Sunscreen is a special lotion that forms a thin shield on your skin so the sun's strong rays can't burn it. Grown-ups rub it on arms, faces, and shoulders before you head outside.

Sandals are open shoes with straps that let your toes peek out, which keeps your feet cool and lets sand fall right back out. They are much better for the hot beach than closed sneakers.

Popsicles are made of frozen juice on a stick — when you eat one, the ice melts in your mouth and cools you from the inside. They drip fast on a hot day, so eat quickly!

A picnic basket has a handle on top and sides woven out of strips, making it easy to carry sandwiches and fruit to the park. Without one, you would need a bag or box to hold everything.

A grill cooks food with hot flames or coals underneath a metal rack, giving hot dogs those tasty dark stripes. Many families cook outside on a grill during warm summer evenings.

Wet sand sticks together like clay, so you can pack it into buckets and flip them over to build towers. Beaches are the perfect spot because there is a huge supply of sand right there.

Every evening the sun appears to sink slowly toward the horizon, painting the sky orange and pink. At the ocean, it looks like the sun is dipping right into the water.

Shallow is the opposite of deep — the shallow end is where the water only reaches your knees or waist, so little kids can safely stand. The deep end is where only strong swimmers go.

A road trip means the whole family piles in the car and drives for hours to reach a fun place. The word road reminds us we travel on roads, not by plane or boat.

Each of these summer items has one main job. Sunscreen shields skin, sandals protect feet, coolers keep drinks icy in the heat, and towels soak up water after you swim.