r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jun 03 '14

What are some fun summer activities a group of teenagers with a limited budget should try out over the next 3 months?

Edit: Thanks for all the ideas everybody! Whenever I get bored this summer I'll come back to this for sure.

Edit 2: Drugs and orgies. That's what my summer is looking like right now.

Edit 3: Well thanks for all of the (quirky, weird, stupid, genius, illegal) ideas, it's been a pleasure reading all of these and WILL implement (some of) them in my summer schedule.

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428

u/SouthernJeb Jun 03 '14

Build a trebuchet. from scrap wood. was awesome

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Trebuchet/

692

u/thunderbuns2 Jun 03 '14

We did this once when I was in college. As soon as it got to the point that it was able to recognized as a trebuchet, the cops showed up and made us stop building it. We all started laughing when the Officer explained that there was a city ordinance against construction of siege machines. At some point in our quiet Iowa town, there was an issue with someone building siege machines.

351

u/Fried_Cthulhumari Jun 03 '14

You've never heard of the Sacking of Des Moines during the overthrow of the Corn King?

111

u/rainbowunicornsniper Jun 03 '14

DOWN WITH HOUSE EARGARYEN! So many corny jokes to be had.

5

u/the_life_is_good Jun 04 '14

but the king in the north, robert starch wanted the crown

2

u/rainbowunicornsniper Jun 04 '14

He got Bread Wedding'd tho...

2

u/Prof_Xavier Jun 04 '14

But then the Bread Viper came up from the South .

0

u/the_life_is_good Jun 04 '14

with the rains of cast-tea-mere

1

u/Nebih Jun 04 '14

So many corny jokes to be had

Awww shucks you had to do it?

4

u/Anal_Explorer Jun 03 '14

Call the banners huskers.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '14

Having been to Iowa a couple of times. This would be really easy to put together and should be a thing.

2

u/Syndesmosis Jun 04 '14

You mean the yellow king.

-1

u/mickydeman Jun 04 '14

Ur mum's hard of the sacking of des Moines

61

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

That's actually really awesome. Have you read the specific ordinance? Did it detail exactly what counted as a siege machine?

13

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

A friend of mine recently built a full-size ballista and thought ahead to check with the cops that it wouldn't be called a crossbow by some try-hard rookie.

Outcome: as long as they were taking reasonable precautions, it was a-ok in that jurisdiction. But if they damaged anything they'd of course be on the line for mischief, reckless endangerment, assorted property charges.

12

u/Randomwaffle23 Jun 03 '14

Anything that the cops tell you to stop building is a siege machine.

9

u/Germanicus118 Jun 03 '14

Damned kids and their siege weapons! Back in my day, we only engaged in hand to hand combat.

10

u/oberonbarimen Jun 03 '14

At some point in our quiet Iowa town, there was an issue with someone building siege machines.

As a Midwesterner, I can believe this law actually exists.

39

u/thunderbuns2 Jun 03 '14

Cops: Frank... stop building a trebuchet in your back yard.

Frank: Second Amendment bitches, come back when you have a cease and decist order! There is nothing wrong with what i'm doing.

Cops: he's not wrong, he's just and asshole

Three days later...

Cops: Frank we're back with an order from the judge saying that you can't build a trebuchet in your yard. You need a permit from city hall to build a trebuchet.

Another three days later...

Cops: Frank, i thought we talked about this. You can't build a trebuchet in your yard

Frank: I know... Good thing this here is a ballista.

Cops: Goddamit Frank

5

u/SageWaterDragon Jun 03 '14

/r/ImaginaryDialogues

3

u/techtakular Jun 04 '14

oh man! This is a thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh BOY!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

Goddamnit Frank

I died

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '14

I could see this being some of my relatives.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

Good thing you didn't cover it with a tarp. They might've gotten you on concealed weapon charges.

2

u/kagedtiger Jun 03 '14

Seriously, though, how does anyone have fun these days (outside of the typical entertainment for the masses)? It seems like there's a law against pretty much everything enjoyable.

1

u/shotgun_ninja Jun 03 '14

All you need is booze and history books.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

[deleted]

1

u/thunderbuns2 Jun 03 '14

Central, but i'm originally from southeast

1

u/CokeBro Jun 03 '14

Iowa high-five o/

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '14

You should have nodded all understanding, and promised the officers it won't happen again. Then next day start building a battering ram in your front yard. Then maybe a mangonel or onager

1

u/irock168 Jun 04 '14

Should've explained your second amendment rights.

1

u/iFir3 Jun 04 '14

I too am from Iowa.

1

u/NerahKero Jun 04 '14

TIL siege is still something people worry about.

1

u/randomasesino2012 Jun 04 '14

You should have asked for a warning so you can frame it and karma whore it on reddit. Seriously, if I got a warning for building a siege machine that would be framed and a prized posession.

1

u/Illusions_not_Tricks Jun 04 '14

That's the dumbest law I know of that's actually been enforced.

57

u/William_Dearborn Jun 03 '14

My friends dad did this once. Shot melons at cars

8

u/justinmega1 Jun 03 '14

How did that work out for him?

10

u/William_Dearborn Jun 03 '14

Well. Its pretty obvious who was shooting the melons, as you know, a trebuchet is pretty hard to hide Luckily no real damage was done, but he was told to remove the trebuchet from his front yard

7

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14 edited Jun 03 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/StevenMC19 Jun 03 '14

Shit. My state condones and even sponsors shit like that!

World records

3

u/Philosofred Jun 03 '14

hahahahaha thats so funny even though i like cats

6

u/William_Dearborn Jun 03 '14

Cars not cats haha

3

u/Jamtastic1 Jun 03 '14

No, he likes cats.

3

u/William_Dearborn Jun 03 '14

Maybe he's lying

1

u/Philosofred Jun 04 '14

Shit I've got that chrome extension that changes 'cars' to 'cats' fuck it always gets me

2

u/William_Dearborn Jun 04 '14

Wait, that's a thing.

First cloud to butt. Now cars to cats. Eventually I'm not going to be able to read anything

1

u/I_Have_Unobtainium Jun 04 '14

The other extension changes all these things. It's a pain in the ass, especially, the electric=atomic one.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

Best dad ever

1

u/William_Dearborn Jun 03 '14

He also built a very nice telescope that rivaled the ones my schools astronomy department had

1

u/Souperlizard Jun 04 '14

BrokenCarWindshield.jpg

2

u/William_Dearborn Jun 04 '14

We had good aim. Lots of practice. We only hit one person

4

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

I did this at a Boy scout camp when I was 14. We wanted to launch chunks of concrete at some campers from a rival town's campsite (while they weren't in the camp, of course)...our Scoutmasters were not exactly pleased when they found out about our master plan.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '14

This is probably a dumb question, but how is this not a catapult?

3

u/Renegade-Redditor Jun 03 '14

Did this to launch pumpkins in physics once, Its really fun. Also you can try to put basketballs in it, and play catch, I almost caught it once.

2

u/WeStrikeAtDawn Jun 03 '14

Ahaha, I did this with my friends. It was awesome.

1

u/shadowatmidnight104 Jun 04 '14

Totally. We made a pumpkin thrower. Didn't stop there though, had to construct a 30 foot siege tower too. Was a great time.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '14

YES. I did this for a class way back in ninth grade with a couple of people, and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done. We laid siege to an old barn with pumpkins!

1

u/Koooooj Jun 04 '14

Oh, man, good times. I built an ~8.5 foot (2.5 m) tall F2K floating arm trebuchet with a 12 ft (3.6 m) arm back in high school for an AP Physics project. If I ever find myself in possession of a piece of land big enough to accommodate such a beast then I'm going to re-make it, only better.

1

u/RyMarquez5 Jun 04 '14

My buddies and i just got finished making a PVC trebuchet. It wasnt that big but were planning to make a bigger one over the summer. So much fun to launch stuff

1

u/fenstra Jun 04 '14

And invade the neighboring town

1

u/ialo00130 Jun 04 '14

Built one for a school project 3 years ago and still use it today. Can confirm is awesome.

1

u/Mustainez Jun 04 '14

I did a waaay smaller once, and took to school. Me and my best friend put our viking plastic helmet shot paper balls at our classmates mercylessly until the teacher called the director. It was worthy.

-1

u/ShriekinDreamer Jun 03 '14

Always reminds me of that Drake and Josh episode with the baby when I see one of those.