There are few things more fun and satisfying than blasting someone with a squirt gun.  However, if you blast your Dad as he comes home from work, you might end up in more “hot water” than you bargained for.  Instead of taking that risk, the next time your trigger finger gets itchy, why don’t you organize a little friendly competition?  Whether it’s with your family on a Sunday afternoon, your friends on a hot evening, or the guests at your next party, these outdoor kids games and water games will keep you cool even as the fun heats up.

Outdoor Kids Games #1 – Fountainhead Race:

What you need:  2 plastic or paper cups,  2 empty 20 oz. bottles, 2 buckets or pitchers filled with water.

What to do:  Divide into two teams.  One person from each team, called the bottle holder, will sit on the ground at least 20 feet away from the rest of the team and hold the empty bottle on their head.  The next team member, called a runner, will fill their paper cup with water, run to the bottle holder, and pour the water from the cup into the bottle.  When the runner’s cup is empty, the runner and the bottle holder switch places, and the new runner runs back to the team.  Because this is a relay, the next person in line does the same thing, and on and on until the 20 oz bottle is filled with water.  The first team to fill their 20 oz. bottle wins!

Outdoor Kids Games #2 – Run the Gauntlet:

What you need:  Several Cans of Shaving Cream for the runners, and one squirt gun for every shooter, one bucket, several clothespins, rocks, or other small to medium sized objects.

What to do:  Set up a simple aisle or path (sidewalks work perfect for this) and position the clothespins on one end, and the empty bucket on the other.  A good distance apart is anywhere from 30 to 70 feet.  Position the shooters on the sides of the aisle approximately 2 feet from the aisle (they are not allowed to touch the runner or to get in the runner’s way.) Paint a “target” of shaving cream on the runner’s chest. (Try to use the same amount of shaving cream for each runner). The runner’s job is to run back and forth delivering clothespins, one at a time, into the bucket. The object is to see how many clothespins he can get into the bucket before the shooters shoot all of the shaving cream target off. Once the shaving cream is gone from the runners chest, his turn is over. Count the number of objects that runner was able to place into the bucket. The one who delivers the most clothespins wins!

Outdoor Kids Games #3 – Fizzy Fighters:

What you need: A watergun and an alka-seltzer necklace for every player.

What to do: Have each player make an alka-seltzer necklace by using a needle to thread one to three alka seltzer tablets onto a string. Use the needle to poke a small hole in the middle of the tablet, but make sure your hands and work area are completely dry or your necklace will dissolve before you even get to play the game! To play the game, rope off a designated play area that all players must stay in. From the word “go” each player tries to dissolve the other players alka-seltzer necklace. The person whose necklace lasts the longest is the champion!

Just like a mom can never have too many pairs of shoes, a kid can never have too many water guns either.  Fortunately, JM Cremps carries a near arsenal for all of your water gun wars.  For some precise firing capacity you’ll be able to shoot your way through every battle with the Aqua Zooka 12.  Of course, when you really want to bring out the big guns and rule the neighborhood, you can’t go wrong with the Stream Machine TL-750.  For a real fun twist that will dominate any battle, a water balloon wrist-launcher is beyond fun.

Just for fun, check out this historic water gun fight that set the Guinness World Record for the largest water gun fight ever!