In the summer of 2020 and 2021 I was home with a 4 year old and baby. I needed outdoor activities to keep everyone entertained and cool because we didn't yet have A/C and it was HOT!
So, as the weather gets warmer, I thought I'd share a few things to do with the kids to keep everyone cool and entertained:
- I spy (5 senses version): they have to find 5 things they see, 4 things they hear, 3 things to touch, 2 things to smell and 1 thing to taste. I always do this with them because it brings me into a present state of mind.
- Excavation: you'll need a small bin and find any small toys (dinosaurs, trucks, polly pockets, etc.), put them in the bin and fill it with water. Put it in the freezer overnight and once it's a big block of ice with toys stuck in, give them play tools to chisel the toys out! This is great on a really hot day and it melts pretty quickly!
- Make homemade slushies with kool-aid liquid and ice, then blend it!
- Make homemade popsicles with 2 ingredients, usually fruit and a juice, you can experiment with what fruit is the favourite! I like bananas and strawberries with almond milk.
- Start a vegetable plant (or garden) and have them water it and draw or write the changes that they see each day as it grows (beans are my favourite to start them indoors in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel and tape it to the window until you start to see the sprout.
-Get the yoga mats out and find some shade, then everyone gets a turn to teach the yoga class, or whatever exercise class they want!
- Two words: chalk & water - mix them together, draw with them, get the paint brushes out and paint with them! This one is a hit until there's no more chalk left!
- Give them a bucket to find bugs, collect rocks, snail shells, whatever else they can find.
- Sun S'mores experiment: put tin foil and black construction paper in a bowl, then make a s'more on top of it (I use chocolate bars in between), set it out in a sunny spot and see how long it takes to melt! Then of course enjoy the s'more! . . . a hose will also be needed to clean them after!
- Want to cool everyone down quickly? Have a water fight!
