Visit the Zoo 
But don’t just walk through it and you’re done. Sit and draw the animals, figure out what they’re doing. Research where the animals came from and what do they eat. Have each child pick an animal to research and go back and visit the animal that their interested in several times. 

Visit the Museum
Art museum - Have them pick one of their favorite pieces of art and research the artist. Where did they come from and what other works of art are they known for? 
History museum - Research their favorite part of history and share what information they have learned. Build a model of that part of history. 
Science Museum - Find something that interest them in this area and have them research it. Build a machine or model of their interest. 

Go to the park
Pack a picnic lunch, invite some friends and have fun.

Go biking
Pack a small backpack with water, snacks, and drinks.

Go hiking
Hit those trails and start walking. Find some trails that you’ve never been on before.

Architectal Hike
Study the architect for buildings and walk around town. Take photos or draw the different designs. Research who came up with those ideas and are those designs still used today.

Go to the Public Library 
They have many great things going on all summer long. Summer reading clubs and a great place for resources and research. And they usually have Air Conditioning on those very hot summer days.

Plan a play
Work on a skit or play with your neighborhood kids. Plan out a stage and costumes and invite the rest of the neighborhood for the production.

Tour the Farmer's Market
Go to the farmers market to see all the vendors and fresh produce.

Do community service work
Pick up litter in a park, work in a shelter serving food, or contact someone to find out where they would need help that the whole family could get involved in.

Baking together
Teach them how to cook and bake. Great learning experience is measuring and following the instruction on a recipe. The greatest reward is eating what you made!

Journals
Have them write down there thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Keep them in the habit of writing.

Clean the house or organize a room. 
My kids love it when we make a list of what has to be cleaned. Each child loves writing down their name next to the item that they have cleaned. The list really motivates them and your not telling them what to do. Rewards are paid for all there great and hard work.

Plan a vacation or trip.
Research together the area that you’ll be going and get feed back as to what everyone would like to see. Give them a journal and have them write down what they did that day. They won’t like doing it most of the time. When they go back the following year and read it they’ll remember certain events with fond memories.

Scrapbooking
Go out and buy some photo albums, then gather up all those snapshots and photos that are floating around in your drawers and put them in the albums. The kids will have a great time organizing them and there’s so much out there to decorate and add life to the albums.

Organize neighborhood olympics for the kids in the area. 
Put together games that different ages can play. Even babies in highchairs can have an eating contest. Host one every year and you can keep a photo album to show how each child has changed.

Neighborhood Block Party
Every year our neighborhood has a block party. We get a permit which allows us to block off the road. Everyone brings a dish to pass, games are played, we play some music and then the kids head to one of our neighborhood pools for an afternoon dip. What a great way to get to know your neighbors and learn what’s happened to them over the winter.

Join a group
There could be parents that have play groups established, ask around. The worst thing a parent goes through is not having someone to talk to when their children are young. Many of us are usually going through the same emotions and trails. It’s a relief to know that others are having the same struggles. MOPS - Mothers Of PreSchoolers and Mom’s In Touch both run during the school year, but getting involved next season will give you contacts and friendships that will carry you through the summer.

Learn A Foreign Language
Many libraries carry tapes, videos, books and CD’s. Teacher stores and various other stores carry all the needed items to get started. The more exposure to another language and the sooner you learn the more likely you’ll retain the information. Use various words through out the day. Besides the homeland, many languages are used in other parts of the world. Research the use of that language to see what other places use it and what famous people came for the homeland.

Learn Sign Language
There are many Internet sites that show you how to get started. Start out with the alphabet by printing it and then go from there. You can find books in the library or you can purchase them in bookstores.

Go pick fresh fruit
There is nothing like eating fresh strawberries or blueberries out on a farm. Later in the season you can pick peaches and apples, once they come into season. Call ahead to make sure that the farm is kid friendly.

Mechanically Inclined Children
Find broken machines and equipment for them to take apart. Items like phones, radios and computers will entertain them for hours. To prevent electrocution, cut off the cord for those high impulse children who would try to plug it in while apart.

Work Out Program
Start out the summer with a workout program. Some children are very active but there are many families that watch too much television or just sit around doing other things. Have a set plan, schedule what days you’ll work on certain parts of the body. Chart out your progress to help you stay on track. You can bike, walk the neighborhood together, use workout tapes, roller blade or go to the high school track and walk together. What’s good for the body is good for the soul!!

Read together!!!
Find some great books that all of you will like to hear out loud. One of our favorites is “Where The Red Fern Grows”. Keep in mind you’ll need a tissue box for the end but emotions are a good thing. The worlds greatest teacher wept and taught us so much. Reading expands their horizons and they end up with a bright future.

Visit your state capital 
Take a tour of the building, find out the history about your state and observe the capital while it’s in session. Study who runs your state, how a bill becomes a law and what connection does your state have to do with the federal government.

Take a trip to a factory or manufacturer that offers tours.
Learn how they make products, how they are distributed, how they are marketed, the history of the business and the importance of it to the community.

Find out what there is to do in your area
You can go on-line, go to the library or contact the Chamber of Commerce to see what’s in your area. There are many neat things to do in each state if you take the time to search, you may find a hidden secret or resource.

Go Camping
Our favorite pastime is camping. I’m sure if you’ve only camped once in you’re lifetime with your family you remember it. There’s nothing like the smell of the campfire and cooking over the fire. It’s a great time for family bonding and the memories will last a lifetime.

Visit your Area Parks
Many great resources are waiting at your Parks. Nature trails, fishing, canoeing, and many organized events. The smell of the trees after a rain, the sound of the birds (many only found in unpopulated areas), and nature is just calling out to you to come and enjoy. Check to see what may be going on in the coming months like Trillium festivals in the spring with many other wild flowers to discover. Note: You are not allowed to pick wild flowers within a Michigan State Park. Only leave footprints, take only memories and pictures.

Nature Centers
If you would like to learn more about trees, wild flowers, animals, civilization, and even the ice age, head to the Nature Center. They usually have volunteers with passion and the love to share what they know. Check out events like maple syrup making and other cultural events to enjoy.

Country Fairs
Great time for all the family. Yes, they have rides, games and food to great but they also have great learning experiences. Pick up a schedule of events to see horse pulling, riding competitions, tractor pulling, and all those 4-H events. Maybe you'll find a 4-H event to become involved in, you never know.

Festivals
There are festivals through out the year, so check your local newspaper to see what's going on. They always have great food many times tied into a cultural event. If you have a special interest, check the Internet to see where those types of events are taking place. You might experience a parade; learn about history and new food.

Camps
There are many camps through out the summer to experience. Some kids don’t like to leave for a long period of time, so they can go to day camps. If they have a special interest like, basketball, volleyball, theater, horseback riding or whatever, there may be a camp they can try. They even have camps for the whole family to enjoy. Check to see what is in your area.

Re-decorate a Room
Either the kids' own bedroom, an office, the basement, playroom or whatever room needs changing. Have them layout a plan of what to do and change. You can even use grafting paper to plot out the size of the room, with measurements of the furniture with pieces of paper to scale and move them around to figure out the best layout. Teach them how to paint and clean up afterwards. You can take them to a fabric store for supplies to make pillows, curtains and decorative blankets.

Building Site
Our city Toronto, ON has many large buildings going up all around the area. Visit those sites from afar and record the progress. Ask you kids what all they think goes into building a new building. Have them track out on paper the steps that it takes to do such a job. To build large buildings it takes permits, surveys, then contractors and sub-contractors to complete the job. They'll be amazed at the process and how many jobs it creates.

Picnic at Home
Have a picnic on the front lawn. Spread a blanket out and enjoy some sandwiches, fresh fruit, and chips. Don't forget the fruit juice! If the weather does not permit for such outdoor festivities, you can enjoy your picnic in the living room.

Backyard Camping
Who says you have to travel and pay for camping space? Set up your tent in the backyard, roast marshmallows on the grill, and sit around and tell ghost stories. In The Kids Campfire Book, you will find a variety of stories, songs, games, and outdoor activities.

Gardening
If possible, allow your children to have their very own planting area. If space does not allow for it, let the kids help you plant flowers and potted herbs. Be sure to explain the importance of sunshine and water for proper growth of your garden.

Family Movie Night
Rent a movie from the video store, or if you have cable, order a pay per view movie where appropriate. Make popcorn and snuggle up on the couch with blankets and pillows. If your diet allows for it, include soda pop as a special family night treat.

Make the Ordinary Fun!
Every day can't be a party. You have errands to run and household chores that need to be tended to. Make your everyday errands more fun by turning them into a game. When you go to the grocery store you can give older kids a list and see who is the first to bring back everything on their list. If you're running errands in the car, have children play the alphabet game. Ask them to find all of the letters of the alphabet on signs before you get back to the house. The one who finds the most letters gets a prize.

Take a Day Trip
Once in a while you need to get out of the house. Take a day trip with your kids. If you live in the suburbs, go to the city. You could visit a science museum and have a picnic at a city park. An outing to the city zoo would be popular with older and younger kids. If you're feeling really adventurous you could travel to a small town that you've never visited. Find a local town that has an interesting draw like a lake, a wildlife preserve, an aviation museum or something that your kids would be interested in.

Start a Summer Scrapbook or Memory Box
Start by saving small mementos from your summer vacations, activities, and trips. Over the summer let the kids add them to a scrapbook or store in a decorated memory jar or box. Make it fun by giving the kids a challenge of finding the most unique memento from their excursions.

Indoor Sandbox
Fill a large plastic bin with different shaped dry pastas dry beans rice whatever you can buy least expensively. Give them cups and "sand" toys and you have a winter alternative to the sandbox. (Spread a sheet under the bin they will get it everywhere then you can just gather up the sheet and dump it back in the bin.) 

Camp in the House
One of our tents can be set up without the stakes so we have camp outs in the living room and make smores in the microwave. You can always drape a blanket over a table. Make a tower from paper cups as tall as you can. Then remove the bottom piece and watch it tumble. 

Obstacle Course Indoors
Set up an obstacle course in the living room or the basement using chairs with pillows over them (kids crawled under) different things to make circles they could step in with different feet a jump rope and a mini-trampoline. 

Have an indoor "snowball" fight. 
Divide; give each one a stack of newspapers yell go and they have to wad up the sheets of newspaper into "snowballs" and throw them. Great fun! Last part is seeing who can gather the most balls into a trash bag! 

Kids' Yard Sale
Having a yard sale isn't just a nice way to make a little spending money. All that preparation is a great diversion that can keep kids busy for the whole day. Ask your children to round up all the toys, puzzles, games, and sports equipment that they are willing to part with (assuming there's not a younger sibling waiting for a coveted castoff). Give them masking tape for labeling everything with prices--the cheaper the better. Hang a sign on a card table outside, set up the goods, a change box, and a pad and pencil for quick additions, and let your entrepreneurs get to work. 

Tape Recorder Time
Speaking--or singing!--into a tape recorder is lots of fun in itself, but playing back the tape is the real hoot. Try one of these great tape capers.
•Name That Noise: Kids record sounds (Fido snoring, a faucet dripping), and parents must guess what they are.
•News Broadcast: Kids get the scoop, interviewing family members about breakfast, the new bunk bed, and summer vacation.
•Buddies Tell All: Favorite stuffed friends make up the guest panel in this recorded talk show that, of course, requires kids to play both guest and host. 

Hold a Treasure Hunt
Write up clues that will lead your kids on a hunt through the neighborhood and to local places of interest. Begin by mailing the first clue to the kids (what kid doesn’t like to receive mail?) and letting them figure out where to go. You can spread the clues out over the summer or have them complete the hunt in a day. At the end, have a “treasure” of prizes available as reward for their accomplishments. You can make it interesting by writing the clues on scrolls or by making them educational

Start a Neighborhood Business(pree-teen)
If your child is old enough, help them start a small neighborhood business like pet watching, dog walking, mother’s helper, or house watching (getting mail, watering plants). Help them create fliers, determine pricing, and of course help them understand how to provide excellent customer service.

Design your own board game (pree-teen)
If you’ve got a kid who’s a board game freak, toss him the ultimate challenge (along with a set of dice): ask him to design his own board game and to teach the rest of the family to play. He can borrow elements from existing board games or create his own game from scratch using materials you have around the house. 

Start your own family blog (pree-teen) 
Keeping a web log (or “blog”) is the hottest online craze. Your family can get in on the fun for free by signing up for a blog with one of the free services like Blogger.com. You can use your blog to keep in touch with friends and family members across the country, share artwork and family recipes, swap photos, or keep a trip diary while you’re traveling.

Help your preteens to plan their own murder mystery party. 
They’ll have fun planning everything from the menu to the “murder.”

Schedule a neighbourhood movie night. 
Rent a few kid-friendly flicks and make a smorgasbord of healthy snacks, keeping allergy and choking hazards in mind. Then get ready to enjoy some great movies together.

Make a fort—indoors or outdoors
It's a childhood rite-of-passage that every kid should experience.

Make your own jigsaw puzzle out of a thick piece of cardboard. 
Or buy a pre-cut jigsaw puzzle kit at your local craft store. You can also find puzzle template online that turn your photos into puzzles. Your child's favorite stuffed animal can become a puzzle in a flash.

Make a map of your house, your backyard, or your neighborhood.
When you’re finished making your map, laminate it and hang it on the wall.

Make your own musical instruments. 
An old coffee tin makes an ideal drum, provided you file off any rough edges and glue the lid on tightly. An unsharpened pencil with an eraser on the end makes a great drumstick! 

Start climbing your family tree. (pree-teen)
Send e-mails and letters off to relatives asking them to share their best family history stories via a postcard, letter, or email. If they have access to a computer scanner, ask them to scan in the best and oldest family photos in their possession so that everyone has copies.

Make your own placemats
Draw colourful designs on a piece of construction paper and have your artwork laminated at your local office supply store.

Host a backyard craft party
That way, your kids can enjoy really hands-on art activities without anyone having to even think about the mess: painting with squirt bottles, finger-painting with their feet, and finding never-before-dreamed-of ways of using glue. 

In-Home Drive-In
We like to create a drive-in movie experience. We make a cardboard car out of large cardboard boxes. Then we line them up in front of the television, pop in a movie, and turn the lights out. I set up a concession stand in the kitchen. The kids use coupons that they've earned from doing chores to buy drinks, popcorn, and candy. We usually watch a double feature. --Kimberly R.

Golden Arches Playground
Go to McDonald's playland and get a soda for the morning. 

Boxes
Go to the local appliance store and get large refrigerator boxes etc and make big forts (similar to McDonald's playland...okay use your imagination). The kids can have hours of fun running through them turning off the lights and using flashlights getting dad to play monster and even sleeping in them. You can also decorate them with paint or turn them into cars etc. My kids love to "invent" stuff out of them. I have even seen playhouses made that include curtains wallpaper etc. 

Obstacle Course
Set up an obstacle course in the living room or the basement using chairs with pillows over them (kids crawled under) different things to make circles they could step in with different feet a jump rope and a mini-trampoline. 

Kids' Yard Sale 
Having a yard sale isn't just a nice way to make a little spending money. All that preparation is a great diversion that can keep kids busy for the whole day. Ask your children to round up all the toys, puzzles, games, and sports equipment that they are willing to part with (assuming there's not a younger sibling waiting for a coveted castoff). Give them masking tape for labeling everything with prices--the cheaper the better. Hang a sign on a card table outside, set up the goods, a change box, and a pad and pencil for quick additions, and let your entrepreneurs get to work. 

Tape Recorder Time
Speaking--or singing!--into a tape recorder is lots of fun in itself, but playing back the tape is the real hoot. Try one of these great tape capers. 
•Name That Noise: Kids record sounds (Fido snoring, a faucet dripping), and parents must guess what they are. 
•News Broadcast: Kids get the scoop, interviewing family members about breakfast, the new bunk bed, and summer vacation. 
•Buddies Tell All: Favorite stuffed friends make up the guest panel in this recorded talk show that, of course, requires kids to play both guest and host.