It's already to hot outside to spend all day outside like we were this spring so now I feel at a loss of how to entertain my little fair-skinned dd all day.
She is very energetic, 3 yo and we both have fair skin but I am leary of using sunscreen day in and day out.
It's about 100 degrees here everyday now and the hottest sunniest part of the day lasts about 6-7 hours....
Please help with any ideas or inspirations?
Thanks!
We have a shade tent thing I put up with a wading pool under it to swim in. Or our big pool is in the shade a lot. Or there is a public pool with a shaded kids pool. There are also parks with a shaded kids area (kinda hot for that, we go early in the morning or in the evening).
Indoor play room, museum, paint-your-own pottery place, zoo that has indoor area, etc.
In the house - paint.do art projects, read books, build forts with the couch pillows, have a 'camp out' or picnic in the living room, treasure hunt, sensory trays, put on music and dance around, cook something, take a cool bath and pretend its swimming, go through old toys to donate, make an challenge course.
ETA: Ds is allergic to most sunscreen and the kind we have that he can wear is awful thick goo that makes him look like a creepy ghost. I put him in long sleeve/long pant sun suit thing, a big hat, sunglasses, and then we can play at the beach/pool.
We have a shade tent, and water tables right now. But, I live in the desert, and it gets so hot that we don't go outside during the day at all. We wait til the street and sidewalk cool down a lot, and all the neighbor kids play outside in the street together.
Some of the neighbor kids go to the park very early in the morning before the slides have a chance to heat up.. but, by 7:30 a.m, even those are too hot to play on.
Mostly, we just wait and hope for a cloudy day... and until then, we stay inside.
We are lucky to have an extra bedroom. My SIL made our kids foam blocks (about 6 x 12 x 4) covered in assorted fabrics. We have TONS of them. We also have some old futons, couch cushions, and assorted foam. We also have an old desk that is as sturdy as a boat and really deep (no way kids could tip it.) There is a layer of futons on the floor then the foam blocks and assorted foam objects. The kids spend hours in there jumping off the desk, playing under the desk, building with the blocks. Oh, and they're allowed to throw balls in there. Only soft toys allowed. Nothing hard. We call it "The Wild Room" and it is a favorite whenever friends visit.
We also go to the children's museum and public pools a lot. Plus parks and rec art class and library story time.
)
I LOVE the heat but DD is not having it this summer. She is outside for like 15 mins and wants in! It's only 75-85 degrees here...guess it's time to buy that A/C I swore I'd never own...
I go hiking a lot but DD will just hang in the wrap and I try to let her down to go explore and she just wants back up (20 m/o and 24lbs!) so IDK it totally stinks too b/c we do NOT have a yard this year! (moved to an apartment and there is just a gravel parking lot)
Are there local parks that have a decent amount of shade? The closet parks to us have no shade at all, but in the summer we drive a little farther to one that is almost completely shaded. We also try to play outside first thing in the morning or after dinner--it might still be pretty hot, but the sun is less strong. Our local mall also has an indoor playspace where the little ones can run off some energy. Although we don't frequent them too much, I know a lot of people who use indoor playspaces--toddler gyms (where you can often sign up for classes), indoor trampoline and bounce house plays, indoor mini golf, etc.
probably the wrong person to answer as there is rarely a day that it is "too cold" or "too hot" to be outside. Even on 100+ degree days we get outside to play. Those days usually include some kind of water fun- squirt guns, sprinklers, water tables. etc. Plus lots and lots of fruit popsicles and water to stay hydrated. For the sun- long sleeve tees and long pants are a natural SPF but we choose to stay in shady parts of the lawn and parks. Vitamin d is a good thing! Other days might include a trip to the library or the mall for free A/C. We don't let the weather get in the way of fun!
I live in the desert so it gets prohibitively hot for about 3 months. Along with the great ideas already mentioned, we pay for an indoor playground. I think I paid $60 for both of my kids last summer, and they loved it. Best of all it is very comfortable for adults to sit and enjoy coffee with friends while keeping a close eye on our kids. The one where I live is called Child's Play...not sure if it is a franchise.
The pool at the Y, the beach, museums, indoor play places, Chuck E. Cheese, the library, the mall, playdates at friends' houses...I hate being stuck at home more than the kids do, but I am fortunate to live in a very family-friendly city. The summer is challenging though because of all the tourists - I hate crowds almost as much as I hate being at home all week, so I like to get creative with our outings and do different things all the time.
We get up early and head outside before it's too insanely hot. Try to wear them out that way. Then we sometimes swim later on.
probably the wrong person to answer as there is rarely a day that it is "too cold" or "too hot" to be outside. Even on 100+ degree days we get outside to play. Those days usually include some kind of water fun- squirt guns, sprinklers, water tables. etc. Plus lots and lots of fruit popsicles and water to stay hydrated. For the sun- long sleeve tees and long pants are a natural SPF but we choose to stay in shady parts of the lawn and parks. Vitamin d is a good thing! Other days might include a trip to the library or the mall for free A/C. We don't let the weather get in the way of fun!
I'm all for vitamin D,but not for frequent sunburns which is how we would end up if I just ignored the sun. I can do long sleeve light weight shirts (and almost always do if I am going to be in the sun) but not both long sleeves and pants in 100 degree ultra humid New Orleans, lol. And while I can handle the weather very well and will adapt and make due with whatever my dd is not like that at all.
Lots of good ideas for out of the house activities but I guess after reading this thread I must have meant(and not known I meant, lol) was more indoor activities aroud the house. I have a pretty good idea of child friendly things we can do around town and there are a few super shady parks that are perfectly lovely even in the heat. Its more keeping amused around the house when we can't be outside that I cant seem to figure out.
We do some cleaning together which she likes, we do baths and read books and then that's about two hours of the day....!
Who said anything about sunburn and/or ignoring the sun? 
I said we protect our skin and/or stay in shady areas. I guess I am of the mind set that you gotta make due with where you live. We have bitter bitter cold days and ultra hot and humid ones. It doesn't get in the way of our fun or our everyday lives.
If your daughter can't handle the heat then I would find lots of indoor fun as many of us mentioned-the library, the mall, play places, the movies, local Y/pool for out of the house.
For in the home you can make forts, cook, put on plays/puppet shows, play hide and seek, play board games, watch movies, read, color, paint.
There are TONS of craft sites on the web-you could make flower pots, make pinch pots out clay, make weaving boards out of old cardboard, make your own silly putty or playdo to name a few.
You could start an indoor garden, start a family band by making instruments out of glass jars, pots and pans, hairbrushes for microphones.
You can listen to books on tape, dance to the radio.
You could reorganize your cupboards (my son loved that!). Clean out your closet and play dress up at the same time.
Try packing up some of the toys and start rotating them so the old seems new again. Do the same with books.
I hear ya, OP, I'm on the north shore and it's HOT up here, too. I think people who don't live here or in similar hot climates don't really understand that a few 100 degree days are manageable, three to four months of them are a whole other thing. At some point, it's not safe to be out in that heat. A few years ago we made a little day trip in July and we realized at some point, no one had been to the bathroom in HOURS even though we were draining water bottles like crazy. That's just not safe.
My daughter loves:
play doh
water color - I have a big thing of washable paints, several different brushes, and a few clear cups for the water. I put a beach towel (or three) down on the table and chair and let her go. She likes mixing colors in the water as much as she likes painting. Cheap paper plates make good painting surfaces.
also gluing anything to anything else is a huge it
and tape - she loves plain ol' tape, a three pack is a few days of entertainment
I always keep craft pom poms, elmer's glue, googly eyes, some sequins/buttons type things, pipe cleaners, paper plates, and yarn. She can usually think of something to do with them by herself.
There's also this thing where you mix equal parts water and corn starch - use a big container so she has plenty of room. It looks like a liquid and will flow through your fingers but feels like a sold if you slap it or poke at it in the container. Just mix it till you get a consistency she likes to play with.
We also have a kid's yoga DVD (the one we have is really cheesy, I'm sure there are better ones out there). She doesn't always do the whole thing but she likes to watch it and will do most of it. She asks for it often.
That's all I can think of right off. I hope some of that helps.
Like the previous poster, we have yoga DVDs (ok, we just keep checking them out from the library) and the cornstarch + water thing is a huge hit!
If you have a room where you can safely play with water, I sometimes set out bowls or old pots and pans with soapy water in them and we wash different toys.
We play with uncooked rice. Sometimes I will bury small toys and they will find them.
And since it's hot, you can make "recycled crayons" by melting broken pieces of old crayons in a muffin tin with liners.
You could also check to see if your library has books with different toddler or preschool activity ideas. That's where we get a lot of the things we do.
I wish I could think of more things, but I am sick and having trouble thinking!
ETA: I like this site for simple, cheap ideas: Magical Childhood
Its hot here too (AZ) and as soon as the monsoon gets here the humidity will come so 115 and humid isn't fun. Stuck inside and hot isn't fun. We tend to go out for activities if at all possible, the library is a huge hit, the pool etc. even a walk around the grocery store breaks up the day. Maybe even look for a kids class during the day to break things up.
My son is 10 and can NOT take the heat.
June 1st, 103F here. Ouch.
A Magical Childhood is awesome, thanks for the link! We're making our own water colors today!
Follow Mothering