6 Fun Things For Kids To Do In Michigan
*This article was written by Kim Wright RN of Pediatrics.
It’s summer time in Michigan and its time for kids to get outside and have some fun! Below you will find a list of 6 fun things for kids to do in Michigan. Some of them require a nice warm day. Others you can do inside. Either way, these are some great ideas to help you have some fun with your kids in this great state of Michigan!
1. Bowling Outside
Bowling outside you ask? Sure! You can have even more fun bowling outside than inside. Here’s how to do it. Fill plastic 8oz old pop containers with colored water, place them in a V shape on the pavement. Use a volley ball or something similar and have at it. If you want to do night bowling add a glow stick from the dollar store. Night bowling is super fun and will definitely get some attention from your neighbors!
2. Make Your Own Sprinkler
Grab an old two liter and put holes in the bottom of it with a screw driver. Hook the two liter up to a running hose and throw it over a tree branch. You now have a cool sprinkler that you designed yourself! Your kids will have a ton of fun getting wet and the greatest thing is that you can change the design of the sprinkler each time! Just poke more holes or get a new two liter!
3. Make Your Own Flubber
Do you remember the 1997 Flubber movie with Robin Williams? It was hilarious in part because of the wacky Flubber that seemed to have a life of its own. Here’s a Flubber recipe that will have your kids roaring with fun!
Flubber Ingredients: ¾ cup cold water, 1 cup Elmers glue, liquid food coloring, ½ cup hot water, 1 tsp Borax (You can find this in the detergent aisle).
Flubber Directions:
Step 1: Mix the cold water, glue and food coloring. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix the hot water and Borax together in a separate bowl until it is dissolved.
Step 3: Slowly add glue to the Borax mixture and mix well. Pour off excess water.
4. Bubble Pool
Here’s a very easy fun thing to do in the Spring/Summer time. Take your kiddy pool and fill it with water. Add a little dish detergent while filling. You get mounds of bubbles and the kids love it. Make sure not to add too much or your kids will be tasting soap for weeks! 😉
5. Puddle Jumping
On a rainy summer day (which we have many in Michigan)… set aside some old clothes and towels in the garage. Then throw caution to the wind and go out and jump in puddles. Heck, grab some mud too, if available, and have a mud war!
6. Shaving Cream War
Buy some cans of non-menthol (menthol burns the skin) shaving cream at the dollar store. Put your bathing suits on and fill everyone’s hands full of shaving cream and try to smear each other with it. The child that stays the cleanest is the winner! Afterwards, pull out the hose and clean everyone off or just jump in the pool.
Bonus Fun Thing To Do! Make Ice Cream Sandwich Cakes
Here’s what you need:
-2 boxes of ice cream sandwich (12)
-2 containers of cool whip 8 oz containers
Unwrap the sandwiches and place one box in a 9 by13 pan so you cover the bottom. Spread your first container of cool whip over the ice cream sandwiches. Place the 2nd box of unwrapped sandwiches over the top of the cool whip. Spread the 2nd container of cool whip over the second layer of sandwiches. You can add any kind of candy such as Heath Bar, Snickers, M&M’s, crushed Oreos or whatever sounds good. Freeze them and then pull out to serve. You can also use Hershey chocolate syrup to spray on top.
*How To Deal With Bugs & Sun Burns!
With summer, comes the bugs! This summer, the mosquitoes are worse than normal. Extra strength Benadryl is one thing I have found that is very helpful to get rid of the bugs. It is a topical analgesic and it works great. Also, Aloe Gel works great for sun burns and bites. Squirt it into ice cube trays and freeze. When someone in your family has a bite or sun burn you can give them a cube to place on their “owie”.
I hope you enjoyed this list of fun things for kids to do in Michigan. Remember that the most important thing to do is to stay safe. Put safety first and you’ll have a great Michigan summer!