With one week left until the unofficial beginning of Summer entertaining, there’s no time like the present to get your backyard party ready. Don’t spend time and money at the hardware and outdoor furniture shops. With some clever thinking and a few supplies you most likely have in your garage, you can create the ultimate backyard entertaining epicenter for the summer. We’ve experimented and tested some excellent life hacks that you can create in an afternoon.
Ultimate Lifehacks Summer Backyard Entertaining
Make your pool a part of the decor. Weigh down balloons by tying the string to aluminum foil wrapped rocks and drop into the pool bottom.
Keep the kids and grown-ups alike entertained with giant board game stations.
Twister: Use temporary spray chalk to make red, blue, green and yellow circles on the grass or concrete. (We recommend Montana Chalk Spray, which is ecofriendly and safe to use around kids and pets)- Jenga: Cut and sand Six 2 x 4’s so you are left with 54 ten-inch pieces (can be 10.5 inches long too). Optional: paint the pieces three different colors. Once dry, stack the human sized jenga board and use at every backyard party all season long.
- Water balloon Ker-Plunk: Cut four 2 x 4’s to 10-12 inches tall. (substitute by stacking tomato cages on top of each other and securing with zip ties). Cut four 4 x 4’s to 12-16 inches tall. Screw together all of the 2 x 4’s in the shape of square frame. Nail the frame down into each 4 x 4 to form a table. Wrap chicken wire into a tall cylinder, secure the ends with zip ties and cut the excess plastic off the ends of the ties. Place the wire cylinder on top of the plywood, using a staple gun to secure it to the frame. Insert at least 25-30 garden stakes (Bamboo) through the chicken wire in different directions, about halfway from the wooden frame. Finally, fill the wire cage with as many water balloons as you can fit and let the game begin!
- Jumbo Football Toss: Simply lay a plastic tarp flat and cut out squares, circles and diamond targets, using a box cutter. Line each shape with duct tape on both sides to prevent tearing and to give it a more finished look. String up the tarp to a tree or use pvc piping to hold it up. Optional: Decorate with magic markers and add point value for each target.
Use Plastic Solar Lights in lamps, candlesticks or even old chandelier frames to illuminate your party after dusk. Simply glue the heads of each solar lame to the base of an old lame or candlestick. If you don’t want to make a permanent light, use the kids silly putty or make you own with kids glue, borax and water. Simply mix equal parts of water and glue (we used a quarter cup each). In a separate bowl, dissolve a tablespoon of Borax in ⅛ cup of water. Pour the glue and water mixture into the borax mixture and stir until the putty forms. Add one teaspoon at a time of Borax if the putty is too sticky, until you have reached your desired consistency.
Make a pergola or light up any walkway with a few buckets, quick drying concrete and wood posts or old curtain rods you may have lying around. Pour quickrete in each bucket leveling the planks in place (center). Once the cement has set, add little hooks to the tops of each plank so you can easily hang string lights up. Store in a garage or leave outside. Tip: It’s wise to drill holes into the cement from the lowest point of the cement slope for draining.
Keep the mosquitoes away, shade yourself from the sun or create a romantic way of watching the stars at night with a hula hoop, some twine, a shower curtain ring (or a binder ring) and some mesh or curtains. Drill 4 holes in the hula hoop and string four pieces of twine through each hole. Cut or punch holes in the top of the curtains/mesh approximately 4-6 inches apart. Next feed the fabric from one end to the other around the curtain ring. Note: If you are using thick fabric, you will need a larger ring. Now feed the twine through the center of the curtain ring and tie a knot at the top to form a tent-like triangle. Leave enough twine to hang from a tree. Lay blankets and outdoor pillows inside the tent and enjoy the fireflies.