AKA how to entertain your kids, teens, and yourself for the summer.

It’s all about turning the mundane into the mysterious. The easily bored tween into the intrigued, willing, and giggling entertained. This fresh facelift of fun — on a budget — will make your summer memorable. 

I present the Backyard Oasis for ~$100!

Prepare yourselves for the best dang Summer Sleep Over Extravaganza you can imagine.

Even Dad’s love hammocks with built-in pop-up mosquito nets! One was so popular, we had to buy another. Two wasn’t enough, because who wants to wait for your hammock-time? No one. So, we bought three for $20 each! Everyone can hang at once!

If you want to entertain your kids, teens, and family, then get a few hammocks for your backyard or porch. We stabbed a few solar tiki lights into the ground for ambiance and my husband added a zen-like water feature to the pond that provided relaxing waterfall sounds. 

We tested the glamping oasis out at night and ended up sleeping outside in the backyard last summer. The summer before that, we used a tent. Both are fun. So much so, that my daughter hosted a backyard hammock glamping sleepover.  

Look how happy these teens are camping in the backyard! Disclaimer: we left the dog with them to guard them, and I slept on the couch with the sliding glass door open (screen door closed) as a backup momma bear guard. Grrrrrrrrr! 

We hung our new favorite game outside for them to play. I wrote about all things wonderful regarding the Kooba game here. It’s fun for all ages.

The Top Best Most Fun Family Game — KOOBA Dooby Doo
KOOBA — It’s got action, skill — but not too much, magnets, flinging — it’s darts meets board game, only less dangerous 

These hammocks have built-in pop-up mosquito nets. You can use the hammocks with or without the nets. They come in a reusable bag with two hanging straps. And there’s a pocket that can hold a water bottle, soda, glasses, or a phone, while still holding chapstick. Cool amiright? 

The exact hammock we bought is no longer available. But this G4Free hammock is a close cousin that comes in more colors-green, gray, orange, and khaki. The price has gone up, it’s now ~$42 new or $34 used. This Outerman hammock is also very close to the version we bought and comes in orange/blue, or orange/grey. 

But I hate orange, you may say. Well, if bright-ask orange saves you from clothes lining yourself walking across your backyard, you may want to re-think bright-ask orange. Your neck and back with thank you. 

I love the built-in pop-up poles that hold the mosquito net up and the hammock open. The two hammocks linked above are like the pop-open car window shades. Once you learn the trick to close them, they’re easy. 

Hold the end of each pole in a hand, then twist your hands in opposite directions-one hand forward, one hand backward. The poles will collapse and fold into each other. Then you jam it into the stuff sack! If you need a visual how-to, Daniel will show you How to Fold Your Coveted Shade Car Sunshade 1.48 seconds. 

Another “pro” feature is the mosquito net. Our backyard is unbearable in the summer due to blood sucking mini vultures. This magic net solves that problem. You also don’t have to string rope up to hold the net like you do in other versions of hammocks with mosquito nets. And it keeps the net off of your face. With this type of netting, you don’t have to feed poles through a sleeve. Yay! 

The main “con” feature is that it’s delicate. Zip it open and closed as if it were a delicate flower. Treat it right and it will return the favor. We haven’t had any tears or zipper problems <knock on wood>, but we also, gently zip it. Just like my mouth after I realize I said something wrong. 

However, I found another ~$20 hammock I like here-the Chihee Ultra-Light Travel Camping Hammock. The main difference is the bag is attached to the hammock and works double duty as a pocket.

We ended up hanging even more shade sails, because two isn’t enough and neither are three in the hot California sun. We like rectangular and square sails and shaded the hello out of our backyard to make it usable. We live in a wind tunnel, and they’ve stayed up through Santana Winds (aka Santa Ana Winds) <knock-knock on some more wood>.  

This Sunny Guard UV Shade Sail comes in nine colors, is 10 feet by 13 feet, and costs ~$29. I recommend you don’t waste your time with the triangle versions, because they don’t cover as much territory, and you will just end up hanging more sails. The Bee’ll Sun Shade Sail has 11 sizes running from ~$17 to $60. 

Budget aware version 

If those hammocks are over your budget, then no problem! Easy peasy. I got you covered. Try the Decorlife hammock with pop-up mosquito netting that costs $11.89 — record scratch — say what? For the cost of forgoing one 2019 restaurant lunch with water, you could add this hammock to your backyard.

Update: inflation has changed the prices of everything…there is a$15 dollar one I found, but you have to use alot of rope to hang the mosquito netting, I can’t in good conscience recommend that torture. The least expensive hammock with pop-up mosquito netting, I could find as of this writing, is the Cusstally 1-2 person hammock at ~$21.80.

Don’t forget the solar tiki lights 

To add magic, allure, a warm glow, and a glint of flickering fairy wings to your backyard, add solar tiki lights! They added glamour with an air of Hawaiian mystique to your backyard. 

I found new Solar Tiki Lights with flickering flames that come in a four pack in blue, purple, or yellow for ~$20. I use the tilde ~ on most of the prices since they’re constantly changing. Here’s a two for ~$12 deal on Flashing Tiki Solar Lights. You can read my solar tiki light reviews here: 

Holy Flickering Solar Tiki Lights
Fake flickering fire has come a long way in the last few years

Budget is not a problem nor on our radar

If budget is no problem, then bedazzle your backyard with the Aselpida RGB Multicolor Solar Torch Lights 4-pack color changing flickering solar lights, plus the 12-pack Albeit flickering solar lights, and if it’s not too scary — the VP Home Bongo Drum Tiki Solar Light.

The Hamaca hanging tent hammock sleeps two UP IN THE AIR! This is the money no problem section, so you don’t care that it only costs ~$268! There is a family size option that sleeps three, also UP IN THE AIR. The Tentsile Stingray tree tent “perfect for family camping or group adventures”. Hey Tentsile, if you need testers, we’re volunteering! The cost fits right in that “no problem” section. 

But wait, they even have a stupid super strong, not sure why, what’s up with the cost version, the Tentsile Safari Stingray 3-person, that exits the stratosphere at ~$1,179. If you need a tester, we’re your family!

Now for the FCC and Amazon legal stuff — Disclaimer: Some external links in this post are affiliate. I may receive commissions from purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

Here’s a sample of flickering, strobing, and solid tiki lights in action, complete with doggie running around, a little pond, crickets, and howling. 

Short video of Solar Tiki Lights in action. Video by Wendy Snyder. 

Now get out there, set up your backyard glamping oasis, test it, then invite the most kids you can afford hammocks for, over for the Best Dang Summer Sleep Over Extravaganza! 

And tell us all about it.