Hello, August! While we still love summertime here at ALC, it sure is one hot summer here in Ballwin, MO. We have had a blast this summer with our preschool day care students and campers. We visited the pool, had a splash day, and took a trip to the movies to beat the heat! Camp is always fun at ALC, and we try to make the most of every day despite the sticky or rainy weather.
With lots of experience keeping kids busy, we want to share some of our favorite ways to cool down on a hot day with your little ones. We know it can be challenging to keep them busy and still having fun. Unplugged childhood can still happen on a hot summer day. Just remember to stay hydrated, find some shade, and wear sunscreen!
Our Favorite Cool Outdoor Activities for Kids
- Craft: Painting With Ice
Outdoor crafts are awesome because you don’t have to worry so much about making a mess. For this craft, you just fill an ice tray with water and a few drops of food color or watercolor paint. Cover the tray with foil and insert half popsicle sticks. Once they are frozen, set your child outside with some paper and the cubes. As the ice melts, they can paint with the colorful cubes! This is a fun activity that allows them to be creative and get messy. We like the idea of using food coloring better than paint, so they are safe in case they put the ice in their mouths (which is bound to happen). Your kids can crush, swirl, smear and feel the ice and paint, which is a great sensory activity.
- Play: Ice Treasure Chest
For this activity, put a few toys in a bowl of water and freeze overnight. You can also add food coloring if you are ok with possibly staining the toys. In the morning your kids can take the bowl outside and go treasure hunting by chipping away at the ice. Make sure you help your children and supervised them so they don’t hurt themselves. On a boiling day, they won’t have to do much chipping, as it will melt rather quickly.
3. Eat: Refreshing Snacks
On a hot day, like the ones we have been having lately, nothing beats a refreshing treat. Here are a few treats as well as some healthy snacks to serve the kids on a roaring hot day.
- Frozen Grapes:
This snack could not get any easier. Simply freeze your grapes ( also a great tip for grapes that are getting a little pruney) and after a few hours serve them to your kiddos. Kids love these as they are like little mini popsicles. For a dessert, serve your kids a variety of frozen fruit and dip in cool whip or a healthy yogurt fruit dip.**For safety, cut grapes in half before freezing to prevent little ones from choking.
- Yogurt Pops:
This twist on popsicles adds a little more nutrition and fun to the normal frozen juice treat. Pop yogurt tubes in the freezer or put a popsicle stick in a yogurt container and freeze.
- Ice Cream Floats:
Nothing says summer like a mouth-watering ice cream float.Our favorites are rootbeer and creamsicle.
- Create: Lemonade Stand
This classic summer activity never gets old. Get inspired with these ideas and stir up a pitcher of your favorite homemade lemonade. This should keep your kids cool, creative, and busy all day.
- Make: Ice cream!
Avoid the mess of making ice cream inside with this fun and toddler-friendly activity. Make homemade ice cream outside with a coffee can. Follow the instructions here.
We hope you have had a fun summer, and we can’t wait to have your little ones back with us for the school year session. Share with us your favorite hot day activities you are doing this summer with your kids!