Summer…the season of fresh lemonade, fun in the sprinkler and blowing bubbles. This summer, upgrade the fun with special twists on the family classics and super cool ways to enjoy these traditions around Kansas City.
Bubble Fun
At Home: Make your own bubble solution and wands to make GIANT bubbles! This is our favorite bubble solution recipe: 5 c. water, 1 c. corn syrup, 1 c. dishwashing liquid soap. Microwave water and corn syrup for three minutes. Stir, then carefully add dishwashing soap. Enjoy with your own homemade giant bubble wands. For instructions to make wands, visit PBS Kids (PBS.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/really-big-bubble-maker/).
Out & About: For the young and the young-at-heart, bubble soccer is the newest trendy summer fun sport. Bubble Soccer KC plays every Saturday at Theis Park (weather permitting), and the athletic and daring ages 10 and up are invited to join the game! Players wear giant plastic bubbles while playing traditional soccer at local venues. It’s fun to play, but perhaps even more fun to watch. Visit BubSoc.com for information.
Build a Sand Castle
At Home: Head to U.S. Toy (2008 W. 103rd Ter., Leawood, KS, 913.642.8247) (Tip: use our coupon.) or other local craft supply shops where you’ll find lots of great summer craft kits, including sand art. Kits feature bottles in many great shapes—including castles—and kids love filling them with colored sand to make cool designs.
Out & About: Build a sand castle at a local swim beach. These local lakes offer great swim beaches for the whole family to enjoy: Blue Springs Lake (Jackson County, MO, 816.503.4870, JacksonGov.org); Longview Lake (Jackson County, MO, 816.503.4870, JacksonGov.org); Shawnee Mission Park Beach (Johnson County, KS, 913.312.8847, JCPRD.com); Kill Creek Park Beach (Johnson County, KS, 913.312.8847, JCPRD.com); Smithville Lake Beach (Clay County, MO, 816.407.3400, SmithvilleMO.org); and Watkins Woolen Mill State Park Lake (Clay County, MO, 816.580.3387, MOStateParks.com).
Drive-In Movies
At Home: For young children, cardboard boxes open up a world of imagination. Take a giant cardboard box and convert it into a one-person toy car (instructions at Parenting.com/gallery/how-make-box-car). Let your child color and decorate the car, then use it as his personal seat to watch a favorite film together as a family.
Out & About: This summer load up the old station wagon—make that SUV—and head to Boulevard Drive-In (1051 Merriam Ln., Kansas City, KS, 913.262.0392. BoulevardDriveIn.com). Showing films all summer long, this is a family favorite where adult admission is $10 and kids 11 and under are FREE. You’re welcome to bring your own concessions or buy some from the snack bar.
Sidewalk Chalk
At Home: Make your own sidewalk chalk with this recipe from PBS Kids (PBS.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/homemade-sidewalk-chalk/).
Out & About: Our grandparents and great-grandparents knew chalk as an essential school supply. Learn more about life in the 1800s at the Shoal Creek Living History Museum (7000 NE Barry Rd., Kansas City, MO, 816.792.2655), where you can visit a one-room school (and write with chalk on a slate), a blacksmith shop, a grist mill and several pioneer homes. Our favorite time to visit is during First Saturdays (offered monthly through September, 9:00-4:00). This free event brings the village to life as re-enactors demonstrate life in the 1800s throughout the village with family-friendly activities and hands-on learning.
Sprinkler Play:
At Home: Hook up the sprinkler and have some fun. Add a twist by setting up an outdoor car wash for your toy cars (or real car for that matter) or wash favorite play toys. Play classic games around the sprinkler like tag or duck, duck, goose, and this summer, parents join in the fun! The family that plays together stays together.
Out & About: Kansas City offers many great spraygrounds (free splash parks where children can play in the water and families can enjoy a picnic). We think of them as GIANT sprinklers!
- Harmony Park: E. 10th Street & Agnes Avenue, Kansas City, MO
- Jacob L. Loose Park: W. 52nd Terrace & Summit Avenue, Kansas City, MO (closed Wednesdays)
- Sunnyside Park: W. 83rd Street & Summit Avenue, Kansas City, MO
- Longview Tract: 7107 Longview Rd., Kansas City, MO
- Golden Oaks Park: NE 46th Street & N. Antioch Road, Kansas City, MO
- Garrison Square: E. 4th Street & Forest Avenue, Kansas City, MO
- Central Park: Linwood Boulevard & Bales Avenue, Kansas City, MO
- Nelson C. Crews Park: E. 27th Street & Michigan Avenue, Kansas City, MO
- Douglass Playground at Grace Williams Nicholl Park: 2632 Jarboe St., Kansas City, MO
- Zona Rosa: I-29 & Barry Road, Kansas City, MO
- McCoy Park: 24 Highway & N. Delaware, Independence, MO
- Rotary Park: 24th & Hardy, Independence, MO
- John Anderson Park: 4701 E. 135th St., Grandview, MO
- City Park: 970 S. Hwy. 29, Liberty, MO
- Ruth Moore Park: 401 N. Morse, Liberty, MO
- Eisenhower Park: 2901 N. 72nd St., Kansas City, KS
- Heathwood Park: 10th & Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS
Lemonade, Slushies & Ice Cream…the Flavors of Summer!
At Home: Buy basic Popsicle molds and have fun creating your own flavors! Fill with juice and some fresh berries or fruit, or make pudding pops with instant pudding and add bananas for fun. Let the kids create their own tasty concoctions all summer long. Tip: Fresh berries and peaches are a favorite addition to all summer treats. Read our KC guide to u-pick farms. Or, buy directly from the grower at a local farmers market.
Out & About: There are more tasty places to enjoy frozen treats in Kansas City than we can count, but these are five of our favorites to get you started!
- Little Freshie (811 W. 17th St., Kansas City, MO): Serving homemade slushes, sodas and floats in an eclectic and colorful storefront.
- Unforked (7337 W. 119th St., Overland Park, KS, 913.661.9887): Known for their use of locally grown fresh food, Unforked is a favorite for tacos and burgers. The eatery also serves summer favorites, including delicious fresh-squeezed lemonade and frozen custard concretes and sundaes.
- Glace (Two locations: 4960 Main St., Kansas City, MO & 4535 W. 119th St., Overland Park, KS). Locally owned and operated, this Christopher Elbow ice cream shop frequently invents new flavors just begging to be tried.
- Kona Ice (KC.Kona-Ice.com.) The traveling snow cone truck can be found at local events and attractions all summer long. What makes this special is that you get to create your own one-of-a-kind shaved ice treat selecting flavors from the flavor wave.
- Murray’s Homemade Ice Cream (4120 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO, 816.931.5646). The old-fashioned ice cream parlor style of this restaurant and homemade ice cream with frequently changing flavors have made this shop a Kansas City favorite since 1984.
Kristina Light looks forward to building sand castles at the beach every summer with her girls.