Monday, July 5, 2010

Sponge Balls

Summer is here and so is the heat.  This week we are going to provide some ways to stay COOL and keep the kids entertained. 
Every year when I was teaching school we always ended the school year with a water day.  One of the kids favorite activities was water balloons.  How many of you have every filled water balloons for 800 children?  You can imagine how time consuming this is.  Luck for me I saw this wonderful idea for sponge balls in Family Fun magazine.  Made from kitchen sponges that are cut in strips and tied together, they last longer than water balloons and are softer and splash better than regular water balls. The kids loved them and we didn't have to fill balloons or pick up all the pieces when they were done.  The balls lasted for years. These are great for a game of tag on a scorching hot day.


Materials:
3 plain kitchen sponges (you can get a large bag cheap at WalMart or  6 for $1.00 at Dollar Tree)
Scissors
Strong string or floss
Bucket

Instructions:
For each ball, you'll need 3 plain kitchen sponges fresh from the package and still slightly damp. Use scissors to cut each sponge lengthwise into 5 strips about a half-inch wide. Stack the strips as shown. Loop a piece of strong string around the center of the stack and pull tightly. Double-knot the string and trim the excess.  Fill a bucket with water and let them games begin.  You can play tag, keep away, dodge ball, throw at a target ... be creative and COOL off. 

Courtesy of Family Fun

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