Blazing Hot Pictures (Art, Language)
Kids of all ages
Go to your local grocery store and pick up some red tinted saran wrap.  Provide the kids with white construction paper, colored chalk, and markers.  Tell them to draw the hottest scene they can imagine. After they are done, carefully wrap a piece of the red saran wrap around their picture, taping it in back.  Have them tell you about their scene while you record their words on a separate piece of paper.

 

Little People’s Day at the Pool (Dramatic Play, Blocks, Sensory)
Preschool
Pull your sensory table up along side one of your classroom tables.  Fill it with water, and set out an assortment of play people at the table.  Cut up pieces of felt to make pretend beach towels the size of the figurines.  Add some small blocks or other items, and let the kids recreate a pool side scene on the table, using the sensory tub as the pool.

 

Ice Cream Prop Box – This link takes you to a fun dramatic play activity.

 

Take a Swing at a Pinaqua!
Everyone’s heard of a piñata, the fun box filled with candy that you whack with a stick to break open. The pinaqua is a fun variation of this childhood classic. Start by gathering some medium-size plastic trash bags. Fill one with around one or two gallons of water, then hang it from a tree at a height that is above the children’s heads. Blindfold a child, position them underneath it, and then have them take 3 swipes at the pinaqua with a stick. Whoever breaks it open gets a cool wet surprise! Best of all, when one does burst, it’s simple to fill another bag with water and play again!

 

 

My Perfect Summer Vacation (Group/Writing)

All Ages

Pose the following question to your class: If you had unlimited money and could do anything at all, what would your perfect summer vacation consist of? Go around the group and get their answers. With older kids, you can also turn this into a writing project by having kids write a short report about their summer vacation.

 

 

What I Like About Summer (Group/Writing)

All Ages

Go around the group and ask kids to name two or three things they like most about summer, whether it’s food, weather, no school, recreational activities, things they do, and so forth. Once again, you can turn this into a writing activity with older kids if you’d like.

 

 

Watermelon Seed Counting (Math)

Preschool & Kindergarten

The next time you enjoy a watermelon, save the seeds and rinse them off before setting them out to dry. Next create little slices of watermelon on paper, and write a different number on each one: 5, 9, 13, 17, etc. Try to make about a dozen or so of these watermelon slices. Set them out at a table along with your watermelon seeds, and have kids arrange the correct number of seeds on the slices.

Helpful tip: Cutting apart a few non-laminated paper plates is an easy and quick way to create your watermelon pieces.

 

 

Pretend Day at the Pool (Dramatic Play)

Preschool & Kindergarten

Bring in some pool floaties and other pool toys and set them out in your dramatic play area. Also get some sunglasses, hats, pool towels, empty sunscreen containers, and other pool-related props, along with some spare swimsuits kids can wear over their clothing.

 

 

Other summer activities:

• Start a temperature tracking chart to track the high temperatures each day throughout this theme.