More Mess Means More Fun This Summer

Summer is coming and you know what that means, right? Long, unstructured days punctuated by “I’m bored,” and “There’s nothing to do.” This really means kids are tired of doing all of the same things and they crave new activities they can feel excited about.

This is the perfect opportunity for a little bit of parent-approved pandemonium, because the key to getting the most fun out of summer is including more mess in the mix.

Colorful paint and imagination make masterpieces

Mark off a square play arena outdoors with five-foot tall bamboo garden stakes and blue painters’ masking tape. Fill squirt guns or squirt bottles with non-toxic watercolor paints, don a pair of clear swim goggles, dress the kids in old clothes and let them decorate each other. The only rule: no one leaves the field until all the paint is spent.

Break the tops off real eggs and save the contents to make quiche or a soufflé later. Keep the empty shells in the carton and fill them with acrylic paints in various colors. Outside or in the garage or basement, hang a large canvas against a sturdy wall or fence and let the kids take aim and fire until they make a masterpiece. Use plastic drop cloths to catch the splatters as needed.

Roll out a long sheet of paper and pour puddles of acrylic paint at one end. Have each child step in one color per foot and walk across the paper. Switch to the other side of the paper to balance out the look. Trim and hang art on a fence or wall to dry.

Messy fun with food

Fill a store-bought piñata two-thirds of the way full with cooked, well-drained spaghetti. Then add small plastic toys, foil-wrapped granola bars, and plastic wrapped candies. Secure a tarp underneath with duct tape (indoors) or camping stakes (outdoors) for easy cleanup.

Make about a gallon of chocolate pudding. Drop large spoonfuls of pudding onto a Slip & Slide. Have children take a running start down a low-grade slope. To make slide more slippery, have kids sprinkle it with water from a sprinkler can or set the hose sprayer to mist. Add more pudding or water, as needed.

Cook one box of spaghetti per participant. Get some five-gallon buckets and fill them two-thirds of the way with water. Add enough flour to thicken the water, then add cooked spaghetti. The only rules are: use your own spaghetti, no bucket-dumping, and no touching—just throwing. Put them in the square play arena and get the heck out of the way.

Divide children into two groups. Put a line across the center or your play arena. Everyone has to stay on their own side and wear swim googles. Place a table of supplies within reach of the backcourt on each side. On the table, supply large bowls of chilled mashed potatoes, Jello, pudding, and cooked oatmeal. Tint food with food coloring if clothing can be stained. On your mark, get set, food fight!

Musical silly string. Put half the group in the middle on a plastic tarp. Encircle them with the other half of the group. Turn on the music. Have the inside group move in one direction and the outside group move in the other direction, while spraying the inside group with silly string. When the music is turned off, switch groups.

Mud puddle fun. On a sturdy table at playing height, fill a small kiddie pool with dirt and just enough water to make mud. Add digging and pouring toys for an hour of industry for young kids.

Duck-Duck-Dump. Have kids sit in circle for a game of Duck-Duck-Goose. But first, hand them a cup of water and a half-cup of flour to pour over each goose’s head.

Giant bubbles. Make this giant bubble mix . Do not agitate the solution as you pour it into a small wading pool slightly larger than a Hula Hoop in diameter. Have one child don a pair of clear goggles and stand in the middle of the pool without splashing. Let two kids lower a Hula Hoop over him and then pull it straight up into a giant bubble.

Tips to make the mess work

1. If you can’t go outside, consider using a well-ventilated garage, shed, or basement. Some activities work better indoors than others. Some simply won’t work inside.
2. Check out the house painting supply section of your local store for inexpensive items to protect your space.
3. Have a designated photographer who may not be slimed, spaghettied or painted (make it you).
4. After a messy activity, hand out messy food, too, like popsicles or ice cream.
5. If you don’t want kids to get stained or dirty, you can still make a mess. Just use smocks, shower caps, and bandanas to cover up.
6. The sky’s the limit when it comes to making messes. Use your imagination; then consider safety precautions, as needed.