Ten things to do on a hot summer’s day
Consider these 10 fun-filled things to do on a hot summer's day.
It is summertime, and what better way to celebrate our sunny weather than to get busy outdoors?
The holidays are around the corner, and parents are already thinking of ways to keep the children busy with some safe and cost-effective activities around the house.
Consider these fun-filled activities for a Pretoria’s hot summer days:
1. Make popsicles
Gummybear Sprite popsicles
These are the quickest, two-ingredient popsicles you will ever find. If you have limited resources at home, use cupcake trays, small, plastic cups or ice racks to make your popsicles.
You’ll need:
– A container for your popsicle like a popsicle mold, a cupcake tray, plastic cups or ice racks
– A bottle of Sprite (It depends on how many popsicles you are planning to make)
– A bag of jelly babies
– A few plastic or wooden lollypop sticks
Fill your mold with a few jelly babies and Sprite. Put your mold in the freezer for an appropriate amount of time. When your popsicles are frozen, take the sticks, and press them into the popsicles. Wait another hour or so until you take them out of the freezer.
Enjoy the easiest, low-budget, homemade popsicles for summer.
2. Fly a kite
Pretoria is not generally known for windy summer months. But if you happen to catch a windy day outside, get busy with a kite, and invite your friends to make it a group activity.
Delta, diamond and dragon-shaped kites work best for light to medium wind and a box or stickless parafoil kite will work best in strong winds.
Be sure to see tutorials on the internet on how to make your own kite, if you are interested in this.
3. Camp in a tent in your backyard
This is something fun to do when you have small children. Going on a real camping trip can be time-consuming to organise. If you can’t get away to a campsite over the holidays, consider shacking up in a tent in your own backyard.
Make the ‘backyard camping expedition’ a whole lot of fun with a real camp fire to roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories and spend quality time with friends and family.
Break away from all the technology and electrical appliances in your house by making the ‘backyard camping expedition’ something you’ll talk about for a while.
Be sure to stay safe outside and also bring along an insect and mosquito repellent.
4. Plant a tree or flowers
Summer is the perfect time to get some gardening done. If you’re not one for getting your hands dirty with soil, treat yourself to proper gardening attire like gardening gloves.
There are various nurseries around Pretoria where you can purchase the most beautiful fruit trees, interesting plants and many more.
Get your friends or family to join in by decorating your garden and enjoying a few cold ones under a tree afterwards.
5. Make you own veggie garden
If you don’t see the use in planting flowers or trees in your garden, consider creating your own vegetable and fruit garden. It is incredibly easy to pop into the nearest nursery and buy the seeds.
All the growing instruction are listed on the pack, and in a few short weeks you’ll enjoy fruits and veggies, grown completely naturally from your own garden.
Not only is this a very healthy shift to make, but you’ll also save hundreds of rands in groceries.
6. Tie-dye a shirt
This is such a fun activity. Grownups and children can have loads of fun creating their own patterns and colours.
This can be a messy activity, especially with young children around. Be sure to use shirts that are either old, or you have no other use for.
If you’re not familiar with tie-dying, watch videos or tutorials on the internet for tips.
7. Give your dog a bath
Having some extra time on your hand during the holiday is a perfect opportunity to tend to your furry friend’s grooming needs.
If you have a very big dog, consider taking him or her to the doggy parlour, but if your dogs is like most, treat them with a lovely bubble bath outside and let them run around and enjoy the excitement.
8. Take photos of nature
Maybe you’re not one for photography, or maybe you just don’t know you have a hidden talent waiting to be discovered.
Either way, summer is the best time to get to know your camera and also your photo editing skills.
Take a walk in a park, or in a safe street to take pictures of what you find beautiful. If you really want to take it up a notch, consider driving to a place where you’ve never been before in and around Pretoria.
9. Go on a picnic
This is a regular favourite among Pretoria residents. We have stunning scenery including the National Botanical Gardens, a string of dog- and child-friendly parks, the beautiful zoo and of course a few heritage sites.
Going for a picnic in Pretoria is fairly cheap and incredibly enjoyable with our weather. Don’t waste time, get out there and have a picnic with some family and friends.
10. Have a braai with friends
Last but definitely not least is the perfect South African braai by a pool.
This is what makes us proudly South African. Having a few friends and family members over to enjoy a fun-filled day in the sun with delicious food, ice cold beverages and happy people in and around the pool.
This is surely one thing you have to do during the summer months.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
- We have exciting news! We’re offering a free alert to help you always be in the loop. Send an email with the word ‘Subscribe’ to breakingnews@rekord.co.za to receive your free daily breaking news update.
