One of my favorite activities to do in the summer with kids is have a water fight. It reminds me a lot of being a kid, and there is a certain nostalgic feeling when filling up the super soakers in a bucket and seeing the bubbles float up to the top. However, unlike when I was a kid, I don’t really want to get wet, much less soaked.
My whole goal is to get the kids wet, see if I can aim the squirt gun well, and most importantly not have to change or take a shower.
So the factors you want (to not get crazy wet, but have fun) in a squirt gun are as as follows:
- Good control, I want to be able to hit what I’m aiming at (this important for my fun factor).
- Squirting power is medium and in a thin spray. This is important because if the spray is in a cone shape, then you are for sure going to have to change after you get soaked by your kid. I also say medium squirting power, because I don’t want to get blasted by a streak of water that explodes in my shirt.
- Distance is no more than 10 feet. If you are able to get hit from 20 feet away, then this not really a good backyard type of activity, unless you have a gigantic backyard. For a medium sized backyard, 10 feet is perfect.
- No pumping. Pumping = more water force = shower.
- 1-Handed Operation. I want to be able to hold a squirt gun in each hand. This way when I give each kid 1 squirt gun, I have two of them. This will always give me an inherent advantage, and will allow me to get them soaked while not allowing them to soak me.
My Favorite Super Soaker is the Nerf Super soaker Piranha. It has the perfect blend of 1-handed operation, great aiming ability, limited ability of me getting soaked, and is easy to use. I never get soaked enough to change, and the kids have fun. I have used stronger super soakers like the Nerf Super Soaker Floodinator, but I always come back to the Nerf Super soaker Piranaha. I get way too wet with the Soakzooka, and the Floodinator, and that isn’t really want I want to be doing during a lunch break or after dinner.
Rules to maximize fun
- No squirting while getting a refill. We use buckets (like the kind you get from Home Depot or Lowes). You can not squirt someone or get squirted while getting a refill.
- No face. I think this is self explanatory.
- We play kids against parent(s). This prevents fights between kids.
That is pretty much it. This is a great activity you can do while working from home during lunch, after dinner, or on the weekend if you want. It is always fun, and squirting water at your kids with a super soaker is pretty darn satisfying.
Screen Time Reduction Estimate: 30 – 45 minutes
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