Yesterday, I helped my boys get ready for a water balloon fight. It was a perfect afternoon for playing with water balloons. It was hot, dry, and being hit with water actually felt great.
I’d bought the balloons on an impulse purchase at the dollar store. Next time we will spend a little more. They were not quality made. We were all more than a little wet by the time we’d filled and tied the balloons. Several burst before we even touched them. A couple of balloons had tears in them and wouldn’t hold water. Quite a few tore as we were tying the tops.
And yet, it was fun. Even though we only got about twenty balloons out the bag. We laughed over the leaks and held them up to get each other wet. When the balloons tore as I was tying them I pinched the top shut and squirted the boys.
I left them to fight alone. They quickly burnt through the balloons. By that time though they were having so much fun that they chased other with the hose. They even filled up sand pails with water and sloshed each other. They came inside an hour later, soaked and dripping, and very happy.
I had fun laughing with my children. Getting a little cooled off as the balloons leaked or exploded unexpectedly was a nice bonus. I like that the boys can create their own games when things don’t go as expected. I really liked that we took a disappointing situation and turned it into fun.
They even did a great job picking up the remnants of popped water balloons. We’ve heard that pets and birds can choke on these.
Here in Colorado, we’ve only got a few more weeks of hot weather before autumn. I think we’ll go look for some better balloons this weekend. If we have enough balloons, maybe my husband and I will join in the fun, too.
For more fun, see:
Fun With Balloons and Squirt Guns
Balloons Are Great For More Than Air