Beat the Heat: Just Add Water!

Have a Blast with Body Painting: Toddlers to School-Age Kids

Have your children put on their oldest swimsuits, then go out to the yard and use their imaginations. Grab hold of non-toxic tempera paints, fingerpaint, or foaming bath paints and create colorful pictures on each other. Kids can take turns drawing shapes on each others' backs and then guess what was drawn. Draw a bull's eye on a tummy and try to hit the target (and wash it off) with a water squirt bottle. Use sponges or leaves dipped in paint to make prints on shoulders and legs. After your kids have covered as much skin as possible, get out the hose and washcloths and scrub their "canvases" clean—but not before taking memorable photos of each human masterpiece.

What's Cool in the Pool: School-Age Kids

Your kids can beat the heat and quench the sizzle of summer with water. These wet and wild games will make your pool party a splash hit!

Dry Run Derby: Have the kids line up at the shallow end of the pool, then hand each one a dry sheet of newspaper (or paper towel). On cue, everyone enters the water and starts swimming while holding their papers above the water. The goal is to deliver the driest paper to the opposite end of the pool.

Balloon Push: The object of this contest is to race to the far end of the pool while pushing a balloon with your nose. For each swimmer, fill a balloon with about one-quarter cup of water, then blow it up the rest of the way and knot it. The water will weigh down the balloon enough so that it will float atop the water without blowing away.

Ball Away: String a rope across the center of the pool or use a net if you have one. Toss lots of soft, floating balls (Ping-Pong balls, inflatable beach balls, playground balls, etc.) into the pool so that there is an equal amount on each side of the rope or net. Now assemble teams on opposite sides of the net. When the whistle blows, each team tries to throw all of their balls to the other side. When the whistle blows a second time, everyone immediately stops, and the team with the fewest balls on their side wins.

Balloon Blast: Supply each child with an inflated balloon and a spray bottle filled with water. The object of this game is to keep your balloon in the air the longest by squirting it repeatedly with water.