Awesome Swimming Pools
Swimming is the most popular activity in the world. There are a host of benefits to gain from swimming laps regularly. These are the benefits of swimming and additional activities to make swimming even more super awesome.
Warm swims are therapeutic for the body
According to research from Temperature (journal), an hour-long soak in hot water provides substantial anti-inflammatory benefits. Which is why a lot of people end up buying personal spas for their homes. It’s soothing for muscles and bones.
That said, you can get the same benefits with a heated pool. All you need to do is turn on your pool heat pump, set the temperature, hop in the water, and start absorbing that heat.
And since swimming is already great for the body, adding hot water to the mix only makes it better. At that point, the health benefits of swimming are essentially doubled for you.
Basketball and Volleyball
What you’ll need:
- A volleyball or a basketball
- A net or a hoop
Cardboard Boat Race
What you’ll need:
- Cardboard boxes
- Scissors
- Packing tape
- Colored paper
- Markers and stickers
Divide players into teams and give them one hour to use the supplies above to build their best, most seaworthy cardboard boat. Encourage teams to get creative, and make sure each boat gets a name!
Have the teams put their boats in the pool. The boat that stays afloat longest wins!
Invisi-Bottle
What you’ll need:
- An empty two-liter soda bottle (with a cap), with the label removed.
Tip: For best results, use a bottle with a white or clear cap or one that matches your pool’s interior. Empty Water Bottles work great too!
Fill the 2-liter bottle with pool water, and close it tightly.
Divide players into two teams, and have the teams move to opposite ends of the pool, facing away from the water.
Throw the bottle into the water. When they hear the splash, the teams can turn around and try to find the bottle. The clear bottle will blend in and become almost invisible at the bottom of the pool. The first team to find it wins!
Watermelon Relay
What you’ll need:
- A watermelon (one per team or player)
It’s pretty simple: Players must push a watermelon from one end of the pool to the other. The first one to the other side wins. Put your own spin on the game by adding custom rules, such as:
- Players can’t touch the bottom of the pool with their feet.
- Players can’t touch the watermelon with their hands.
- Players must hand off the watermelon, relay-style.
The best part? After the race, you’ve got a healthy snacky snack.
Floatie Race
What you’ll need:
- Pool floaties/rafts – one per player (choose any type you want – as long as they’re big enough to sit on.
Instruct players to get on their floaties and line up at one end of the pool. Choose someone to be the referee.
When the referee yells “Start,” players race to the other end of the pool. The first player there wins!
