Welcome to Summer Water War

I've been looking for a last day of school tradition for the past few years.  I wanted something that really celebrated the fact that summer was beginning.  So, this year we decided to try having a last day of school water war.  Here's the concept:

The kids paint themselves in war paint and then have a water fight to wash it off.  Then we follow it up with popsicles and a trip to the pool.

We invited a few other families and gathered all the water fighting supplies we could find.  Spray bottles, water guns, empty ketchup and mustard bottles, and sponges were our weapons of choice. Then we pulled out the war paints.

First, the war paints. We used washable CRAYOLA paints in a variety of colors.  I think a good part of the fun was had in them painting themselves. 

 Once everyone was painted and looking like CRAYOLA warriors they grabbed a weapon and waited for us to say "GO".

Here's a few tips if you try this:
1.  Painting faces is fun, but when your face gets wet and the paint runs into your eyes....well, that's not as fun.  So, avoid painting faces above or around the eyes.

2.  Don't make the water toys available until after the painting is done.  It's so tempting for some kids to start the water fight while other kids are still painting. And, since the paints wash off with water that's just asking for someone to start crying.

3.  Create an "I don't want to be sprayed right now" zone. Maybe even tape the area off so it is clearly defined. The kids need a neutral zone where they can go if they are trying to fix their weapon, or just need a little break from being sprayed.  Everyone needs to know that spraying kids in that area is off limits. 

Once the water fight was over they painted the fence and then washed it off. 

And, the fun pretty much lasted until we ran out of paints.  Then, it was time for popsicles and swimming.

 I think we'll do it again next year and with a few modifications (AKA, following those three rules that I listed above) and it just may become a great end of year tradition.  Welcome to Summer!

Looking for more fun stuff to do with your kids?  Check out my EVERYDAY FUN PAGE