Today marks the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and the forecast for mid-Missouri is appropriately hot and humid. We’re not complaining—with a spring that seemed to take a while to warm up and temperatures that were below average, some hot and sunny weather seems like just the thing to welcome summer to Innsbrook. But if you’re sweating at the mere mention of 90+ degree days or just in need of some fun ideas for cooling off, we’ve put together a quick list of five ways you can beat the heat this summer at IBK (jumping in a lake is also an option). What are some ways you cool down? Tell us in the comments below.

1. Make Homemade Popsicles
Ice cream might seem like the best cool treat, but it can actually make your body warmer when you digest it. Try homemade popsicles made from your favorite fruit juice, or freeze fruit juice cubes in an ice tray and have fun concocting your own mixes of juice and cubes. You can even freeze whole grapes, strawberry slices and watermelon cubes for healthy snacks that are sure to cool you down. Want to get fancy? Here are some of our favorite popsicle recipes from Real Simple Magazine.

2. Take Dinner Outside
It might seem counterproductive to be outside on a hot day, but heating up your house or chalet by cooking isn’t a great way to cool off, either. Try grilling outside on the deck—hamburgers and hot dogs will do, but you can also get creative by grilling almost anything you’d regularly bake or fry. Try grilled corn on the cob, fish tacos, or pizza. Don’t feel like getting out in the heat at all? Hanneken’s is open—and air conditioned.

3. Go Up a Creek
Lakes are our claim to fame, but we also have some beautiful streams and creeks flowing through the community. Put on some old clothes and wade around in the shallows for a bit and you’ll feel your internal thermostat start to drop. Get your hands and neck wet, too—cooling off places where your blood flows closest to the surface are a quick way to turn down the heat.

4. Act Like a Kid
Go ahead, we won’t tell anyone—lounge in the kiddie pool, set up the sprinkler and run through, have a water balloon fight. For something different (and a fun project for the kids), reuse a plastic 2-liter soda bottle as a sprinkler: rinse the bottle out, poke holes in it, and twist it into the hose top. Another great outdoor activity for littler kids is to freeze some plastic (or waterproof) toys in a block of ice and let the kids chip away at the ice like little archaeologists.

5. Do Nothing
That’s right, do nothing. Try and relax during the hottest part of the day—read a magazine in the shade, kick back on the pontoon boat, or drift off in your Innsbrook hammock.

Have a great Innsbrook day!