Good morning, folks. Ready for a throwback? We’re talking about:
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| NYT Wirecutter |
A few weeks ago, we posed a simple question in Slack: What was your favorite way to spend summer as a kid? Before the days of smartphones and Netflix? Within minutes, we got an onslaught of replies from people eager to tell us about their backyard mud pits, old-school Super Soakers, and bug catchers.
One thing was clear: We’re all a bit nostalgic for the summers that felt more like a montage in a coming-of-age movie — which, for the record, pretty much never show the main character doom-scrolling on their couch.
Whether you’re an adult attempting to embrace a more screen-free summer or trying to keep kids entertained during these school-free months, here’s some inspo from our own (past) lives:
- For playing pool mermaids (or “George Washington Hair,” if that’s more your thing): a sturdy pair of goggles and a good ol’ pool noodle are key.
- Wirecutter’s favorite scooters and bikes would be great for neighborhood adventures. And maybe even for a race or two — with a helmet, of course.
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- For the hobby-curious: We recommend plenty of beginner-friendly craft kits. A highlight of my summer, so far, has been crocheting coasters and scarves from the comfort of my air-conditioned living room.
- This adult reading kit captures the same rush that you might have gotten from your local library’s summer reading challenge. It comes with more than a dozen prompts, and includes prizes that you can collect every time you finish a book.
- When newsletters coordinator Allyson Waller was a kid, her mom served cups of sugary frozen KoolAid to cool everyone down during the sweltering Texas heat. This summer, Allyson is revisiting that tradition in a slightly more grown-up way with these colorful pop molds.
- Few things in the digital world have replaced the satisfaction of unveiling a perfectly executed rubber-banded tie-dye pattern. Of all the kits we tested, this one produced the brightest and boldest colors.
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- It should come as no surprise that many of us have memories filming impromptu newscasts or family films as kids. For the non-budding journalists, an old camcorder could be a lovely and lo-fi way to capture days at the beach or other summer moments. Writer Frances Solá-Santiago even recorded her wedding with one. It was beautiful.
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Your daily deal: A pair of vintage-looking jeans |
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| Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter |
These jeans — with their long, slim, stick-straight cut — evoke ’90s supermodel vibes, according to our style experts. They fit just right around curves, and the light, flexible denim feels comfy all day.
We found them for $31 today→
For some (dumb) reason, I never believed the hype around bench scrapers, even when my colleague and kitchen expert Maki Yazawa said it was “the one kitchen tool she’d never give up.” But when I saw it pop up again in this roundup of cheap(ish) things we love, I went for it. I can’t believe how many years I spent using my chef’s knife to move piles of chopped ingredients in a world where bench scrapers exist. — Sofia Sokolove, head of newsletters
One last thing: Walkie-talkies. Over and out. |
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| Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter |
For kids embarking on neighborhood adventures, might we suggest equipping them with a pair of walkie-talkies? It seems old-school, but there’s just something thrilling about hearing someone come in on the other end of something that’s … not a phone. We found one that offers impressive range and signal, and is very lightweight.
Roger that→
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Thanks for reading.
You can reach the Wirecutter Newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond, but we do love to hear from you.
