SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Warm sunny days in KELOLAND have many spending their time outdoors. With hot temperatures continuing into the weekend, experts say it’s important to enjoy the outdoors safely.

Summertime for Vanessa Dykstra and her family includes a lot of time outdoors. The mom of three says there’s no lack of outdoor activities for her kids on their family farm.

“We have lots of things to do. We have a playset, we have a trampoline, we just got a pool and we have some chickens and bikes, things like that. We love being outside,” Dykstra said.

She says the recent addition of their backyard swimming pool has made cooling down easy for her family.

Sanford Health nurse Natalie Braun keeping cool is important this time of year, and recognizing the symptoms that you’re getting too hot is crucial.

“The first sign I think you’ll start to feel is fatigue. You’ll have an unexplainable, you know, weakness almost about you and you’re obviously going to feel hot and tired. You may have experienced some muscle cramps, a headache. Those are going to be your earlier signs,” Braun said.

If you experience any of those symptoms, she says to be sure to seek shade or a cooler area.
If symptoms of confusion, dizziness, or lack of sweating occur– Braun says call for help.

“They’re quickly moving into that heat stroke range, where their temperatures can actually, you know, develop higher than 103 and get into the 107 range and that’s a medical emergency,” Braun said.

To avoid getting too hot, Braun says stay hydrated not only when you’re in the sun, but beforehand.

“It’s important to start the hydration early when you’re actually indoors and kind of fill up your tank, if you will. And then while you’re out there, in the sun, it’s important to keep drinking. We can become so dehydrated quickly,” Braun said.

“We make sure that they each fill a water bottle up right away in the morning. And throughout the day, we make sure that they’re drinking that and we also do popsicles, Gatorade, stuff like that,” Dykstra said.

Small steps like these can make your summer days safe.

For more information on summer heat safety, click here.