07/14

Summer Fun: Sprinkler Party

You don’t need to have access to a swimming pool to get the most out of summer fun.  Do you remember the great times you had as a kid running through the sprinklers?  Why did drinking water out of the hose taste SO good!?  It was such an awesome “parent moment” to share with Brooks something I enjoyed so much as a kid and see him loving it!

We didn’t have a pool growing up, but we didn’t let that get in the way of having a blast in the water.  Granted our sprinkler wasn’t the incredibly cool fire hydrant sprinkler, but I can promise you the giddy giggles and screams that occur when kids run through the water sound exactly the same as when we were kids!!!   We have a nice long patch of grass in front of our house and once we decided to get our kiddie crew together for some summer lovin, we knew just one sprinkler wouldn’t do.  We took it to the bridge and created an obstacle course with our sprinklers that really took it to the next level!!

But worry not friends, our over the top water collision course did NOT break the bank.  Thanks in part to the dollar store, we were able to keep this fiesta in the low cost budget zone.   This is a really great warm weather party idea.  It would be perfect for a birthday party, graduation or no reason at all other than cooling down and hanging with your kiddie crew!!

This idea was SO easy to put together!  The second sprinkler we used was the incredibly cute Melissa and Doug sunny patch grub scouts sprinkler.  Our high tech engineering team (AKA Team Sims) placed our two sprinklers apart on the lawn and connected the trail with some hula-hoops we got from the dollar store.  We added the Gazillion bubble machine to the mix and finished off our obstacle course with dollar store beach balls.  It was majestic, let me tell you!!  But the real test would be the kids.

Boys and girls, start your engines.  Let’s get ready to rumble.  The sprinkler –bubble- hula-hoop obstacle course is now open.  Wild maniac children give it your best shot!!

Oh Yesssss!!  We have success.  You can’t even imagine the mix of laughter and screams coming from our house.  I’m not sure who had more fun.  The kids or the parents watching all of this go down.  Speaking of parents, I heeded my number one party planner’s advice and we created a lounge area for the parents by throwing a couple brightly colored blankets and pillows on the ground so they could relax and watch their little ones while they ran the sprinkler gauntlet.

There wasn’t so much relaxing per se, but TONS of smiling and laughing.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Brooks and his buddies had a complete blast.

Now don’t think that I was just living vicariously through my little boy.  Mama definitely took her turn on the obstacle course.  Brooks was the navigator while I held him and we ran through.  I’m not sure who was screaming louder me, or Brooks.

Because once is never enough, especially when it comes to sprinkler obstacle courses, I took another turn (or two). Talk about reliving a childhood memory.  To be 100% honest, it was just as much fun as I remembered it being as a kid.

Super cute gift idea: Sand pail, a colorful beach towel, swim goggles and assorted summer themed toys.  How cute is that hat? Everything was purchased from the .99 cent store. (Except for towel. But that cost only $3.97!!) Absolutely stellar as a party favor or could even be perfect as a birthday gift.  The best part for me is that they now have their own towels!!  No digging through the cupboards for 20 towels to dry the masses.  Talk about mutually beneficial!

This was really a great day.  Brooks and company had a blast and Mama did too.  The sprinkler still rules in the land of fun.  Check out some more pics below from our wet & wild party.  You should definitely add it to your summer hit list.

What have you been doing this summer?  How do you keep your kids cool while having fun?  Tell me EVERYTHING!!!