Great idea from FamilyFun reader Lori Neale of Carlsbad, CA: “My three boys love to play ice hockey, but living in California makes a backyard rink impossible. So this summer we created a water rink. We purchased a 9- by 12-foot tarp and spray-painted it to look like a hockey rink. Then we set up our sprinkler to wet it. Using our miniature hockey set, the boys have enjoyed hours of slip-and-slide hockey.”

From all of us at FamilyFun, hope your Memorial Day is awesome!

via oldblueeyes

Fun find of the day: This would be adorable in a kids’ room. It’s available at Able and Baker on Etsy. Of course, you could make one yourself from old ripped or otherwise unusable storybooks…

via bookspaperscissors

Great idea from FamilyFun reader Kim Fuglestad of Wrightstown, PA:  “Last year, my 8-year-old had a mermaid-themed party. For favors, Nicolette wanted to make a mermaid tail for each guest. I wanted the tails to be both practical and washable, so I came up with the idea of making them from beach towels. I added Velcro tabs to one end of the towel so that it could be easily secured around the waist. To create the flukes, I wrapped two ponytail holders around the bottom. The mermaid tails can be easily disassembled to use as towels or to be washed. The girls had a blast with them!”

Great idea from FamilyFun reader Karen Taylor of Lansing, MI: “Here’s my family’s trick for making water balloons: fill a plastic water bottle with water, attach a balloon over the mouth, then simply turn the bottle over and squeeze. With this technique, there are no longer mishaps that leave water on my walls, counters, or floor, and now we can even fill water balloons at the beach or on the dock.”

Behind the scenes at FamilyFun:  What is this thing and what new use will we suggest for it? To find out, you’ll have to wait for our September issue’s “Getting Organized for Back to School” feature. Yes, we’re already thinking about back to school!