During the summer months, children have lots of unstructured time and parents or grandparents may have more time with children. Adults can enhance children's development while building a store of great memories by planning fun and stimulating summer activities. Here are a few ideas that don't cost much money. The key ingredient is an adult who is willing to spend TIME with children.

• TURN OFF THE TV, VIDEO GAMES, AND COMPUTERS! The average child spends more than 21 hours each week watching TV. Children need interactions with other people to develop social skills. Summer is a great time to "hang out" in local public parks where children can climb, slide, swim, and swing. All of these physical activities promote coordination and enhanced self-esteem. All the adult has to do is watch and talk about what the child is doing.

• Churn up a freezer of ice cream. This is an opportunity for a science lesson. What ingredients go into ice cream? How do salt and ice make it freeze? The end result is a cool treat for a hot day. Any food preparation is a science lesson. Most children enjoy helping prepare snacks and meals.

• Go further than food preparation. Go to production! Get the children into the garden to help see where food really comes from. It is surprising how tasty vegetables become when you grow your own.

• Visit the library often. Reading is a lifelong pleasure. Libraries generally have special summer programs. This is a great way to improve skills vital to school (and life) success.

• Use summer events as a way to teach children responsibility. Have the children plan and lead the games at a family picnic. If you want to teach a few money skills give them a budget for entertainment.

• Have your older children plan dinner one night. Give them a budget and the responsibility of planning, shopping for, preparing and cleaning up after the meal.

• Have your children teach you something. This is a great way for grandparents to learn about computers. It is a great self-esteem builder when children are allowed to be the experts!

• You can teach children something you want to pass on - recipes or a craft like knitting or woodworking.

• Remember what you liked to do when you were a child and do some of those same activities with your own child. This is a great way to build family traditions that are passed down across generations.

• Call your local park board and see what activities they have available.

• Take a swimming break. Go to a local pool or creek. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

• Try “water painting”. A bucket of water, an old paint brush and a sidewalk or porch and you have the beginnings of a masterpiece. You can even pass the time watching your creations evaporate. Drawing with sidewalk chalk on the wet pavement is also fun.

• Take a tour around your house/neighborhood. Look for things you may not have noticed before.

• Go for a nature walk. Besides being good exercise, you can investigate rocks, plants, bugs, etc. Just remember to be careful around the critters—some of them view humans as a threat and will try to protect themselves!

• Make some homemade bubbles: 1/4 cup liquid dish detergent, 1 tsp. corn syrup, and 1/2 cup of water. You can make bubble wands out of bent wire wrapped with yarn, use a cup with the end cut out, a slotted spoon or a green berry basket.

• Camp out in the back yard!

• Is it raining? Have a cookie baking day. (Put some in the freezer to enjoy later or take some and share with the neighbors.)

• Look through photo albums or organize some into a scrap book.