Throw a Cool-Off Party

It's high noon in mid-July, and your family is showing all the symptoms: The kids have stripped down to their suits and won't eat anything but frozen pops. Nothing short of a fire hose could cool off this crew--and that gives you an idea. Haul out the garden hose, set up the sprinkler, turn on the spigots, and...

DO THE WATER LIMBO
Hold the hose so the water arcs and your kids can shimmy underneath it. (Best when accompanied by snappy calypso music.)

SET UP A HIGH-WATER JUMP
Competitors must clear the line of water shooting from your hose--or lose.

LAUNCH A JUMP ROPE SPLASH
Kids hold a cup of water in their hands as they jump a set number of times; whoever spills the least water wins.

HOLD A WATER BALLOON TOSS
Kids pair up to pitch a balloon back and forth over increasing distances until it breaks.

Once you've cooled down, serve up a bracing round of iced drinks, chilled fruit, ice cream and cold cuts.