iÀMILY
Forget packing the kids (plus a cootePtwo
umbrellas, and six thousand plastic toys) into
that hot car. Bring the surf to them by organizing
a beach block party. Come up with a few
activities for the kids and assign a person to
coordinate each. You could have houses along
the street turn on sprinklers and Slip ’N Slides at
the same time and map out an obstacle course
where kids race through, competing for prizes.
Or have a sand-castle competition by filling baby
pools with colored sand, like the Crayola kind,
suggests Dallas-based entertaining expert
Kimberly Shlegel Whitman. Other ideas: water-
balloon dodgeball, and sand painting in which
kids draw pictures using glue and then sprinkle
sand on top for a 3-D effect.
“Having just a few scheduled events makes the
day feel special, ratherthan like people are just
hanging out,” Shlegel Whitman says. With beach towels as tablecloths, and Frisbees and beach balls
scattered on lawns,you’ll almost hear the ocean waves. Serve sandwiches and pasta salad. For
dessert: “sandy” cupcakes,
right.
Sprinkle their frosting with brown sugar and top with paper
umbrellas. Each household can set up its beach umbrellas, chairs, and blankets on the lawn to
provide shady oases where the adults can relax and chat and kids can refuel with drinks and snacks.
S a n d y c u p c a k e s
S ta rt w ith a m ix o r sto re -b o u g h t
cupcakes. Sp rin kle fro stin g w ith
“sand” (brow n sug ar) and to p
w ith p ap e r um b rellas. W e added
a beach ball (a ro und pepper-
m in t can d y) and w hipped up
so m e w aves w ith fo o d c o lo rin g
Garden Variety
H ere's anew w ay to e n jo y y o u r garden's
blo sso m s: S trin g th em to g eth e r using
cotton e m b ro id e ry th read o r dental flo ss
to m ake leis. Roses, pansies, d aisies,
m arigo lds, and zin n ias all w o rk w ell.
U se a lei needle ($2.5 0 at
hulasource
.com)
o r an extra-lo ng d arn in g needle. Fo r
an adult lei, cu t 80" o f th read and d ouble
it o ve r fo r a tw o -la ye r strand . Fo r kids' leis,
start w ith 60". U se 6 0 -7 5 b lo sso m s p er
lei, leaving " 'fre e at each end to tie th e lei
together. D epen din g on th e blosso m ,
e ith e r push th e needle thro ugh th e
ce n te r o r go in at an angle so petals
don't fall off. Finally, tie th e ends o f th e
le’ together.
5
f F o r a re ally flu ffy lei, use carn atio n s
fro m th e g ro ce ry sto re. M ost leis stay
fresh fo r 2 4 h o u rs if stored in th e frid g e in
a p lastic bag (b re ath e into it a co uple
tim e s to add so m e h u m id ity).
CH A LK IT UP
Scribbles and hop-
scotch squares are kids’
sum m ertim e graffiti.
T h e y can take it to a
w hole new level w ith
Crayola’s 3D Sidewalk
Chalk. A fte r th e final
stroke, th e y don the
special eyeglasses
provided to survey
th e ir handiw ork in
am azing3-D.$6.99
. (chalkandglasses);
crayola.com
1 9 2
JULY 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: (PEOPLE WITH GLASSES) JUPITER IMAGES; (CUPCAKE) ANDY LYONS
