Camp and water games – the perfect combination. I love the smiles on the faces and the joyous laughter as campers play games to get each other and themselves soaking wet. But I dreaded the hours filling up and tying disposable water balloons. No matter how you stored them after filling them up, a good portion of them would pop before they were even used. Then when it was time, the balloons were used once and over with. Finally, of course, there was the clean-up.  Disposable water balloons are a massive pain to clean up. You have to pick up a gazillion pieces afterwards, and inevitably, some always get left on the ground. Not great for program flow and definitely not great for the environment.

I had heard of and researched “reusable water balloons” a bit; but I just wasn’t totally sold. However, after using the reusable water balloons that Neena Selfridge, Summer Program Director at Camp Penn, brought along with her last summer at camp; I saw the light!

Here's Neena's take:

I have used two different kinds of "reusable water balloons" for my Pre-K - 2nd Grade Day Camp (about 50 campers) for the last two summers at Camp Penn, and I have also been involved in leading/setting up water games programming for elementary age sleepaway camps for the last two years. I have used the more popular kind, which is the silicone/soft rubber ones with magnet closure that you fill with water. I also tried a less common variety off of Amazon which is like a very large. dense cotton pom pom. I would say both have their pros and cons.

PROS: 

• Both varieties of reusable balloons require very minimal clean up (just picking up the items and leaving them out to dry or running the pom pom variety through a dryer). 

• Both kinds can be used over and over, not just year-to-year or event to event, but also many times within the same activity.

• Both kinds are easy to store, most varieties coming with some sort of a mesh bag to keep them in.

• Both kinds can be dropped into buckets or (preferably) kiddy pools full of water right before the activity and kids can self-fill/wet them over and over again.

• Both kinds are more sturdy than the typical single use water balloon, so are easier for little kids or children with poor motor skills to use without breaking them immediately.

• Both kinds are a major cost saver because bunch-a-balloons (the best disposable option) are pricey even when they're purchased on sale.

• Activities or free play with reusable water balloons lasts a LOT longer than with the disposable variety.

CONS:

• If you do not let either variety fully dry out before storing them, they smell kind of smelly/gross.

• With the silicone magnet kind of reusable water balloons, if they are thrown at someone's face or thrown too hard at anyone, the magnet can hurt or even bruise someone.

• The easiest and most effective way to set up either kind of reusable water balloon is to fill one or more small pools and then dump them on in there, but this does take time to fill with a hose.

Overall, I definitely have come to prefer reusable water balloons over disposable ones and I actually prefer the large pom-pom variety to the silicone ones for little kids. They don't mind the difference, and no danger of anyone getting a magnet to the face!

Think about all the time you will save having the campers refill their own water balloons!  The fun will be part of the filling up process!  And not having to pick up all the balloon pieces is a huge time saver and blessing to the environment!

The opinions shared here are from Kelley Price, Dean at Wesley Forest Camp, and Neena Selfridge, Summer Program Director at Camp Penn and volunteer at Wesley Forest (Susquehanna Conference Camps, PA). They are for the benefit of fellow UMCRM members and friends and are not an endorsement of any specific product, nor does this reflect an official position of the UMCRM Association, although we appreciate the commitments to thrift, safety, maximum fun, and Creation care!