10 Fun Close-to-Home Summer Activities 

Warm weather and long days are a recipe for family fun. No matter the ages or the size of your family, try an activity from our list to enjoy the summer season together - all close to home! As you create fun, lasting memories with your family, check out our electrical safety tips to keep your family safe.

1. Host an outdoor movie night. Hang a sheet or tablecloth, set up a projector with an extension cord, and create a circle of cushions, blankets or chairs for viewing.  Double-check your outdoor lights and extension cords before you gather. Only use extension cords made for outdoor use, as they are made to withstand the elements. Inspect cords and plugs for frayed or broken pieces. Learn more here about including electrical safety checks in your spring and summer cleaning.

2. Create a neighborhood scavenger hunt. Create clues that will take your family members on a tour of the neighborhood as they solve each puzzle. The first team to return to home base with all clues collected and documented receives a prize. Safety tip: While you’re out, help your kids identify major power lines in your neighborhood and talk about how to keep a safe, 10-foot distance from electrical lines. 

3. Open up your professional kitchen! Challenge each member of your family to create a side dish to accompany dinner. Try each other’s dishes and evaluate the taste, appearance, and originality. Pretend you’re judges on a cooking show. While you’re in the kitchen: Regularly check the cords of the lights, appliances, and plugs in your kitchen and throughout your house. Make sure none of your cords are damaged or sitting out in high-traffic areas.
   
   

4. Try balloon volleyball - wet or dry! Get out balloons or water balloons and challenge your family members to volley back and forth. If you have enough people, create a tournament! Careful! Know the location of power lines and other lines and steer clear of them when you hang nets and plan where you will play. Be especially careful to keep a 10-foot distance from power lines attached to your house. If the ground is wet, don’t use electric power or yard tools.

5. Experiment with backyard breakfasts. Who says picnics are just for lunch or dinner? Try taking your weekend family breakfast to your yard. Make baked goods that can easily be transported from the kitchen, or bring an electric skillet outside with extension cords to try a hot breakfast in a new location. Use an extension cord specifically for the outdoors: Outdoor cords are heavier and less likely to be damaged. Make sure your extension cords are properly plugged in and not broken. 
   
   

6. Create a backyard obstacle course. Using outdoor furniture and natural elements, create an obstacle course low to the ground for family members to complete. For added fun, time each participant to see who can complete the course the fastest! You might find the littlest kids can hold their own! Before you play: Make sure you know where power cords are located and avoid getting too close. 

7. Write thank-you notes to your community heroes. Call or go online to find the addresses of local police, fire, hospital, and emergency services staff. Write thank-you notes to let them know you appreciate their service. First responders know electrical safety: In the event of an emergency in your neighborhood that brings down electric transmission and distribution lines, you can call your local fire or police for help. They will coordinate with the utility to safely respond. 

8. Plant a new tree! Select a new tree or bush from your community garden center and recruit the family to work together to plant it. Plant safely! Never plant a tree that could grow to 25 feet or more near a power line and avoid areas around electric meters, transformers, or other equipment. Before digging, visit Call Before You Dig, call the local underground utility locator service at 811 to mark the location of underground utilities, so you don’t accidentally come into contact with a power line.

9. Create an indoor party atmosphere! Install colored light bulbs in your household lamps and overhead lights to change things up in your home! Pick a theme - such as fiesta or the Fourth of July - and play music that fits the occasion. While you're replacing bulbs: Supervise or assist children to ensure they are safely installing new bulbs. In addition, check bulbs to make sure the wattage matches fixture requirements and do not install bulbs with a higher wattage than recommended. Securely screw in bulbs.

10. Start a summer bucket list! What is a project, new sport, hobby, or neighborhood activity that your family hasn’t done? Ask your family members to help you brainstorm a bucket list and start checking off those fun-to-do items!

Want to learn more about how to make the most of your family time? Learn more here about creative ways your family can save energy and have fun while staying at home.  Remember that Tri-State offers free, virtual Story Behind the Switch sessions with fun gadgets and cool facts to get students excited about electricity! Share this information with teachers and have them contact Michelle Pastor at mpastor@tristategt.org to schedule a session. 

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Tri-State is a not-for-profit cooperative of 45 members, including 42 member utility electric distribution cooperatives and public power districts in four states, that together deliver reliable, affordable, and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the West.