Thursday, July 7, 2011

Kid Friendy Summer Activities (In Florida style heat!)

Summer is flying by!!!

With  7 year-old and a 2 year-old, I am always trying to entertain ideas of active things to do.  After a busy year of homeschooling, soccer, girl scouts and just plain life, I am anti-schedule and love to just play!  We can bake and swim in our pool, play games and read, which are all things we love to do together.  But at some point, leaving the house becomes a necessity.  Thankfully I have a fantastic network of friends who have kids of similar ages.  But here, in Florida, in the summer, outside activities become, shall we say, UN-fun!  It is so hot on a playground, it is not unheard of to come out with second degree burns on little booties!!  Lakes become a danger because the water gets too warm and can grow bacteria.  (We are also known for our alligators and snakes here.  See previous post about snake in bathroom!)  In fact, the neighborhood I live in had an alligator walking down the street not that long ago!  Now, the lakes are closely monitored and in some cases they are fine for swimming.  As for hiking, I revert to previous statement of snakes...but also the fact that the temperature is well up n the 90's with humidity like a steam room and a feels like temperature of...oh maybe 300 degrees??  Okay, so that might be a  slight exaggeration, but it is SUPERBLY hot. Aside from the scaly and slithery, we also have bugs that can pick you up and carry you away while sucking the life out of you resulting in some seriously itchy welts.

Did I paint a pretty enough picture of Florida in the dead of summer?  As an alternative, backyard pools, home made kid washes as some of my friends have dared to build in their yards, hoses, local splash pads are a favorite followed by picnic lunches, and indoor play are our options.  Malls are fun too especially with girly girls like mine who love Bath and Body Works with their sinks and sampling soaps and lotions followed by some dress up at Claire's!  We also have  multitude of bounce houses here, but they tend to be on the pricey side for such a short time.  I did find a deal today on Living Social for an all day pass to Jump N Joeys if you live nearby Clermont, FL.  For $4 you can come and play all day!  We also have a few dollar theaters here that are playing some great summer movies.  We have one in Winter Garden and one at Festival Bay! 

I have collected ideas over that last few years but love to hear what others are doing.  What have your summer days been filled with?

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