We are now approaching the Dog Days of summer. Grilling season is in full effect, music festivals are popping up left and right, traffic to the beach is becoming unbearable, and the mosquitoes are making themselves known. All the best parts of the summer.

At Block + Ink we are big believers in bringing a good activity along for an outing. Actually, most of the B+I team are very ADHD, requiring activities to keep them occupied or else they may just wander off like some kind of lost (perhaps drunk) puppy.

So, with that said, here is a list of 5 of our current favorite activities to bring along for day out-and-about. Whether you are at a music festival, a day at the beach, headed to a park, or just posting up in the backyard with the grill fired up, these are all guaranteed to liven up the afternoon (and keeping the space cadets occupied).

UBALL - This one is a new entry into “afternoon activity”category. Invented by some of our friends, UBall is essentially a packable basketball set up. The entire set up folds up into an easily carryable backpack-type setup and takes very little effort to set up. Perfect for the beach, this one is guaranteed to spark some lively competition amongst friends. We had a setup in front of our vendor tent at the recent High Tide Music Festival, quickly drawing crowds.
Bocce - This one is a no brainer and a total classic. Any time the B+I team attends a music festival, we can be found moving through the crowd playing some bocce. It’s simple, the object of the game is to throw a weighted ball, about the size of a baseball, and be the closest to a golf ball-sized target ball, called the pallino.
4 Square - A throwback! Perfect for the beach. All you need is a volleyball or something similarly sized and bouncy, at least four competitors, and 4 “squares” carved into the sand. Countless beach days have resulted in a heated 4 Square game, drawing potential challengers from groups all around the beach.
Paddle Ball - Honestly, this keeps us entertained for like 1 minute. I don’t think there is an objective other than to look like a Florida tourist. You hit the ball back and forth. It’s thrilling…
Soccer - a soccer ball with a few competitors can turn into the perfect beach activity. The sand is very forgiving, it does not take any set up (though you can bring a set of those small goals if you insist) and there is always the strong chance that the ball rolls into another group and presents the opportunity to make some new friends.