One Stop Shop for Summer Fun & Family Adventures

Summer is the perfect time to eat ice pops, visit the pool or go on a family vacation. For moms, summer is not much different than the rest of the year. In hot weather kids are just a little antsier, dirtier from being outside all day and eager to play in the water. To get though my busy summer days I have a one-stop shop for covering all my hot weather needs. At Fred Meyer I can stock up on water toys, swimwear, sunscreen and more and only have to stand in one checkout line. Here are some of the summer essentials that make family life memorable and fun!

Video! Fun Summer Activities for Kids

This post was written by us on behalf of Kroger. All opinions are our own.

Backyard Water Toys

Water balloons are a fun sensory activity for kids. My girls gingerly hold their water balloons, wonder at their squishy feel and sometimes carry them around for hours. My little guy on the other hand immediately throws his water balloons and then asks for more. You can find a variety of water balloons and water toys at Fred Meyer at great prices!

Water blasters are another fun backyard toy. When my kids use water blasters I expect them to play nicely and make sure everyone is having fun. Holding a loaded squirt gun is, after all, a big responsibility to know who is playing the game and who is not.

Pool toys are fun to take to the beach or lake. My girls love picking out an inflatable character to play with in the water. We recently took our pool toys to the lake on a family vacation and we enjoyed lots of safe, sunny water play.

Pool Noodle Obstacle Course

My kids also love playing in their inflatable kiddie pool and running through the sprinkler. We made a backyard obstacle course with some foam pool noodles, an old hose, 2 hula hoops and an oversized inflatable ball. Sometimes just a little DIY project is plenty to entertain kids for hours in the warm weather.

To make a backyard obstacle course, we used some pool noodles to make a sprinkler, added hula hoops and filled up the kiddie pool with water and water balloons. You could easily create one of these cool sprinklers yourself!

How to Make a DIY Pool Noodle Sprinkler

Materials: 3 pool noodles, length of hose, duct tape, scissors, screw driver

• Cut two 10″ lengths of hose (to attach the pool noodles together).
• Place the end of one 10″ hose through the hole on one pool noodle end and duct tape it securely in place.
• Attach a second pool noodle onto the hose’s other end and duct tape the two noodles together. To minimize leaks, we positioned the noodles close together with the length of hose running through the center.
• Repeat to connect the third pool noodle. You could technically connect as many pool noodles as you want!

Attaching the pool noodles will create a tube that is 3 pool noodles long with sections of hose connecting the noodles together. Note: Make sure all materials are dry when you duct tape everything together.

Use a screw driver to poke holes along the length of the pool noodle tube to make sprinkler spouts. The more holes you make, the lower the water pressure will be.

We attached our DIY pool noodle sprinkler to a hula hoop to help it stand up. You could also lay the pool noodles on the ground so the water shoots up vertically.

My kids had fun running through our DIY pool noodle sprinkler, playing in the inflatable pool, throwing water balloons and kicking around our huge inflatable ball. Backyard obstacle courses can look different every time you set them up!

Bubbles & Snacks

Other summer fun family activities include blowing bubbles, having a picnic and making tents out in the yard. When we go to the beach or playground, my kids always want to bring a bag of fruit snacks!

When my kids are ready to cool off, they can enjoy some refreshing fruit ice pops or homemade layered yogurt ice pops. Fred Meyer has all the things you need to make ice pops; the pop molds, flavored yogurt and fresh berries if you want to add those in too! My kids love ice pops and are always eager for a sweet treat.

Summer Family Essentials

Overall, Fred Meyer is a great destination for all backyard, pool party, warm weather needs. I love their selection of fresh produce for summer parties and I often shop their home decor, seasonal and clothing sections. You can find all the summer essentials at Fred Meyer at great prices. Stock up on floaties, bubbles, water blasters, water balloons, Nerf blasters, backyard games, pools, swimwear, flip flops, beach towels, seasonal toys and even gear for grilling & entertaining.

What are some ways your family enjoys the summer weather and change of routine?