Having a fun Summer at Home

All the fun of camping contained in your own backyard. If needed, use a fog spray to help cut down on bugs in the yard. Less bugs equals more fun. Set up tents, a fire ring (if allowed with local laws) and some outside games. Try pretending the house is not your home anymore, instead it is the camp bathhouse.

Just like going camping but without having to travel. One rule, no one should be in the house watch TV, playing on the computers, or chatting on the phones. Everyone should be outside having fun.

There are some huge perks to camping in the backyard. The bathhouse is close by, clean, and not crowded. Plus if a storm should pop up while camping, everyone can go inside for safety and indoor fun.

Relax and enjoy spending some time with family and play some backyard games. One of the best parts of being on vacation is having some fun. There are tons of outdoor games people can play, the following are a quick look at some of those games:

Volleyball is fun for about ages eight and up. Younger children will have a hard time physically being able to play. Although younger kids will still have fun playing, having a group of older people makes playing volleyball much more fun.

Badminton is a great backyard game for about ages five and up. Hitting a bird over the net with rackets can be lots of fun as long as kids don't hit each other. Badminton is also fun for adults as well.

Horseshoes is a fun games for all ages. Plastic set for younger children and metal sets for adults. The game can quickly be setup in the yard and test everyone skills to see who can toss the best.

Croquet is a fun yard game for about ages five and up. Younger kids can play, but may loose their attention quickly. Basically hoops are set up in the yard. Balls have to be hit through the hoops and touch one stick. Then back through the hoops to the stick at the start. First one back wins. Going through the hoops equals another hit.

Invite family and friends over for a family fun cookout. Everyone likes some good food to go along with their vacation fun. The food can be simple like hamburgers and hot dogs or show off your cooking skills with some elaborate BBQ menus.

Sometime the backyard games need more people to play. A backyard cookout is a great way to get more player for the backyard games. Send out invitations letting the guests know about some of the planned games. Also note on the invitation if the guest should bring anything like swimsuits or bring your own beer (or soda).

If you haven't been to the local parks lately, vacation at home includes the local area as well. Every local park has something different to offer. Some have nice relaxing stream or rivers going through the park. Other playgrounds have everything the children could ask for to play on. Best part about playgrounds is they are free. It only costs some gas to get to the park. Some state parks may have some fees, but the fees are usually small.

The park is also a great day trip and a wonderful place to have a picnic.

Sometimes there is no need to travel far from home for summer excitement. There may be fun attractions in your local home towns. Many museums have switched to some hands-on exhibits that make museums fun for everyone. No more just walking through and looking at items that can't be touched. Now museums have some exhibits that welcome people to touch and play with them.

Check with the local chamber of commerce or state website to help locate fun attraction close to home.