The weather is getting nice, or it soon will, so now is a great time to make some outdoor games.
Ball Catchers
This game is simple to make, simple to play, and your kids will have fun with it for hours.
Items Needed:
- 2 One-gallon jugs (from milk or drinking water, with handles)
- Scissors
- Ball
- Indelible markers
1. Wash plastic milk jugs and cut away a section from the top, leaving the handle intact and creating a round area (as shown below).
2. Decorate the ball catchers with indelible markers and allow to dry.
3. Choose a ball that will easily fit inside the ball catchers.
4. Play catch with your child!
Lawn Darts
Another really simple game to create and to play.
Items Needed:
- Length of rope
- Fiberfill (or other filler)
- Socks or nylon knee-highs
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Paint (optional)
1. Form a large circle with the rope and tie the ends. Lay it on the ground. This will be your target.
2. Cut out the shape of an X from the cardboard. It should be about 4″ x 4″ and the intersecting lines should be about 11/2″ wide. Cut a circle in the center of the X. Paint if desired.
3. Fill the foot section of kids’ socks or nylon knee-highs and tie a knot. Poke the remaining portion of the knotted end through the hole in the X. Tie another knot.
4. You now have soft, safe lawn darts.
5. Make a starting line to stand behind then take turns throwing the darts into the circle. Keep score if you like, and award more points for darts that land directly in the center of the circle. It’s best to decide on a scoring system before beginning to play.
Variations:
Use a hula-hoop instead of rope for your circle, or draw a big target with a bulls-eye in the center on a piece of poster board. This will making keeping score easier. Assign points for each level of the target as well as the bulls-eye. Also, try using colored socks to make assorted colors of darts.