Kids' Summer Camps Take Extra Steps To Keep Cool Amid Heat Advisory
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The sweltering conditions in Chicago have summer camps across the city taking extra precautions to keep kids safe and cool while they play.
CBS 2's Susanna Song visited an all-girls summer camp in Uptown to see how they're dealing with the heat and humidity.
The girls were running around most of the morning, running relays, and playing volleyball and lacrosse, but they love it. They had three essentials to keep cool: water, sunscreen, and a sprinkler.
Even as sweat dripped down their faces, you wouldn't hear any complaining from the Game On! Sports Camps 4 Girls in the Uptown neighborhood.
"I like the sun, because it's always fun, and they always make sure that we have plenty of sunscreen on, so we don't get burned," said 10-year-old Regan, who is one of 150 girls playing all kinds of sports at the North Side day camp.
Regan said she knows her limit.
"We're just allowed to stop, and we could put our stuff down, and we just go in the shade, and drink our water," she said.
Every camper keeps a cold water bottle next to them at all times.
Nine-year-old Alex said, "I feel like it's a million degrees."
Game On! owner Barb Lazarus said she's cautious about the camp when there's a heat advisory, so kids don't overexert themselves.
"We're really careful. The safety and the health of our campers is the number one priority, so we really pay attention to the feedback that we're getting from them," she said.
Allison Case, whose daughter is in the summer camp, said she was glad to see the precautions the camp takes.
"They have tons of water," she said. "They bring them inside for air conditioning in the school, Thank God."
Of course, kids aren't the only ones who have to be careful exercising outdoors when it's this hot.
For many runners and cyclists out at Montrose Beach, it was bare skin to help keep cool while they worked out Thursday morning.
The sun and humidity were so intense, a short jog for Dario Kerkez left him dripping.
"Very, very hot; more than usual," he said.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Chicago area until 7 p.m. Friday, when a cold front is expected to move in, bringing possible thunderstorms, and dropping temperatures into the low 80s or high 70s.
