Have you ever heard of the term “the dog days of summer”? This is something new to me, but after looking it up, I totally get it! It those days when it is so hot and humid out that all dogs (and people) want to do is just lay around and keep cool. So, what do you do during those days? How can you keep sane after school is over and you have children at home complaining they are bored?
Here are some ideas for those “dog days of summer”!
1. Play in the rain
2. Make homemade ice cream
3. Go to Alum Spring Park for a picnic and to play in the creek or playground
4. Play in the sprinklers
5. Go visit our local farmers market
6. Make fresh fruit popsicles
7. Go outside and wash the car
8. Go to the library (our libraries ROCK at having fun actives throughout the week for kids!)
9. Drink a Slurpee – you can go buy one or make your own!
10. Paint rocks to hide locally!
11. Go on a nature hike
12. Go to Lake Anna State Park for the day! There are hiking trails, beaches, picnic areas and more
13. Have a family game day – you can do board games or get outside and play yard games or races
14. READ TOGETHER! Start a series to read aloud together with your kids
15. Have a movie day with everyone’s favorite picks
16. Go to a free concert or movie night (there’s a bunch in this area)
17. Plant a garden and keep a diary on how they are growing
18. Make pizza on the grill
19. Create sidewalk art with chalk
20. Bake homemade cookies for your neighbors
21. See a discount movie – all summer long our movie theaters have specials on matinee movies!
22. Conduct a science experiment
23. Make homemade play dough or slime
24. Have a water balloon fight
25. Check out local monument. Moving to the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania area I was blown away by all the history we have at our fingertips. There are so many amazing local places you can go explore and learn about. Do some digging on what’s around here and take a trip! Learn something new yourself and share it with your children.
The summer will be here before you know it! Unplug for a bit! Do projects together and get out and keep active with your children! Hopefully some of these ideas I listed will help you beat those dog days of summer!
