better
FAMILY
SILEN T AUCTION
Take a page from fancy
fund-raisers and get people to donate their time
and services. But instead of two weeks in
Gstaad, your daughter can offer Saturday night
babysitting, or your mom can put up a batch of
homemade chocolate chip cookies. Post a sheet
of paper with each “lot” at the top and guests
can mingle and bid. After dinner announce
winners. Oh, and the cause? Make that part of
the fun and raffle it off. Guests buy a ticket and
whoever wins gets to pick the charity.
CARNIVAL
We especially like a backyard
fun-fair for families with reluctant teens (eye
roll) or tweens (long sigh). Ask them to man
game stations—it’s perfect for kids who kinda
don’t want to participate, but also kinda really
do. Keep activities simple: bean-bag toss or
milk bottle throw (find supplies at
kipptoys
.com),
face-painting or tattoo stand
(snazaroo
.com
has face-safe paints;
tattoosales.com
has
tons of temporary ink), and fortune teller (this
one’s all imagination). Make prizes from
whatever you find at the Dollar Store. And
don’t forget refreshments: Carny food! Corn
on the cob, popcorn, bags of cotton candy,
even corn dogs. We like Foster Farms dogs
(call 800/255-7227 to find out where to buy),
which are made from chicken and are a bit
healthier than the theme park original.
POOL PARTY
[
Forget dancing in the dark—
we’re talking about swimming in the dark. Yes,
a nighttime pool party. If you don’t have a pool
or access to a friend’s, ask about renting a public
one. Rates and rules differ, but many towns
offer some variation of this service. Play aquatic
games like Marco Polo and water volleyball to
calypso and Beach Boys tunes. As it gets dark,
you can hook up a laptop to a projector and
show appropriately themed movies like
Pirates
ofthe Caribbean or Blue Hawaii.
Guests watch
from bobbing rafts or inner tubes. Keep your
refreshments simple by bringing in fresh fruit,
pizza, and bottled beverages. Or make it even
easier on yourself and ask if management wall
open the snack bar for your party. And for
safety, be sure to have an adequate number of
lifeguards on duty.
BASKETBALL TOURNAM ENT
The NBA’s on
summer break, but you can still stay in the
game. Invite a few families over for a three-
on-three tourney. (You don’t need a pro court;
your driveway or any place with a single hoop
will do.) Go for a full-blown round robin
where teams compete all day, or keep it
modest and play family vs. family. Let little
kids get their game on with a separate bracket,
a small ball, and a low net. Ancillary fun
comes from picking team names, making up
cheers, or holding a dunk contest. Have plenty
of sport drinks and water on hand! Rules for
three-on-three basketball can be found online
at sites like
livestrong.com.
TALENT SHOW
First, line up the talent: That
would be you, your family, friends, and their
families. The beauty of a variety show is
everyone can get in on the act, from a troupe
of 4-year-old scarf jugglers (seriously, with
chiffon, it works) to Grandpa and his quarter-
behind-the-ear trick. Coax older kids with
Am erican Idol-
style karaoke; more ambitious
types can go
Glee
and add choreography. For
those who prefer a script, check out plays and
skits at your local library or logon to Reader’s
Theatre Editions (
aaronshep.com /rt/RTE
.html).
And the stage? Outdoors, of course:
Hang a sheet as a backdrop and string up
Christmas lights. The audience can sit on
chairs, milk crates, or blankets. Get the crowed
involved with made-ahead applause signs, or
hand out noisemakers and bells for cheers—
or jeers. The talent can take it, especially if you
have paper or flower bouquets on hand for
each performer.
FIELD DAY
__________
Hold your owai summer games
right in the backyard. We dare you to come up
with anything more amusing than a dads-only
tricycle race. Or how about a three-legged relay
pairinggrandparents and grandchildren? Be
sure to get special, easily breakable water
balloons for a toss. When everyone’s beat, hold
an awards ceremony. Everyone gets a medal.
Make ’em ahead: Just trade gold, silver, and
bronze for aluminum—foil, that is!
Helping at a
carnival is
perfect for teens
and tweens who
kinda don’t want
to participate,
but also kinda
really do.
NET GAIN
Get a new ball, and
have the winning team
sign it, NBA-pro style.
Then play a quick
game of H-O-R-S-E
to determine which
player keeps it. Replica
basketball, $60 at
harlem globetrotters.com .
212
JULY 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
