Summer Messes To Make With Your Kids

Thank you Brawny® Tear-A-Square® for sponsoring this post. Think of all the ways you can Put a Square There!

Summer is here and we’re all happy to be spending our days together enjoying the sunshine! The thing about summer is that the kids are home a lot more. The thing about the kids being home a lot more is that there seem to be a lot more messes!

One thing I’ve learned about being a mom is that sometimes some of the best messes lead to memories we’ll never forget! So, we’ve got a few messes we recommend you make with your kids this summer!

SUMMER MESSES TO MAKE WITH YOUR KIDS

Summer is all about making memories. You don’t have to spend the entire time traveling or signing the kids up for activities. You can have tons of fun together at home by planning some very simple activities.

You don’t have to be afraid to let your kids get messy this summer! I recently stocked up on Brawny® Tear-A-Square® paper towels in anticipation of the kids getting out of school. I love them because we get the strength of Brawny®, but the option to use a sheet size that works best for each mess!

I find that with the kids, I usually only need a quarter sheet to get things cleaned up. But it’s nice knowing that I can choose from a full sheet, a half sheet, or a quarter sheet, depending on the mess I’m facing!

So what messes am I planning on tackling this summer?

ICE POPS & STICKY HANDS

Ice pops are a symbol of summer in my mind. There’s just some nostalgia to them and my kids also LOVE them, so they eat a lot of them. Ice pops and hot weather means sticky hands and sticky faces.

Brawny® Tear-A-Square® quarter sheets are perfect for ice pop days! And if things get a little stickier, you can always move up to a half sheet or a full sheet! I find that red ice pops are the ones that sometimes call for a full sheet

HANDS-ON FUN WITH SIDEWALK CHALK VOLCANOES

Another bit of nostalgia for me comes with one of my kids’ favorite things — sidewalk chalk. We go through so much sidewalk chalk during the summer. We also make our own DIY sidewalk paint and recently discovered a new hands-on way to have fun with chalk.

Sidewalk Chalk Volcanoes!

These are a fun way to explore science while having fun with chalk, too. They’re super easy to make but it can get a bit messy.

To make the sidewalk chalk volcanoes, you need a few things you might already have around the house!

• Cornstarch
• Vinegar
• Food coloring
• Baking Soda
• Paper or plastic cups (you can use cups you have, but clean up is easier with disposable cups!)

When you mix the sidewalk chalk in the cup, you don’t have to be super specific with your measurements. You want to put in enough cornstarch and vinegar to make a thick liquid mixture. Once you have those mixed together, add a few drops of food coloring and mix it all together until you get the color you want.

Set the cup in the middle of the driveway or sidewalk. Pour a few spoonfuls of baking soda into the cup. The more baking soda you add, the bigger your volcano will bubble. Sometimes it helps to mix it with a spoon to get the reaction really going.

The chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda will make the colored liquid bubble up and over the rim of the cup, leaving sidewalk chalk behind! Once it’s done, we pour the rest of the sidewalk paint out on the ground because it’s pretty fun to play in! My kids love to fingerpaint and even get their bare feet involved!

Then, you can use some Brawny® Tear-A-Square® full sheets to help clean up those messy hands and feet!

MAKE DIY KINETIC SAND

My kids love to get their hands in things. They also like to create things. So, we like to make our own kinetic sand. You can make your own kinetic sand with play sand, cornstarch, dish soap, and water! It’s a great way to keep the kids busy on a sunny summer afternoon!

It always gets a bit messy so we don’t do it ALL the time, but the kids love it when I announce it’s time! Brawny® Tear-A-Square® paper towels make it easier to clean up after, so I think we might be doing more hands-on creating this summer than we have in the past!

MAKE A “MUD” PIE

The kitchen is a fun place full of opportunities to make memories during the summer. I don’t love turning on the oven to bake, but there are still a ton of fun treats that you can make with your kids.

I’m all about instant pudding during the summer. You can make so many different treats that are no-bake, which means you can get the kids in the kitchen with you!

Some of our favorite things to make include:

• Pudding pops
• Parfaits
• Banana pudding cake
• Dirt cups
• “Mud” Pie

“Mud” pie is a fun take on dirt cups that I spotted on Pinterest. If you’re looking for something new to make with the kids, this is an easy one to make. They can probably make it almost completely on their own.

You can stand by with Brawny® Tear-A-Square® paper towels to tackle the counters and their fingers once they’re finished making their pie!

To make your own mud pie, you need very similar ingredients as you would get for making dirt cups.

• Instant chocolate pudding mix
• Milk
• Chocolate sandwich cookies
• Gummy worms
• Chocolate graham cracker pie crust (if you can only find a regular pie crust, that works fine too!)

All you do is make the pudding according to the packaging directions for making pie filling. Spread the pudding “mud” into the pie crust.

Crush the chocolate sandwich cookies in a plastic sandwich bag to make the dirt. Then, let the kids sprinkle the dirt and add gummy worms.

Put the pie in the refrigerator until the pudding is set and enjoy!

Whether you’re spending the summer afternoon outside, or hiding from the heat inside, don’t be afraid of making memories with your kids! I know messes can sometimes feel like so much work to clean up. But it really is easier to clean up with new Brawny® Tear-A-Square® paper towels. You can use just the size sheets you need so you there’s less waste, but the mess is still handled.

If you haven’t tried out the new Brawny® Tear-A-Square® paper towels yet, summer is the perfect time to try! Look for them at your local store and get ready for summer with your family!

What messy memory making do you have planned for your family this summer?

If you’re looking for more ideas, be sure to check out our 30 Things to Do With Kids This Summer for even more fun!

**PIN the image below to save these ideas for your kids!