We are in the midst of those long, lazy, hot, nothing to do, days of the year. Hold on!!! Who are we kidding?!? Kids are always looking for something to do! And parents are always trying to keep up! Only the dogs get to lay around in the shade and do nothing.
According to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans this short season officially begins when the morning star appears in July and lasts through some time in August. Sirius, the dog star, is said to be the brightest star in the sky, except for the sun. It rises each day with the sun and can be seen with the naked eye.
Let’s enjoy the dog days this year with our kids and friends. Who knows? The dogs might even join in!
- Find Sirius in the sky. The star can be seen with the rising of the sun and through the night. (Remind kids not to look straight into the sun during their search.) The whole dog, Canis Major, can be found standing at attention in the heavens at night.
- Play Water Balloon Piñata. You will need a tree, balloons, string, water, a whiffle ball bat, and a blindfold.
Fill your balloons with water.
Tie a string to the balloons and then to the branches on the tree.
Blindfold the contestant and spin them three times.
Give the contestant the bat and let pop a balloon!
You can set a goal with a prize and keep score, or just do it for the fun and splash.
- Create frozen dinosaur eggs. Stuff a deflated balloon with your favorite creatures. Add a couple of drops of food coloring. Fill the balloon with water and freeze. Add the eggs to your kid’s bath or pool. Instead of playing “Hot Potato,” use your kid’s favorite tunes to play an iced egg toss! Dinos can be replaced with other small characters. How about fairies, butterflies, or Legos?
- Enjoy the cool indoors at your local library. Many libraries have scheduled story time for kids to enjoy year round. In the summer, it’s nice way to stay cool and check out some books for home.
- Establish your own story time in a hammock or under a tree on the cool grass.
- Wash cars together! Build your kids’ small and large motor skills by holding the hose and squirting the water. Then let the giggles erupt when they get to squirt you and the car!
- Have a sidewalk-chalk-photoshoot. Have kids draw a beach scene, water, and palm trees. Then they can pose on or with their drawings for some fun photos.
