“I don’t have ducks. I don’t have a row. I have squirrels, and they’re at a rave.”

“It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes,
And pleasant scents the noses.”
–N. P. Willis (1807-67)

Free ways to entertain your kids in Topeka this summer!

43 Fun Summer Activities for Kids in Kansas City (& Things to Do)

---

24 Low-Cost Summer Activities for Kids

Arrange a Scavenger Hunt

What adventurous child doesn't love a scavenger hunt? Whether you set up this free summer activity for kids indoors or outdoors, the objective remains the same: find hidden objects using clever clues.

---

Make Homemade Goop

Mix up a bowl of Oobleck, a mysterious matter that kids can shape into balls or let ooze from their fingers. Here's how:

• Pour 1 cup of water into a large mixing bowl
• Add a few drops of food coloring (any color)
• Slowly stir in 2 cups of cornstarch (use a spoon at first, but you may eventually find it's easier with your hands)
• Your kids can do this fun summer activity either inside or outside the house!

5 Fun Ways to Dye Easter Eggs with Toddlers

---

Participate in Community Park Activities

Community parks offer an endless array of free and low-cost summer camps and activities—including swimming, sports leagues, improv, arts and crafts, music, archery, tennis lessons, and nature programs. Contact your local park or check out the National Recreation and Park Association website for more information.

---

DIY Chalk Bombs

Kids will have a blast with this idea from mom Lorie King Kaehler, author of Chalk on the Wild Side. Use a clean soap-dispenser pump to fill water balloons with a washable chalk-paint mixture (1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and a few drops of food coloring). Have your child draw targets on the ground with chalk or just let them go wild. Fire away!
Chalk on the Wild Side

---

Build a Backyard Obstacle Course

Kids love obstacle courses. They build them in our homes, with blankets, chairs, and pillows. But this summer, you can construct a backyard obstacle course with hula hoops, jump ropes, sticks, stones, hoses, and other materials from around the house. Your kids can take turns completing it—and the person with the fastest time wins a prize!

---

Camp in the Yard

No campground? No problem! Pitch a tent in the backyard and spend the night underneath the stars. This free and timeless summer activity for kids has one major benefit over normal camping: There's a working toilet merely feet away!
11 Tips for Camping With Kids

---

100 Fun Summer Activities for KIDS!

Finger paint with pudding (or I have a regular fingerpaint recipe if that's more your style!)

GET THE PRINTABLE VERSION HERE

---

DIY Kids Activities

Decoder Wheel

Kids will have so much fun decrypting secret messages after they make their own decoder wheel. You can use the one from the tutorial below, or invent your own codes and ciphers.
Get the tutorial at Crafting Cheerfully »

Bubble Refill Station

Those bubbles? They run out in a heartbeat. By creating (and, if the mood strikes, decorating) a DIY bubble refill station, kids will have a useful decorative item and a way to re-up their bubble solution supply without parental involvement.
Get the tutorial at Hello, Wonderful »

More DIY Kids Activities

---

50+ free ways to entertain your kids in Topeka this summer!

---

Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
Address:
13800 Switzer Rd.
Overland Park, KS 66221

Cave Springs Park

---

10 Fun Summer Activities to Do at Home

Outdoor activities for kids printable pack