My kids love to play outside but get so hot so quick they are spending more and more time inside. It has been over 100 degrees for weeks now and just way too hot to play outside, unless your in the pool or a sprinkler. Here is a fun project to do with your kids this summer to help keep them cooled down in this super hot weather.
Gather your supplies:
- String, yarn, or in my case, ribbon
- Large pony beads, you know the big plastic beads……these are easy for little fingers to thread onto the string
- Ice cube tray and water
Now let’s get started!
- Cut your string/yarn/ribbon long enough to easily fit over your child’s head.
- Tie a knot in one end to stop the beads from coming off when you begin to string them.
- Allow your child to string whatever beads they would like. If they are having trouble getting the beads on the end, wrap the end with tape make it a little easier to slide them on. Make sure there is room between each bead so you’ll be able to easily put them into the ice cube tray.
- Fill the ice cube tray with water and place a bead or two in each opening. Personally, I found a tray that made ice cubes in the shape of flowers. This gave the appearance of a lei.
- Carefully place the tray in the freezer until ice cubes are fully formed. This takes a couple of hours. I know the kids will be asking over and over if it’s done. I try to do these in the morning and let them freeze until it’s REALLY hot in the afternoon.
- Take it out of the freezer, pop out the ice cubes and wear outside to play.
My son had so much fun with this, as it started to melt right away in the 105 degree weather we were experiencing during these pictures. His shirt quickly got wet. He stayed outside to swing it around to watch splash marks appear on the concrete and threw it down a few times to break the ice apart to break his dog-shaped beads free. After all the ice is gone, he still has a necklace to wear around the house with all this favorite animals in bead-form.