Looking for something to do with your kids that won’t break the bank? Try a boat float! Making our own boats and floating them in a nearby creek is a summer activity we have done every year! And even my teen and tween will still participate. If you are in the Kansas City area, I recommend Gezer Park. We have gone there the last few years and it has nice shade and a creek designed to be played in by kids.

Make A Boat

We enjoy bringing our supplies to the park and making our boats there. This is good for a few reasons; limits force creativity and you can test and modify as you go. We have made boats out of recycled materials like milk jugs and cardboard boxes. We’ve made origami paper boats, and tin foil boats, and boats out of popsicle sticks or even regular sticks and large leaves. The idea is to use what you have around the house. Don’t go buy anything!

Boat Float and Race

You can have boat races downstream or just see which boat will last the longest (I have boys, competition is their thing). If your kids aren’t into races they could have fun make believe playing. When my kids were younger they like to bring a couple of their plastic dinosaurs to float in the boats, but make sure they aren’t a favorite toy they may not come back. We have also had fun seeing how many pebbles a boat will hold and how long it takes them to float from one point to another.

Interested in Other Summer Activities for Kids?

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