10 Things in a Box

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If you had to put together a summertime "fun box" with 10 different inexpensive activities, both indoor and outdoor, what activities would you put in the box? Here are my choices. 1. A sprinkler. I've found that my son gets more entertainment out of a $5 garden sprinkler I picked up at Walmart than he gets out of the more expensive "themed" sprinklers. Why pay the extra $10-15 when the cheaper one gets the job done? 2. Bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles, with a couple of those different bubble wand sets. Heck most of the adults I know love playing with bubbles. 3. Water colors and things to paint. For my son, I usually get either the cheap ceramic ornaments at the craft store or the wooden shapes (usually different animals) to paint with the water colors. The ceramics are around $1 each and the wooden shapes are usually 3 or 4 for $1. It can provide a good bit of indoor or outdoor entertainment. 4. Books. My son likes to read and be read to, so do most of the kids I know. So a few favorite books would have to go in there. 5. Coloring books and crayons. Ok, coloring books seem to be skyrocketing lately (remember when the good ones were only 99 cents???), but you can usually find some cute ones at the dollar store. When it comes to crayons, I stick with crayola myself, but there are less expensive brands. 6. Balloons. Is there any limit to the amount of entertainment a child can get from a single balloon? If I give him a balloon, my son will be occupied with it for days if I let him. 7. A boardgame or two. Some childrens boardgames are expensive, but most that I've gotten for my son are under $10. They're a good source of family entertainment, as well. 8. Card games. Like boardgames, they can be fairly inexpensive, but loads of fun for everyone involved. 9. Clay. I prefer not to have play doh in the house, because the smell gives me a headache, but I often give my son sculpey or similar clays to play with. When he's done, I bake his creations and I can keep them. The sculpey is a little more expensive, but any clay would do, really. 10. An old sheet or blanket. Perfect for sitting on at a picnic out back, or for building a fort in the dining room.