By Julie Bonnin

Ever seen a child splashing water for the sheer fun of it? Going out of her way to get wet, wetter, wettest?

Some of us never outgrow that fascination with being submerged. Summer days splashing in a pool, lake, ocean or even the back yard are the stuff of happy memories. A day spent on the water, whatever your age, is the essence of refreshment – whether you’re the active type, or the sort of water baby whose only interest is in lolling about.

While it’s true that you may not need many more accessories than a towel to get you through the summer, a few well-chosen toys can make the splashing more fun.

Let’s start with the kiddos, because they’re always the first to jump in.

Leave it to Hasbro to come up with some of the most innovative ways to ambush unsuspecting victims with blasts of water. Choose any one of these to fire up a backyard gathering of the most jaded, seen-it-all kids.

The cruel genius of Aquashock Arctic Blast, $20, is that the holding tank can be filled with ice cubes, making fired rounds of water all the more shocking. Super Soaker Max Infusion Helix Blaster (even the names of these watery weapons have become more menacing), has a 35-ounce capacity. Retailing for $10, it blasts out twin streams of water that travel up to 20 feet to deluge your opponent. And you can make things even wetter by investing in a wearable water supply, a strap-on backpack for $10 that holds 100 ounces and attaches to any Hasbro Max Infusion water gun.

Children who want to keep active in the pool will love Pooltoy.com’s fun inflatable water wheel. Kids 6 through 12 will delight in spinning it around for hours, at $40. Also from Pooltoy.com, the giant sport disc, $10, is big, soft and easy to catch, and will keep older kids occupied in or out of the water.

The Cube, $78, from Aqua Pool Warehouse, is just what it sounds like, a giant cube-shaped inflatable with cutouts for climbing in and out of. Because it has a drain, The Cube can do double duty on dry land as a kiddie pool if you like, $78. To make an even bigger splash, invest in a water-park quality pool slide, also from Aqua Pool

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