Celebrating the Little Things with a Backyard Bash

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Last week saw my youngest as an attendee at Vacation Bible School and my 6th grade son was an assistant crew leader for the week.  We decided to have a  family backyard bash as it is a great way for celebrating the little things.  And, it served as a change to brainstorm outdoor games and activities for their upcoming birthdays.

 

 

We were fortunate to have some great weather during the week which always has me thinking about different ways to get the boys active outside. 

Plus, when it comes to birthday season we have historically gone rather low key with parties at the house.  These parties are often fairly low key. Although, I like to have a few activities to get the kids interacting and keep them from wanting to just hang out inside playing things like Pokémon tournaments and video games.  That’s fine for the cold days of winter, but for the short summertime we need to enjoy the outdoors as much as we can.

Easy Backyard Bash Activity Ideas

As a mother of all boys, I am quite aware of how competitive they can be.  I’ve heard from more than one mother of boys that the best way to get them doing something they dread is to issue a challenge which makes the drudgery into a task.  Need to clean up the toy room?  Grab the timer and offer a small reward to the boy who picks up X items and puts them away in the shortest amount of time OR set the timer and see who cleans up the most in that time.  You get the idea…make it a challenge and they are more eager to prove they are the best.

With that in mind, we thought we’d explore what we have at the house and the terrain in the backyard to come up with some obstacle course ideas for the younger crowd.  My younger boys had a blast trying out different aspects of what could go into an obstacle course where the competitors could be time to see who was the ‘winner.’

 

The other idea for a kid friendly activity that can occur in our backyard is to have Nerf Wars.  Even after the big wind storm 2 years ago, we have a TON of trees for the kids to duck behind or weave through to elude their chaser.  After looking for some of the boys’ gear, I realized that much of it might be hiding in the clutter of the toy room. 

 

After all the fun activity in the yard, the boys were getting hungry and wanted a snack. 

Okay, if I want to be fully honest, they don’t need a lot of physical activity to work up the desire for a mid-afternoon snack.  Four growing boys in the house has taught me that they can be hungry throughout the day and I need to be ready to feed them.

Easy Backyard Bash Snacks

Knowing we were going to spend some time coming up with these ideas and braving the hoards of mosquitoes in the process, I decided I would have to give them something a little different from their normal snack options of cheese and crackers or a piece of fruit.  So, I picked up a few special items: Dr Pepper and Cheez-It crackers. 

While I was shopping, I found a really cute Coleman cooler that is just perfect for holding cans of soda alongside a container of ice cream for a little Dr Pepper Float action.  We have plenty of large, hard sided coolers which get used for things like fishing and hunting trips.  But, it is nice to have smaller coolers for day trips or even just keeping things cold while at the table outside.

 

The boys enjoyed our special backyard bash, but it didn’t last too long. 

The Dr Pepper Floats (vanilla ice cream with Dr Pepper poured on top) were a hit with the boys. And, everyone filled their bellies with Cheez-It crackers and some blueberries to provide a little vegetation.

 

Once we had stopped moving around so much in our flurry of activity, the extra large Alaskan mosquitoes started swarming us.  Within minutes, we were all starting to get swollen spots on our limbs, faces and necks.  Guess I need to pick up more ‘bug juice’ during  my next Walmart trip to keep them at bay.

 

Even with the bites and their accompanying discomfort, I’m glad we took some time to enjoy the fresh air and create family memories.  Plus, we’ve got a great foundation for the upcoming birthday season with obstacle courses possibilities fleshed out which should be a hit when friends come join us.  And, if that doesn’t catch their interest, I’m sure there will be a line for the trampoline!

 

 

What are some backyard bash ideas that you’ve used with your family and friends?

Do your kids enjoy things like an obstacle course or Nerf wars?  Or would they rather catch some air on a trampoline?