Have you ever wondered: “What is an E-2 Visa?” or “What happened to the dinosaurs?” or “What’s the difference between ‘caregiver’ and ‘caretaker?’” These are just a few of the questions that may or may not have kept you up at night. Perhaps you’ve also considered how you can enjoy your life while safeguarding the earth’s resources. It’s a “big” question, too, after all. With summer coming to a close, it’s easy to worry about what you’re going to do with all the pool paraphernalia you’ve accumulated over the past few months. If you’re tired of feeling like you buy too much and then throw half of it away as you transition from one season to the next, listen up. Even if we can’t answer some of the harder questions in life, we can teach you a few creative ways to clear off your patio and still make use of some of the inflatable toys and many pool noodles you buy each year. Take a look:

1. Turn pool noodles into boot forms to support shafts while stored. Simply cut the noodle into the appropriate length so that it fits into each boot and holds it upright.
2. Protect your children from dangerous and potentially hot trampoline springs by cutting a slit in a portion of noodle and placing it over each spring so that the spring is completely covered.
3. Along the same lines, you can make a slit along the length of an old pool noodle and thread it around a sharp table edge to protect toddlers from sharp corners as they begin to walk.
4. You can also place noodles under the fitted sheet on each side of a bed in order to keep children from rolling off during the night.
5. Attach a noodle to a facet in order to fill large buckets that won’t fit in a sink.
6. If you also poke holes in a noodle, you can place it over the end of a hose for a makeshift lawn sprinkler.
7. Cut a pool noodle into small sections and place them in the bottom of a planter to cut down on the amount of dirt you have to use in it.
8. If you are particularly creative, you can cut a length of noodle and shape it into a circle. Wrap with fabric or ribbon and decorate for use as a wreath.
9. Or, cut a noodle in half longways and screw it into the wall of your garage to keep your car door from being damaged as you open it.
10. Put damaged inflatable toys and floats in garden beds as a liner to deter weeds
11. Use a torn or worn pool cover as a large “slip and slide.”
12. Or place it on the ground as a water resistant pad during a camping trip.
13. You can turn a plastic kiddie pool into a small container garden or sandbox.
14. Turn frayed beach towels into hand towels or sew them into colorful tote bags.
15. Finally, you can always pass your old pool toys on to another family. As they say, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!”