It’s been downright HOT in the Bay Area!  I mean heatwave HOT!  I mean, hard to sleep at night HOT!  I mean, break out the water balloons, because it’s time to beat the heat, HOT!

Granted, I live in San Francisco, where it’s "hot" when it reaches 80 degrees, but I figure if we are feeling it, I can only imagine how warm it is elsewhere.  

In honor of our Summer days, I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite water balloon activities. There is just something so fun about water balloons - true, you have to blow them up and tie them but that anticipation is half the fun!  And sure, you end up with little pieces of broken balloon everywhere - but hey, that’s when you play the “who can pick up the most pieces for a popsicle?” game.

One thing I have noticed in my twenty odd years of water balloon activities, is although everyone loves the “idea” of a water balloon fight, a full-fledged battle often leaves at least one participant in tears.  Since, as a party planner, my main job is to keep everyone safe and engaged, I’ve come up with a bunch of non-combative water balloon games that I’d love to pass on.

One of my favorites is a game I made up with my summer camp kids called Wind the Clock. It’s a take on your basic water balloon toss, with players taking the position of the hours on a clock.  It’s super fun, super fast, and bound to get everyone super wet.

 Water Balloon Pop Up is another favorite that places kids in pairs and allows them to work as a team to see if they can toss and catch a water balloon using a towel as a launchpad.

 Waddle and Pop is a funny way to cool off.  Kids place a water balloon between their knees and try not to drop it.  Once they get to their destination (a chair) they place the balloon on the chair and sit!  You get the picture!

 Water balloon baseball - played as a game, with baseball rules, or just for fun (see how many balloons you can break with 3 pitches) this is a totally fun way to cool off if you’ve got a small baseball loving crowd (we’ve found that smaller groups work best with this game...less waiting).

Water balloon Shot Put and it’s very similar cousin Angry Bird Erase - are great ways to include water balloons for those who are a little squeamish when it comes to getting wet.  Wet and wild participants can stand in the splash zone if they are so inclined.

 How about a water balloon pinata?  - tie up a bunch of filled water balloons and whack away with a plastic bat!

 After a long lazy day filled with wet and wild fun, have the kids make balloon bracelets to use up all those leftover balloon bits.   

With 4th of July right around the corner, you might want to hit your local dollar store and stock up on these wiggly, jiggly, magical orbs.  For me, no Summer is complete with at least one water balloon encounter.  I don’t care how old you are, there is just something about a water balloon that makes me smile.