out excess air and seal).
Cornmeal Play Dough:
2 cups of flour
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of cornmeal (I had coarse meal)
1/2 cup of salt
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cream of tartar
A couple of drops of yellow food coloring
Mix all the ingredients together in a pot over medium heat stirring until a ball
forms and the consistency is thick like play dough. Remove from heat and allow to
cool, knead until smooth.
Cloud Dough: good for making sand castles
Mix together 8 cups flour & 1 cup canola oil
Misc.
Fly swatter painting on large paper or large white sheet
Cooked spaghetti (add food coloring to the boiling water) & store in a Ziploc bag in
the refrigerator when not in use.
Chalk Art on rocks (colored chalk, rocks, bucket of soapy water & scrub brush)
Oobleck & colored ice cubes
For Toddlers
Steer clear of using scented mixtures or sweet foods like pudding, cool whip, and
Jell-O with this age group as they will be likely to explore these ingredients with
their mouths rather than their hands. Although the recipes below are completely
edible, they are not tasty and will most likely discourage more than one or two
“samples”.
When providing scoops and containers for water play be sure to use colanders,
slotted spoons, and cups with holes drilled or poked in the bottom. This will limit
the amount of water a young child drinks during exploration.
Potato Flake Paint
Mix potato flakes, water, and food coloring, adding the water a little at a time
gives children the opportunity to explore many different textures. The Potato
flake mixture can be kept thick and explored on a tray or in a bin.
Potato flakes can also be used dry to scoop and feel.
Edible Finger Paint
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 3/4 cup cold water
Mix together cornstarch and water in a saucepan until there are no lumps
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
Mix together gelatin and water and set aside.
Cook cornstarch mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils. It’ll
become thick as you’re stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture.
Cool and pour into smaller containers. Add food coloring for desired colors.
Jell-O Mold & Small Plastic Toys
Make 2-4 boxes of unflavored Jell-O, add food coloring, and place in a large bowl.
Add several small, plastic toys (cars, animal figures, etc.)
Place in refrigerator until Jell-O hardens and allow child to investigate on a plastic
table cloth.
Tearing wet paper: old magazines, dish basin, a little bit of water
Water Scooping for Babies: dish basins, water, containers with holes