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Aug 22, 2023

27 Products For Fun Activities On Hot Summer Days

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

A season's worth of activities to hold you over until the leaves turn.

BuzzFeed Contributor

A gentle bubbly clay mask to combine an evening of self-care and entertainment with one wild skincare purchase.

A bath bomb-making kit that has everything you'll need to make 15 luxurious bath bombs. And you know what that means? An excuse to take 15 super long baths, better yet if they're cold ones, honestly.

A 1,000-piece mushroom puzzle so you have all these new lil' friends to hang out with after you piece it all together.

Promising review: "We went through three record players all on the cheaper spectrum of players until we found this Audio-Technica at a fair price. Previous players had issues with skipping, but this Audio-Technica player played all those records perfectly. Highly recommend the purchase of this for quality and music listening experience." —Jon

Get it from Amazon for $149 (available in three colors).

Promising review: "Great game. Came with all the pieces and really good sturdy board. We love playing chess. We are super competitive and always love a good game. Great for the price." —Crissy Long

Get it from Amazon for $9.36.

Promising review: "I love this thing! The print is nice and large, and the spiral binding is super nice. The paper is still newspaper-y which makes it feel like a newspaper crossword without having to lug around a newspaper. I use erasable pens, and they erase great. The boxes are plenty big enough for the letters and the crosswords are all appropriately 'Monday' difficulty. Great thing to have! Can’t wait to finish it and move on to Tuesday!" —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $11.49.

Want more of a challenge? Try the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday versions of this book for increasing difficulty!

Promising review: "I love it! It came with everything I needed. I used YouTube videos to be able to learn the stitches and then I was all set." —Kelley

Get it from YolandaCraftGifts on Etsy for $12.08+ (available in seven patterns and with different types of hoops).

Promising review: "I’ve bought just about every generation of Fire Stick now. I love that they incorporate volume buttons and app buttons now (Netflix, Prime, etc). Just set this one up today. I chose manual setup, not the option it gives you at check out to link to your account automatically. But set up was still easy enough. Never have problems with Fire Sticks! And they’re perfect to bring in vacations as well." —Stacy Tindle

Get it from Amazon or $39.99.

Promising review: "I am a beginner home cook and I love this book. It teaches you so much about technique, how to choose sides with your main dishes, wine pairings and much more! I have made three recipes from this book so far and they have all been so great! The recipes are time-consuming — if you're looking for 30-minute meals this book is NOT for you. But if you're really looking to step up your game with some mind-blowing recipes, buy this book! I really enjoy cooking, so the time doesn't bother me at all. Great for special-occasion cooking. So excited to continue with this book. The layout of this book is great so you can swap around your main dishes and sides. It's very versatile." —TB

Get it from Amazon for $22.49.

Promising review: "Great looking and feeling puzzle. It was a joy to put together!" —Dustin M

Get it from Amazon for $28.

Promising review: "The surface is large, but it can be rolled up and stored away in two minutes! The holes are slightly elevated (to create the holes) but negligible; unlike the one I had a long time ago that returned the ball. I like the shape of the mat (looks way more natural than a rectangular long strip) and the surface is soft and comfortable, yet it feels durable. I have no doubt I can make things more challenging by elevating certain areas underneath if I so desired. The 'sand trap' is also an excellent inclusion as it stops the golf balls from escaping the mat and keeping me from chasing down golf balls. Hopefully it can interest my kids to get off the electronics for a few minutes now and then, and if so, it will deserve an extra star. —Oniomaniac

Get it from Amazon for $35.09+ (available in two styles).

Unicorn Hair is semi-permanent hair color that's effective on both light and dark hair.

Promising review: "At 53-years-young, I have been admiring the colors that the younger generation have been using. I've tried a few brands over the years, but they quickly wash out. OMG! Lime Crime's Unicorn Hair is the best! I watched a few YouTube videos so I knew exactly what to expect. I wanted the bright fuchsia color that chocolate cherry gives. To keep it a bit more on the age appropriate side, I kept my blonde on top and did chocolate cherry underneath. Over the week since I've had it, I've noticed the under color does begin to bleed into the top layer. It's all good. It's giving me a very pretty ombre look. I love my look. I get some curious stares when out in public, but I also get compliments. I quickly tell them 'It's Lime Crime's Unicorn Hair in chocolate cherry.' If you're my age or older and have been thinking about doing this, do it now! We're not getting any younger. Color is a celebration of life, a means of self expression, and heck when you're an artist, everything is a canvas. Let your unicorn shine! LOVE IT!" —C. Strube

Get it from Amazon for $17 (available in 31 colors).

The game only has one goal: escape! As a team of two to eight players, they'll need to work together to ~escape~ before a mad scientist turns them all into werewolves! Spooky! It includes two locked boxes, a locked jar, puzzles, and hint books. There are 19 (!) puzzles to play and it's intended for ages 13+.

Promising review: "Got this and did it with my son and wife. We had SO much fun! The downside is you can only do it once, BUT it was much cheaper than taking everyone to a movie or any other activity we would have done…and if you don’t write on anything then you can pass it on to a friend to play!" —nfeathe2

Get it from Amazon for $30.98.

The kombucha kit includes a one gallon brewing jar featuring a place to write brew notes, pH test strips, a temperature gauge, a 16-page post-brewing guide, organic sugar, an organic tea blend, and a kombucha culture and liquid starter.

Promising review: "It has everything you need to start a first batch of kombucha. It includes clear instructions on how to make it and continue your kombucha for the second batch. Now I’m making my third batch and loving it so far. After the first batch, you will need to find your own tea leaves and sugar but it’s fun trying different tea to see how differently it tastes. It’s also fun trying different fruits/spices for second fermentation. If you purchase this kit as your first kombucha investment, you can brew your kombucha forever only with additional tea leaves and sugar." —Udon

Get it from Amazon for $49.99 (also available in a deluxe style).

I was a Book of the Month subscriber for years and loved it! You can read my full Book of the Month review for more on why it totally rules (especially when given as a gift).

Get it from Book of the Month for $12.50+/month.

BuzzFeeder Heather Braga loves her Kindle! Here's her review:

"It's the thinnest and lightest Kindle Amazon has released to date! And — as is made abundantly clear by the photo above — it's 100% waterproof. I'm typically a hardcover girl through and through, but I recently gave the Kindle a whirl. It's very convenient to be able to slip it into any bag without it taking up much real estate and the transition between pages is very smooth."

Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in three colors and two storage sizes).

Promising review: "I saw one of these in action at a friends house like five years ago and thought it was just a made up memory because making ice cream out of solely frozen fruit seems wild. But when I saw a TikTok about it, I immediately went to Amazon and bought it. This was the BEST decision of my life. I cannot believe still how amazing this thing is! It makes the creamiest, best tasting fruit ice cream ever. It’s easy to take apart and clean, and super easy to use." —DMCKAY

Get it from Amazon for $39.98+ (available in six colors).

The kit includes pink Himalayan salt, citric acid, epson salt, baking soda, grapeseed oil, a lavender vanilla essential oil blend, a spray bottle, two bath bomb molds, and an instruction book.

Promising review: "We LOVED making these bath bombs. And it was so easy. Everything comes pre-measured and the scents are great. A+!" —Brandonn

Get it from Amazon for $45.95.

The charcoal set comes with three charcoal pencils, one graphite pencil, four charcoal sticks, four vine charcoal sticks, and a carrying tin.

Get them from Amazon: the sketch book for $14.15 and the charcoal set for $8.41.

Promising review: "I am not an artist but this is fun! I keep it on my nightstand along with some sketch pencils and draw when winding down for the night. Yes, some of the prompts are a bit odd but I just go with it. Sort of tests the imagination! My 10-year-old granddaughter loves it too." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $9.95.

BuzzFeeder Chelsea Stuart owns this and loves it! Here's her review:

"My boyfriend got me this loom for my last birthday — the very beginning of March — and little did I know then just how much time I’d have to practice my tapestries. Over the last few months, I’ve watched countless YouTube tutorials, read through a few weaving books, and just tooled around on my own to learn basics like how to warp the loom and then more complicated things like different types of weaves. I would definitely call myself a crafty person, but even if you’re not, don’t let that dissuade you — it’s a really fun hobby to pick up and you can totally go at your own pace! Just make sure you keep it away from your cats (I learned this the hard way)."

Get it from Amazon for $46.99.

Promising review: "Saw it on TikTok and had to get it! I love waffles but I don't always remember to buy them so I love being able to make them super easily with this mini waffle maker. It's so easy and convenient for me because I didn't want anything that would take up too much time and space. It's perfect. I also used the waffle recipe provided by Dash and its great!" —Ken

Get it from Amazon for $9.95+ (available in 20 colors).

It's battery-operated, so be sure to hand wash it!

Promising review: "Love this little thing! I have everything you can think of at home for making coffee and espresso... Well, I love the Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew with foam. I set out to make my own. Well, I can now make cold foam thanks to this little tool. Love it!" —Krose

Get it from Amazon for $8.99 (available in 10 colors).

Here's BuzzFeeder Samantha Wieder's review of her Nintendo Switch:

"I got my Nintendo Switch pretty early during the pandemic at a time, when they were even harder to find than toilet paper. I set up a million and one push notifications to alert me when stores had them in stock online and was successfully able to get my hands on one during a brief GameStop restock.

I initially bought mine to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I was a huge fan of Animal Crossing as a kid so the nostalgia aspect combined with being able to escape to my own perfect little island was just what I needed to make 2020 a little easier. Since then, I've purchased a few other games for my Nintendo Switch that I really enjoy. What I love about this compared to the Nintendo Switch Lite is that you can either bring this on the go or connect it to your television. The picture is clear and beautiful, the console is light and comfortable, and overall it's just a fun way to destress."

Get it from Amazon for $284 (available in other colors/models).

The kit comes with all the yarn and needles you need for this pattern, as well as thorough instructions.

Get it from Wool and the Gang for $112+ (originally $140; available in Size 1 (US 2–4) – Size 6 (US 22–24) and in tons of colors).

Promising review: "I love this stuff! I received some for a gift and then purchased it for my daughter from Amazon. It feels like a clay mask going on, and then starts bubbling and turns to a thinner substance when it's done. I feel like it is very gentle on my face. My skin feels amazing after I wash it off. It feels like I used moisturizer, even though I did not. I hear that these masks are very popular in Japan." —LizaB

Get it from Amazon for $9.

It can also connect to their device via cable. Check out our Bluetooth karaoke mic writeup.

Promising review: "Oh my gosh, I love this! I got mine in the mail yesterday and ended up playing with it for about five hours last night LOL. It connects via Bluetooth so you can connect it to your phone — the music and your singing comes out of the microphone's speaker. It has a volume control for your voice and for the music and also an echo feature. You can put an SD card into the bottom of it and record yourself, or connect it with an audio out to record on one of those karaoke apps on your phone. Between this and being able to find just about any song on karaoke via YouTube, you could easily have your own karaoke parties at home!" —Ferretocious

Get it from Amazon for $49.99 (available in 13 colors).

The game is intended for 2–6 players ages 8 and up, but more specifically for one 29-year-old player named Rachel Dunkel.

Get it from Amazon for $47.99.

Promising review: "I first saw this book on TikTok and decided to look more into it. I purchased four total because I know some people holding onto things that are difficult to let go of. It’s a great way to look at things from a different perspective and truly hold yourself accountable to different things in your life. I love what it stands for and I look forward to when I burn mine after I’m done. Self-love, self-care, and meditation for a better state of mind tomorrow is always the goal. I definitely recommend it to those susceptible to change and the willingness to try things differently. You’re so much more than what’s been done to you and someone’s inability to see your worth does not decrease your value. Choose you for a change." —Brent Helm

Get it from Amazon for $7.32.

Promising review: "Very easy to unbox and get set up. I used an electric pump (not included) and followed the easy directions. Took me only about 10 minutes to get it inflated. Then it only took me maybe an hour to fill with a garden hose. I love the drain pipe underneath that is angled away from the pool so the water is directed out of the area. But I can see that it might not be good for the pool lining if someone stepped on it from inside the pool. So I was careful to let my kids know not to step in that corner. Overall, great quality, good size (fits three full-size floaties in it!) and my kids loved it." —Karen Moreland

Get it from Amazon for $76.99+ (available in two colors).

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.