Long before Brat Summer cemented the club as the hottest place to be during the warmer months, Gen X-ers used to beat the heat in an even more exclusive locale: Their neighbor's pool. Throughout the '70s and '80s, grabbing a hose, a slip n' slide or a Super Soaker was the perfect way to spend your summer — just ask all the kids who turned their backyards into their own personal water parks. 

From tense games of chicken to cool diving board flips, here are 22 backyard pics of how kids stayed cool in the '70s and '80s.