Warm weather took its sweet time arriving this summer, but the kids playing on the sprayground at Tacoma’s Wright Park on Tuesday didn’t seem to mind.

Limited sunshine hasn’t kept them from swimming, camping, hiking, bike riding or going to the beach or to camps.

“We play in the rain,” said Cindy Dennewith as she watched 8-year-old Madisen Robblee run around on the sprayground. “We don’t let the rain stop us.”

For once this summer, rain likely won’t be an issue for at least a week.

“It’ll be mostly sunny, partly cloudy, but mostly dry,” said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Temperatures in the South Sound are expected to stay above normal the next two weeks, and precipitation should be about normal. Tuesday’s high was 75, and temperatures in the next week should be at least in the upper 70s, he said.

“We still have some chance of hitting temperatures in the 80s,” Burg said. “Maybe even 85.”

So far this summer, Olympia has been one of the few cities on the west side to top 85 degrees. (It was July 6 when the high was 86 degrees.) At Sea-Tac Airport, the season’s high has been 85, also on July 6.

Still, with summer vacation winding down, kids have been busy regardless of the weather.

“I swim every day in the water,” said 11-year-old Savannah Casino, who comes to Tacoma from Port Orchard to spend summers with her mother, Gwen Demarest.

Mom said she hasn’t had the chance to take her kids to the beach this summer.

“We haven’t had a nice enough day to justify the drive,” Demarest said.

Sitting nearby, AnnMarie Tibbitts was hanging out with her 20-month-old son, Samuel, and watching her daughter, Abigail, 6; and son Elijah, 4, playing on the playground.

Tibbitts said her family spent their summer picnicking, riding bikes and swimming at Spanaway Lake.

“I like to find animals,” Abigail said. “There’s kitties outside and I pet them.”

She also said she likes to go outside to catch bumblebees. Elijah said that when it’s sunny out, he said he likes to water the plants in the backyard.

Even though the sun is finally shining, 8-year-old Irealand Phippen said she was ready to go back to school. Same with Paige Carr, an 8-year-old who goes to Sherman Elementary School.

Not so with 9-year-old Elionna Smetzler, who will start fourth grade at Bordeaux Elementary School in three weeks. She likes to go swimming.

“Sun and fun,” she said. “I don’t really want to go back to school. I want to play in the sun.”

Stephanie Kim: 253-597-8692

stephanie.kim@thenewstribune.com