7 Fun Ideas for Memorial Day Staycation

by Carly Ronayne, Blogger at CareLuLu

We hope you are just as excited as we are to officially kick off the summer with some family fun this Memorial Day. If going away for the weekend isn’t feasible this year, we’ve got you covered! We have some fun, inexpensive ways for you to celebrate patriotically with your kids.

• Young Picassos:  Educate your little ones on why we have this holiday in the first place. Explain to them its purpose and whom we are honoring. Print off coloring pages such as this one of a U.S. Marine or the American flag, for the kids to decorate while they learn and then hang them up around the house!
• Sharing is Caring: It is so important that we set the best example for our kids and show them what it means to be a good citizen. This is a perfect opportunity to give back and support your troops! Put together a care package to send to a deployed solider that isn’t able to spend the holiday with loved ones. Include items like snacks, toiletries, and thoughtful notes written by the entire family. Visit Any Soldier for more information.
• Backyard Water Park: Grab the sunscreen and the hose and transform your backyard into a waterpark, without the cost or the crowd. Have the kids help design their personal park and set it up. Think slip –n- slides, sprinklers, water balloons, water guns, a kiddie pool, and obstacle courses. The whole neighborhood will be jealous of your water park that has all the fun, without the lines!
• Living Room Luau: Choose a theme for your family fun and decorate the house and yourselves (yes the dog too!) to give it the full effect. Allow the kids to help in creating a VIP guest list and invite cousins, neighbors and friends to come celebrate with you. Have everyone bring a different appetizer or dish to pass and encourage everyone to dress up by having a costume contest! Whether you’re jetting off to Hawaii for a luau, blasting off to the moon, diving deep down underwater or jumping right into the set of your kids’ favorite movie, it is sure to be a Memorial Day no one will forget.
• Memorial Day Olympics:  Divide adults and kids up evenly into separate teams and have them compete in a number of events like a sand castle contest, a sack race, a three-legged race, a tug-of-war tournament and different relay races for some fun and friendly competition.
• Outdoor Theater: When the sun goes down and it’s time to relax, turn your backyard into your own personal theater. Make some popcorn, grab some blankets and use a projector or an old TV to wind down the kids with a family appropriate film.

Whether you decide to extend an invitation to the entire neighborhood or keep it just in the family, take advantage of your time off and make it a holiday full of memories you and your kids will never forget! Tell us how you celebrate Memorial Day with your family!

This post originally appeared on the CareLuLu blog.
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