BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Many stateline residents are looking for ways to stay cool as the heat ramps up.

While some people dread the heat, others think that hot days are perfect for a little splash as long as they pay attention to their bodies. Belvidere locals Karina Hernandez and her kids cooled off in the August heat by hitting the water.

“I like to take it in, because in winter, days come and then we’re stuck inside all the time, so in the summer, I like to get out with the kids,” Hernandez said. “So, we’re either, we can come here, we go to the pool. We like going to the lakes.”

Residents can find instant cool water during this heat wave with just a push of a button at Belvidere’s Doty Park Spray Ground.

“Yeah, sometimes, if it gets too hot, then we go into the water,” said Galilea, Jasani and Isaac Caballero, Hernandez’s kids. “I don’t like when it’s too hot, because your ice cream melts.”

Others, like Machesney Park resident Holli Peck, travel to the park to have something cool to do.

“It’s just good to have a place to go, to burn up some energy for them, and keep them hydrated, and yeah, have a good time,” Peck said.

There are also over a dozen spray pads sprinkled across Rockford. Laura Gibbs Green, communications manager for the Rockford Park District, said that it is important to play it safe during this extreme heat, and Peck agrees.

“When you’re playing in the water, you do still have to remember to hydrate and play it safe and take time, take time to step in the shade and make sure you’re applying the sunscreen,” Green said. “All those things that you normally would do are really important no matter what type of water that you’re playing, and so whether it’s a sprinkler or anything else.”

“We’re drinking lots of water,” Peck added. “We have, like, a cooling towel we use sometimes, and we’re, it’s not going to stay out too long today.”

Both families are taking advantage of the warm days that the area has left.

“I really like to take in, you know, the summer, the heat, because then it’s cold before you know it,” Hernandez said.

Rockford’s spray pads are turned on from 1-8 p.m. during the heat. The Rockford Park District is also moving a lot of activities inside Wednesday and Thursday.