With the hot weather finally here, most people are trying to spend as much time outside as possible.
There’s no shortage of things to do in the Thompson-Okanagan, whether it’s a nice hike, a bike ride through town or a day at the beach (once things return to normal).
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Some days, however, you just want to hang out in your yard, or that park close to your house, and have some fun with a few friends.
It’s easy to grab the bocce set or put up a net for volleyball and badminton, but there’s also a world of lesser known games that can make your afternoon a great one.
It may cost a few dollars to buy a couple of these games, or even create them on your own, but once you do it once you’re set to play that game all summer long.
1. Spikeball
One of the fastest growing games in the world, it doesn’t get much more fun than Spikeball. Think beach volleyball, but instead of hitting it over the net you’re hitting it into a mini trampoline.
Four players play in teams of two, with three hits allowed per team before the ball has to be sent back into the trampoline. If you get four athletic, coordinated players, Spikeball can be an intense fast paced game, but it’s just as easy to play a slow paced game as you enjoy the sun.
2. KanJam
Like Spikeball, KanJam is meant for four people that are split into two teams of two. All you need for this game is a frisbee and two slightly modified Rubbermaid garbage cans with the bottom cut off and a slot cut in the front (you can also buy an official KanJam set if you so please).
The premise behind KanJam is pretty simple. You stand beside one of the garbage cans with a member of the opposing team and you throw the frisbee towards the other can. Your partner can deflect the frisbee into the hole to get three points, let it hit the can on its own for two points or deflect it so it hits the can for a single point. If you put it through the front slot, the game is over and you win!
3. Giant Beer Pong
This one is about as self-explanatory as it gets. It’s just beer pong, a game that everybody knows, but everything is bigger. It’s easiest to play with a volleyball, soccer ball or dodgeball and a bunch of Rubbermaid garbage cans, although a number of different balls and cup shaped containers will do the trick in a pinch.
You don’t have to fill these garbage cans with beer, or else that’d get expensive, but you can put a bit of water in the cans to give them some weight. However, if you leave them empty it adds some difficulty to the game because they’ll easily tip over without a perfect throw.
4. Cornhole
Cornhole, like a lot of these games on the list, is best played with four players in two teams of two, but you can make it work with only two players as well. You need two sets of four bean bags and two cornhole boards to play, which you can easily buy on Amazon if you don’t have the woodworking skills to make your own board.
The objective of the game is pretty simple. You toss the bean bags towards the board, and more specifically the hole, on the other side, which can earn you either one or three points. If the bag lands and stays on the board it’s a single point, but if the bag goes through the hole it’s three points.
5. Frolf
This is the one game on the list that you can’t do in an average size yard, because you need to play on a course. Frisbee golf, or frolf, is a great way to make a stroll through the park a bit more entertaining though.
Like real golf, players will tee off by tossing a frisbee from a designated spot and, also like golf, the goal is to get your frisbee into the target in the least amount of shots. The moral of the story, is that frolf is exactly like real golf, but with players tossing frisbees instead of hitting a little white ball with a stick.
6. Ladder toss
Like cornhole, ladder toss sticks with the theme of two vs. two games, but you can play one vs. one as well. It’s also a game you can make with supplies from home or the hardware store, but you can easily purchase a proper set through a website like Amazon.
The aim is to toss the bolas, which are two balls connected by string, onto the ladder on the other side. If you manage to snag your bola on one of the ladder rungs, you earn points. Typically the top ladder is worth a single point, the middle one is worth two points and the bottom is worth three.
7. Beersbee
Beersbee, like most of these games, is best played with a drink in your hand. Not only does that allow you to enjoy an adult beverage on a hot day while playing, but it adds a bit of a challenge to the game. All you need, other than a couple of old cans or bottles, for beersbee is a pair of old ski poles or something similar to that.
It can be played with two, four or six players, with teams standing together beside their pole. With a can on top of the pole, teams take turns tossing the frisbee at the pole, trying to knock the can off. Teams on defense need to catch the frisbee, as well as the can if it falls off. Not catching the frisbee gives the throwing team a single point, not catching the can gives up two points and not catching either is three points for the throwing team.
8. Slip ‘N’ Slide Flip Cup
This is the only game on the list that pretty much has to be a drinking game, but if you really wanted you could play with water in the cups. Slip ‘n’ slide flip cup, as the name suggests, is the combination of one of the most popular drinking games and a classic summer activity.
The only addition to a typical game of flip cup is that players need to ride the slip ‘n’ slide towards the flip cup table before drinking and flipping. While you don’t need to add a slip ‘n’ slide element to flip cup, the better question is “why not?” If you’ve got the space, slip ‘n’ slide flip cup is the perfect summer drinking game.
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