Ideas to keep them hydrated?

In the midst of a heat wave across Ontario, keeping them well hydrated has been a concern for me. I have always been anti-juice for my kids & have adapted the same in my home daycare; I'd rather they fill up on fresh fruit & other food....I honestly thought parents would balk at this...but not one has complained (they've applauded). So, other than water (they love theirs with ice cubes!) & the liquid they get from the fruits they eat...any ideas on keeping them hydrated in a healthy way? I thought about freezies; but those are so full of sugar.

I make my own Popsicle's .... that way I control how they are sweetened and no 'additives' like food dyes and so forth.

My crew love just water fresh squeezed lemon/lime/orange and few drops of honey or agave - sometimes for 'fun' I will hide a piece of fruit in it that they have to suck to get to it.

Frozen yogurt ones or just pureed fruit and water frozen ... most fruits do not even need 'sweetener'.

I do the same as Reggio :)

Great idea...now where is that Popsicle tray?! Anyone know if Dollarama carries them? Would love mini ones.

Watermelon is the best but it causes more pee breaks. I serve extremely watered down juice with breakfast and all morning, then milk at lunch and afternoon snack because we are inside.

I bought a spray bottle at the dollar store and it sprays a big wide mist so when we go to the park or outside anywhere to play I fill it with water and spray the children to cool them a bit. Our outside water table is a big hit too.

Momof4 and me I do the exact same!

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Originally Posted by Momof4

I bought a spray bottle at the dollar store and it sprays a big wide mist so when we go to the park or outside anywhere to play I fill it with water and spray the children to cool them a bit. Our outside water table is a big hit too.

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Aren't the spray bottles the best thing ever?! I swear I thank Reggio in my head everyday for that & the paintbrush idea!

You could make your own flavored water. Gives them a little change from water, but still healthy. Just fill a pitcher with water, ice cubes and some fruit like raspberries (crush them a little in your pitcher to release some flavor and color) blueberries etc. You could also add a few mint leaves in there too. Very interchangeable to the kids tastes.

My spraybottle idea has just been copied by a daycare centre! I saw 4 centre caregivers pushing several children in their big long 4 child buggies near my house one day and we were just coming back from a park. They were sorry that they had set out to go a long way to the park that morning because they were sweating to death and I showed them how we keep cool by spraying each other. I just ran into them again the other day and they all had the spray bottles and were so grateful.