Anchor down the barrel.

So, when you’re sailing, a lot of the time you’ll be going into the wind. It’s kind of a pain and it makes the boat go slower. But sometimes you might want to do it deliberately, like when you’re picking up a mooring ball or anchoring. And if you’re doing it deliberately, and in shallow water, then you want to anchor down the barrel.

Store the barrel on a level surface.

1. Place the barrel on a level surface.

2. Cut the rope to a length that is twice the height of your barrel. For example, if you have a 3-foot tall barrel, cut the rope 6 feet long.

3. Tie one end knot around the middle of the hoop so it is centered vertically within your barrel and hangs down on both sides.

4. Attach the remaining end to your wall or fence at about waist height by tying it in place with square knots several times for security,large plastic barrels as shown in Photo 1 below. Use an additional piece of rope to make a loop on the fence side so you can adjust the height of hoop by sliding it up and down for different users, as shown in Photo 2 below.

5. As you improve at using your Hula Hoop Toss game, you can add additional ropes under the hoop so that the bottom circumference of the hoop is closer to your body, making it more challenging to throw through!

Consider a lockable lid.

You'll have to buy a lock separately, but it's totally worth it.

They come in a huge range of sizes from as small as 15x10x16 inches all the way up to 25x17x22 inches.

Why does size matter? Well, you can use this for storage and, with the lid locked, for keeping valuables safe. Out of sight is out of mind, after all.

The locking mechanism is key-operated on the outside so you can't get in unless you have the key.

Keep the barrel out of reach of children or pets.

Many people use a rain barrel system to collect water for their gardens, but it's important to note that the collected water is not safe for human or animal consumption.

While there may be nothing harmful in the rain barrel itself, the water that falls on your roof can contain contaminants tracked in by pets, or run off chemicals used on your lawn or driveway. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends collecting this runoff in a separate barrel and using it only for non-consumption purposes.

You should always keep children and pets away from your rain barrel, as they could fall into an uncovered barrel and get trapped, resulting in drowning.

Use a child-resistant cap.

Keep prescription drugs in a place where kids cannot see or reach them.

Store medicines up and away. Put them out of sight and reach of children after each use. Look for products that have a child-resistant cap.

Use a container with a child-resistant cap to dispose of unused or expired medicines. Never throw medicines in the trash, flush them down the toilet, or pour them down the sink.

Always put medicine back in the right container after each use. Make sure it has a child-resistant cap and is kept out of sight and reach of children.