Beat the Heat!

With record-breaking high temperatures in parts of the country, it gets hard to stay cool inside or out! Here are our favorite summer time activities for when you’ve grown tired of the local splash pads and water parks.

Ice Block Archaeologists

You’ll Need:

• a plastic container (Tupperware, bowl, etc)
• water (boiling makes the ice more clear)
• small toys: plastic dinosaurs, legos, etc.
• optional: food coloring to make blue ice
• Paintbrushes, salt, a hammer, chisels, –anything that could be used to get the toys out of the ice block

Let them dig:

• Fill the plastic container with about and inch or two of water (boiling water makes clear ice!) Add three or four toys, and put it in the freezer for an hr or so.

• When the first layer is frozen solid, add more water and a few more toys and ice cubes. Repeat until your container is full and you have a solid block of ice (two or three layers is usually enough.) It may take a day or so to make your ice-block. Save time by doing a few at once!

The Easiest (healthy!) Ice Snacks

You’ll need:

• Sturdy fruit like watermellon, bananas, cantaloupe, or large strawberries for older kids.
• Popsicle sticks
• A freezer!

How to:

• Cut the fruit into slices (see photo!)
• Insert popsicle stick into the rind or largest part of fruit. You may need to cut a small slit with a knife first.
• Freeze and serve!

Parent hack: Set up a car wash for charity!

Teach the kids a lesson in philanthropy by ditching the old lemon aid stand and setting up a neighborhood car wash in your front yard (supervision required!) They’ll stay cool, have fun, work on their communication skills, and maybe raise some money for a charity of their choice!

You’ll need:

• Sponge
• Buckets of water or hoses
• Non-toxic soap
• Dry towels
• A tip jar
• A DIY car wash sign

Getting ready:

• Have the kids find a jar or bucket as the ‘tip jar’ and decorate it.
• If you are donating the proceeds to charity, talk to them about what they think the world needs, and research with them until they decide what they’d like to support!
• Find a large piece of cardboard and let the kids make the Car Wash sign with the name of the charity on it.
• Get all the supplies out front, and start the day off by helping them wash your car!
• Make sure you keep it fun and don’t worry about the details. Remember: when you get splashed, keep it light and playful! (No grumps allowed;)

If you are interested in becoming an Adventure Nanny, or would like to hire one to help stay cool this summer, contact us!