Water Games for Kids

Be careful not to spill when you'rerunning with "Bubble Pie."

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Line up to play bubble pie. This wet and wacky relay is made for soapy fun in the summer sun.

What You'll Need:

Fill two big buckets with sudsy, soapy water. Put two empty buckets on the opposite end of the playing field.

Divide into two teams, each lined up behind the soapy bucket. The leader in each line holds the empty pie tin.

When the whistle blows, fill the pie tin with soapy water and head for the opposite end of the field. Dump what's left of your "pie" in the empty bucket and run back to your line.

Pass the empty pie pan to the next person in line, then head for the back of the line. That person repeats the whole process, which continues until everyone in the line has had a turn.

The team with the most bubbly water in the bucket at the other end of the field claims the bubble championship.

With some shaving cream and a little target practice, your kids can be a "squirt bottle barber." Learn more on the next page.

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Give a clean shave asa squirt bottle barber.

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Wash away your whiskers while playing squirt bottle barber. Kids love playing with dad's shaving cream. In this game, it's a MUST.

What You'll Need:

Divide into pairs and get ready for a close shave. One player in each team holds a squirt bottle full of clean, cool water. The other slips into swimmer's goggles and spreads shaving cream all over the lower half of their face. When the "go" signal sounds, the "barber" begins to squirt the face of his partner, from a distance of about five feet, trying to wash away any sign of shaving foam. The first team with a clean shave wins the race.

Kids will get the chance to "cut up" with the next activity. Find out more about water balloon cut-up on the next page.

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Prepare to get soaked with water balloon cut-up.

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If you've ever tried to cut up a Polish sausage, you'll know the water balloon cut-up game -- except that the weenie you're about to carve is a water balloon. And the minute you cut into the "meat," you get wonderfully wet.

What You'll Need:

Fill your paper plate with water weenies (long, thin balloons filled with cool water from the hose).

Take your plastic butter knife in hand and wait for the signal to start (have someone blow a whistle or just say "Go!"). The first person to "carve" five "weenies" wins the race.

No one to compete against? Race the clock instead. Set your best time, then see if you can beat it.

A hint: Have the water balloons (lots of them, at least 15 for each player) filled before you start the game.

Instead of crying over spilled water, have fun with it. Learn how to play the spoon spill game on the next page.

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When you spill water on your favorite drawing, it's no fun. But in the spoon spill game, when you spill water spoon by spoon onto a piece of construction paper, it's a race to the wettest! Sometimes, soggy rules supreme!

What You'll Need:

Each player gets a teaspoon, a paper cup of water, and 60 seconds.

Whoever gets their piece of paper the wettest from a distance of three feet in just one minute wins the game.

But remember, no fair tossing your whole cup of water. The idea is to win this race one spoon at a time.

One hint: Be sure to use construction paper. It shows (and absorbs) water better than other kinds of paper.

On the next page, learn how to use your body as a human thermostat.

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How cold is it? Find out using this experiment. We know the average healthy human body maintains a temperature of about 98.6 degrees. But can our bodies accurately read temperatures lower than that? Play this "dippy" game to find out.

What You'll Need:

On a warm day, sit outside and dip a naked toe into a bowl of water and make a guess at what temperature the water actually is. Measure the real temperature with a thermometer and write it beside your guess.

Now add some ice to the bowl and guess again. Measure the correct temperature and write both figures down.

Now carefully add warm water to the ice water (making sure it's not too hot to touch), stick your toe in, and repeat the process.

See if your body even comes close to guessing the correct temperatures.

Weigh in on how much you think your friend's water balloon weighs. Learn how to play water balloon weigh-in on the next page.

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Guess how heavy the water balloonis in Water Balloon Weigh-In.

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Guess well or prepare to be soaked in the Water Balloon Weigh-In game. Guess how much a swollen water balloon actually weighs. If not, get drenched!

What You'll Need:

First, fill at least two water balloons for each person playing the game. Then appoint one person scorekeeper. It's up to the scorekeeper to write down the other players' guesses and confirm the actual weight once the balloon is placed on the fruit scale. If the person guessing is within five ounces, he's spared. If not, his opponent gets to break the balloon in question over his rival's head. The person with the most correct answers (and the driest clothing) wins.

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ABOUT THE ACTIVITY DESIGNERS

The following activities were designed by Maria Birmingham, Karen E. Bledsoe, and Kelly Milner Halls.