Summer is heating up in Simi Valley and Moorpark! But don't worry - Macaroni Kid Simi Valley - Moorpark has got you covered... Check out this list of 95 fun, cool, and creative things to do to beat the heat!
Outings
Free / Low Cost:
- Rancho Tapo Community Park Splash Pad
- Rancho Simi Community Pool (Floating Obstacle Course)
- Simi Valley Public Library
- Moorpark City Library
- Go to a Duck Park
- Oak Park Community Park - Splash Pad
- Go to the Beach
- Visit a "little library" around town like Braden's Box
- Go to the 5 dollar or less book store
- Go to the .99 cents store and pick out one toy, or game, or coloring book
Paid:
- Play at ImaGYMnation
- Go Bowling at Harley Simi or Harley Valley Bowl
- Go to Studio Movie Grill (Summer Series Films - $6 Monday - Friday for movie, popcorn and small drink)
- Go to Regal Movie Theater ($2 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for "First Movie of the Day")
- Ice Skating at Simi Valley Iceoplex (Tuesday Night is CheapSkate night)
- Pottery Painting at As You Wish Pottery in Simi Valley
- Visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
- Play at Rockin' Kids Simi Valley - Indoor playground
At Home
Outdoor Activities:
- Water Balloon Pinata: Fill a water balloon (or a full-sized balloon) with water and tie it up like a pinata. Kids can swing at it and when it breaks, everyone cools off!
- Make an Obstacle Course
- Do Dry Ice Science Experiments
- Ice Block Extraction - Freeze a toy (think hard plastic like a Lego man) in a large bowl or pan full of water. Once frozen, have your kids work on chipping away at the ice to set the toy free.
- Water Balloon Baseball
- Water "painting" - teach your kids about evaporation while they "paint" the sidewalk with water
- Make a Coke & Mentos rocket
- Wash the car
- Run through the sprinklers
- Elsa's Hands from Disney's Frozen - Fill rubber gloves with water and freeze. Take outside and watch it melt. Bonus - Put colorful beads, buttons, or stickers in water before freezing it.
- Have a water fight
- Water balloon Dart Board
- Pool Noodle Water Wall - Tape pool noodles to a board or a wall in an vertical, intertwined fashion. Put funnels in the tops of them and cups at the bottom of each and have kids fill the cups in a specific order (they need to figure out which noodle leads to which cup.
Indoor Activity-Based:
- Library's Weekly Craft: Craft packs available for pick up from the two local libraries - Simi Valley Public Library and Moorpark City Library
- Indoor Treasure Hunt: Depending on the age of your little ones, use your judgment on what you’re hunting for. Whether it’s scouring for coloring books and crayons or something more elaborate for older kids, leave various clues around the house that will keep them on their toes and intrigued.
- Board Games: Games are perfect for when you’re cooped up indoors. Board games, charades, duck duck goose – figure out what will keep everyone entertained for a good while, and get silly!
- Have a puppet show
- Take "Funny-Face" Pictures
- Living Room Drive-In: Create your own in your living room by helping your kids build a fort with seating, snacks and drinks and sit down for a screening of your favorite flick.
- Celebrate the Sunset: The sun setting for the night means the worst of the day’s heat is over. Spend a few minutes outside and let your kids run around and get some extra energy out.
- Make Colorful Rainbow rice and Skittle Magic
- Play Dress Up
- Throwback Chill-Out: Use the time inside to go through old photo albums, digital camera archives and other pieces of nostalgia you have on hand. It doesn’t have to be limited to pics of your kids – show them what you looked like when you were a kid, or even their grandparents. It’ll open their eyes to a different world, lead to lots of questions and, best of all, pass the time in the comfort of your AC-cooled home. You could even plot about how to recreate some old photos from the past with your kids.
- Write and illustrate a picture book
- Balloon Bopping - Hit the balloon back and forth and don't let it touch the ground
- Play with Water Beads / "Orbeez"
- Get Crafting - Lots of options to choose from in our Craft Guide
- Finger Paint or make handprints
- Bring Dinosaurs to life - All you need is your phone!
- Watch a snowy winter / Christmas movie - it will help you feel cooler by watching it.
- STEM paper activities
- Have a creative conversation with these 31 prompts
- Make Fizzy Dinosaur Eggs (or put army men or other toys in them)
- Meditate
- Have an indoor camp out
- Make and Mail Greeting Cards
- "Spa" Day - Pretend you are all going to get a spa treatment. Play soothing music and put cool cucumbers on everyone's eyes.
- Dice Rolling Drawing Game
- Shaving Cream Drawing in a bin
- Have a Freeze-Dance Pillow Fight - Make sure you have pauses so no one gets carried away.
- Make a newspaper basket
- Brainstorm songs that would make an "Ultimate Dance Party" playlist
- Rock Painting - Make a pet rock or decorate one to leave at a park
- Hide toys in a rice bin
- Write a poem or a song
- Practice Shadow Puppets - Turn the lights off, and make the house as dark as possible so your flashlight works better. Bonus: This will help keep the house cool, too!
- Make Playdough
- Make
Moon dough
- Color and Draw
- Make your own Board Game
- Build a fort
- Draw cartoons
- Make a Soda Bottle Vortex
- Custom Race Track Course - Use painters tape on your family room floor to create a custom race track.
- Learn a new song
- Bathtub Swimming - Put on the swimsuits and play in the tub to cool down.
- Video Call long-distance relatives
- Feelie Bag Game - Put a familiar object in a bag and using hand only (and without peeking) have your kids guess what is in the bag.
- Make homemade instruments
- Paper Airplane Contest
- Have a Nerf Gun Fight
- Subscribe to Macaroni Kid Simi Valley - Moorpark for EVEN MORE fun ideas!
Indoor Food-Related:
- Carve a watermelon into a shark
- Have an indoor picnic
- Make ice cream in 15 minutes
- Have a tea party
- Frozen Hot Coco Ice Cream
- Make Jello
- Watermelon Granita
- Make Frozen Popsicles
- Cool Berry - American Flag "Cake"
- Frozen Yogurt Bites
- Make a smoothie
- Try Edible Cookie Dough
General Tips to Stay Cool
- Wear loose, lightweight and light color clothes
- Cool pulse points (wrists and temples) with splashes of water or cold washcloths
- Put an icepack in your pillowcase to keep your head cool so you can sleep
- Graze instead of eating heavy meals
- Drink plenty of water! Here are 9 tips on how to stay hydrated.
Check out the links below for even more fun!
