Beat the Summer Heat with Family Fun

With temperatures in the mid-90’s this week it’s easy to just stay at home and flip on the TV to entertain the kids or let them play Xbox but here are 5 cheap ideas to stay cool this week!

1. Go to the Movies! Regal Cinema's Summer Movie Express is back! “Shrek Forever After” is showing at 10am at Regal Town Center Stadium 16. Movies are only $1 per person! Mountain View Library is showing “Tangled” on Thursday from 3-5pm as part of their “Globe Trekking Family Films.” Check the Cobb Library website for more locations showing movies, days and times. Beyond Cobb, Studio Movie Grill in Alpharetta is showing "How to Train Your Dragon" Monday - Friday this week at 11am. Adults $2, Children $1.

2. Play Inside - Bowl, Bounce & Skate! Kids can bowl free this summer! Check out AMF's  "Summer Unplugged Program" and Brunswick's "Student's Ballpass Program." You'll have to register online to get the coupons delivered to you. Skate at Sparkles in Kennesaw during their "Family Fitness & Fun" Nights weekly Thursday Nights at 6:30. Admission is free for families, just pay $3.50 each for skates! Other specials available throughout the week so check online. You'll stay super cool at Marietta Ice Center on Lower Roswell Rd. Open skate schedule varies daily so check online before heading over. There is a 50% off admission deal on Half-Off Depot for Marietta Ice – that makes admission AND skates only $5. Let the kids bounce around at Champion Kids on Canton Road. Wear them out and stay cool! $6 per child/$4 for siblings. Typically their open play is from 9 or 10 in the morning until 1pm Monday-Friday but it will vary through the summer so please check their calendar online before going.

3. Get Wet! Did you know Cobb County has its own "water park" with a lazy river and water slides?? Head to South Cobb Aquatic Center - for only a few dollars per person, you won't mind the drive! Our pick for beyond Cobb is the Splash & Play sprayground at Riverside Park in Roswell. For only $1 per person, you can run through fountains to stay cool. Open everyday except Tuesday 10-7pm!

4. Explore Museums: Chase the Museum Mice "Murray & Etta" at Marietta Museum of History during their monthly special program for preschoolers (3-5 yrs old). This Wednesday, learn about "Murray's Cool Tools" for only $5 per family! It's the the last week to take advantage of Imagine It Children's Museum's 1/2 price Halfternoons! Between 2-4 Monday-Friday this week get 1/2 price admissions! Be sure to get there at 2 because they close at 4! Take an easy drive up I-75 to Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville to discover a "hidden gem." Kids will love the fossil gallery and the sparkly gems in the mineral gallery (Be sure to find the rocks that glow in the dark!). Everyone can pan for gems and dig for fossils that you actually get to keep. Kids get to  touch and feel in the science discovery gallery "My Big Backyard". Join their facebook page this week because they are giving away passes for admission and their planetarium - next contest is on Thursday!

5. Sing, Dance & Listen to Stories: Cobb Tots & Kids loves our Cobb Library storytimes! Storytimes for babies to school-age kids vary at each location so check their kids calendar for your favorite location. For a foot tappin' good time, head to the Ben Robertson Community Center in Kennesaw for "Cosmic Possum Storytime" on Friday at 10:30. This storytime is one of Cobb Tots & Kids Favorites – very high energy and you will find yourself singing & dancing too! Bean Head Toys in Sandy Springs on Johnson Ferry Road has  Tales for Toddlers  on Thursdays at 10:30 (despite this being called "Tales for Toddlers", their website says "all ages welcome"). My Storyhouse Toys in Roswell has their monthly storytime this Friday at 10:30. Barnes & Noble has free storytimes on Tuesdays & Saturdays at 11am at their Town Center Prado location and Borders hosts one on Thursdays at 11:30am. All of these are FREE!