10 Fun Ways To Beat the Heat

Put a twist on summer favorites: Make them wet and wild or adapt them for indoor fun. You don't need a pool to beat a heat wave!

For a refreshing change to this silly game, pass around a wet, spraying potato. Use a pin to poke a hole in a water balloon, then fill it with water and make sure the balloon has a slow — but steady — leak. Gather your grandchildren in a circle and toss the leaky balloon from one player to the next — spraying everyone in the process. Be sure to throw it quickly: The goal is to pass the balloon before it runs out of water.

Put a twist on this classic and it becomes a cool backyard game on a hot day. Decide who will go first and blindfold that person or have them keep their eyes closed. The searcher — armed with a water gun — turns around and counts to 10, while the other players silently move to new locations in the backyard. When the counting ends, the searcher calls "Marco" and the other players respond with "Polo" while moving about the yard. When the searcher successfully shoots a player with water, it's time to switch roles.

Or more accurately, volley feather. Give everyone a large feather (you can find them in the craft aisle at your local dollar store) and see who can blow the feather overhead for the longest time. Once you've got the hang of making the feather float, play as a team and try to pass a feather back and forth between players without letting it fall to the ground.

Get into your bathing suits and take the fun outdoors. Use washable finger paints and brushes, and take turns painting directly on one another. Unlike most crafts, the best part of this one is cleaning up. Spray one another with the garden hose to get back to your blank-canvas selves and start all over again.

In this new edition, stuffed animals do the hiding while you and the grandkids do the seeking. You and your grandchildren each get one stuffed animal. Split up and hide the stuffed animals anywhere in the house (or pick one room if you're playing with younger kids). Then, each searches to find the others' hidden object. When you've found a hidden animal, take it and put it in a new hiding spot for them to find — the kids should do the same with yours. Continue playing for as long as you all are having fun.

It's easy to pop in a movie and relax in front of the tube, but that's not how memories are made. Instead, take turns acting out your favorite flicks as one-man plays. Set a five-minute limit and watch the plot unfold. Wait until you see an imaginative 6-year-old perform Aladdin. Have the camera ready.

Fill a dozen water balloons and take turns throwing them high into the air over the driveway or sidewalk. Make sure they pop on impact because you're competing to see who can make the biggest water splat. Use chalk to trace the outline of the watermark and determine who won.

Fill a large container with water and apples and have the kids hunt for them with their mouths just like you did when you were a kid. Once each kid has claimed an apple, play a game of sink or float. Gather household objects that can get wet (a shampoo bottle, a Matchbox car, a soup ladle) and make predictions about whether or not each object will sink or float. When things sink, kids can go in after them and cool off even more.

The best part of a picnic is the fact that it takes place on the ground. Keep it inside for the air-conditioned climate and spread out on the living room floor. Lie on a blanket and enjoy a healthy lunch like turkey and cheese roll-ups in a whole-wheat tortilla, fruit salad, and ants on a log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins). Wear your favorite shades, of course!

Skip the ice cream treat and make something healthier. Blend a nutritious, delicious frozen fruit drink. Let your grandkids help you load a blender with a half cup of ice cubes and whatever fruit they select — mangoes, strawberries, bananas, and pineapples work best. Add a little water or juice to allow it to mix smoothly. Then help the kids blend until the mixture is smooth. The natural fruit is sweet enough that no extra sugar is needed. Garnish with a straw or paper umbrella and enjoy.