RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Many of us here in the U.S. of A. are looking forward to a little extra time off in celebration of Independence Day, and making plans to get together with family and friends for some good food and good times this weekend. It’s a holiday that’s greener than it may seem. After all, the day doesn’t call for gift giving, card sending—and the associated paper waste—or mass consumption of oversugared treats. And as we spend a little time considering our country’s 233 years of existence, I think it’s worth bringing back some of the celebratory traditions that I, and maybe you, remember from the days before iPods, the Internet, and DVDs.
Noisy Fun
Celebrating the Fourth of July as a kid was all about eating, making as much noise as we could, and waving legions of sparklers around once it was finally deemed time to light them by our parents. I have fond memories of the smell of cap gun caps, which we used in toy pistols if we had them, but more often than not we stretched the pink paper ribbons out on the curb and whacked them industriously with a hammer. As we got older we moved onto making some more serious noise with a Big-Bang cannon. These classic cast-metal toys made a quite sizable boom, and a bit of a flash out the barrel. But they didn’t shoot anything. You may be able to find one at a local hobby store, or take advantage of free rush shipping at the company’s website bigbangcannons.com to make your very own loud, but safe, cannonade this year.
Giving kids permission to be loud for a day—outside—is a great way to keep them occupied, and off the couch. If there will be a bunch of small children (or young-at-heart adults), stock up on party noisemakers to keep them happily entertained. My favorite noisemaker was always a kazoo. If you can hum you can play a kazoo like a pro, and a bunch of kazooers makes a joyful noise, if I ever heard one! Your local party store is sure to have a selection of plastic ones, and maybe even longer-lasting metal ones, which can get tucked away for the next festive occasion. And if all else fails, give each kid a metal pot and a wooden spoon, or two pot lids, and tell them to make as much totally free noise as they can!
Water Games
No hot-weather outdoor get-together would be complete without some flying water! Squirt guns and water balloons provide hours of fun and healthy exercise for kids of all ages. When I was little, we always had little plastic pistols that shot a tiny stream a few feet, took forever to reload, and wore out your finger (and themselves) rather quickly—though we had plenty of fun with them anyway. When my kids were young, we chanced on something called a Dip Stick—basically a big syringe made out of plain old PVC pipe—that took water battles to a new level. They shot a generous amount of water a considerable distance, reloaded from any bucket (or pool or lake) as fast as they discharged, didn’t wear out your trigger finger, and lasted for years (no moving parts), despite being stepped on and dropped repeatedly). They are now called Stream Machines and come in bright colors and have pistol grips for more comfortable streaming. Order a case, as we did for a family reunion years ago, and let the fun begin! Or head to the hardware store and make one; it’s a great little family project. All you need are some lengths of PVC pipe and rubber gaskets; you can find plans all over the Web. (PVC is not very environmentally friendly, but these sturdy squirters can last for many years and take the place of dozens of “super soakers” that will break down in a single summer. Recycle them when they’re finally worn out.)
Classic Activities
Organized activities that get people up and moving can turn a good party into a great one—and help everyone burn off some of those calories from grilled goodies. We played hours of croquet when I was growing up; it’s a good game for mixed ages, as speed and strength aren’t much of a factor. Croquet sets are readily available in the sporting goods sections of most department stores this time of year; you can also find used sets online, or try asking your guests if anyone has a set they can bring. You might find that more than one family has a few mallets and balls lying around in the garage, and together you can all make a complete set.
There are lots of races and games you can put together with supplies you already have around the house or can buy very cheaply: Three-legged races require only lengths of soft rope or strips of old T shirts to tie the participants’ ankles together. If you have a source of sturdy cloth sacks (we buy our poultry feed in plastic “burlap” sacks, so we have a great many), sack races are even easier to stage. If you are handy with a sewing machine, turn pairs of old T shirts into super-Ts: Cut off one shirt’s left sleeve and the other shirt’s right, open the seams below the removed armholes, and sew the two shirts together to make one wide shirt with two neck holes. Pairs of people don the super-Ts to play basketball, softball, or whatever game everyone enjoys. Only outside arms can be used; inside arms must stay around the other person’s waist. In this scenario, the least athletic guests often outplay the jocks.
Tossing games are easy to make: Stuff small sacks or old socks with sand or dried beans, and you have all the beanbags you need. Cut target holes in two cardboard cartons, and you are ready to go. Or attach lots of empty yogurt containers or cans to a large piece of cardboard, give each a different value, and take turns tossing coins or jar lids into them from behind a set line. Folks with mobility problems can play tossing games while sitting down, so this is a great way to involve the whole group.
Slightly more involved, but plenty of fun to watch, is the Hula-Sweep. Tie a few feet of strong string to the handle of a whisk broom, and tie the other end to a second length of string tied around a person’s waist. Adjust the length of the string so the broom hangs down in front and just touches the floor when the player’s feet are slightly apart. Sprinkle a set number of mini marshmallows or raisins on the floor, and time how long it takes the person to sweep them over a line, or inside a chalked circle, touching them only with the broom. Play that the fastest sweeper wins, or award each player style points!
Many of the above work indoors, but if you have limited indoor room it’s a good idea to stock up on some supplies for impromptu indoor activities that don’t require moving around much: decks of cards, board games, pads of paper, and pencils. Charades is always popular. Or play Place That Word: Split into two teams; Team One gets 30 seconds to come up with a word that occurs in a song (or movie title); Team Two has 30 seconds to come up with a song that contains that word and say or sing the line.
Add plenty of good food and drink (make it a potluck and ask everyone to bring something, if you like), and let the good times roll!
Farm gal, library worker, and all-around money-pincher Jean Nick shares advice for green thrifty living every Thursday on Rodale.com.