My kids love playing in the water, however, they are not allowed to have water balloons anymore. I can't handle the mess and trying to get the kids to clean up the little balloon pieces is about as fun as trying to get them to clean their rooms. I also always worry about a bird or small animal ingesting a piece that doesn't get cleaned up. Enter scene: reusable sponge water balloons! They hold a TON of water, don't leave a mess all over your yard and they are super cheap to make. I made 25 for under $10.00.
All you need are kitchen sponges, elastic bands and a sharp pair of scissors. I used these sponges that I found at the Chestermere Your Dollar Store with More. One package of sponges is $1.50, and I was able to get five balloons from one package.
Step 1: Cut the sponge into three equal lengths (you may measure, I just guess),
Step 2: Cut those three lengths in half again. You will have six pieces in total. You may find thinner sponges, which work great as well, and eliminates this step.
Step 1 | Step 2  |
Step 3: Take nine pieces and stack them in three rows of three and wrap an elastic band around the middle. Some minor fluffing may be required to get a circular shape.
Voila! You have a reusable water balloon sponge! Once you've made one, you will see how super easy they are and how you can play around with the thickness. I prefer using nine pieces, but six would work as well. If you are using the thick sponges, you could even eliminate the second step and not cut the sponge into thinner pieces. I like having lots of legs on mine, so I do the little bit of extra work.
