Reflections, Reflections

The summer sun is beating down and the kids need to cool down. Here are some fun suggestions on how to have fun and stay cool in the summer months:

Encourage them to play in the shade. Play may not naturally gravitate kids toward a shady spot when the heat gets too much. Encourage them by putting kid-oriented features in the shade – a small picnic table, a sandbox, a swingset, a playhouse. If you don’t have shade trees or other cool spots, a garden umbrella or pop-up canopy could be the solution.

Water Play – time to break out the garden hose! Hook it up to a sprinkler and let the kids jump through it. It’s very inexpensive to pick up a Slip ‘N Slide, or other water play toy that can create some wet and wild afternoons. And when you are ready for it, pick up a dollar back of balloons for a water balloon fight!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but the kids want to go swimming. Fair enough. There are above ground pools that work for most budgets. Depending on the age of your children and how many (remember, friends will come over) there are easy to set up pools ranging from the 1′ deep wading pools to 18′ long. Be sure you know how much space you have, what sort of maintenance a pool needs, etc. (once you graduate from the kiddie wading pool you’ll need to pay attention to filters and pool chemicals.)

If a home pool is not an option, seek out community swimming opportunities through the local parks department or a community college or high school. The hours may be limited, but that can give your kids something to look forward to on those hot summer days.

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