Website design By BotEap.comRock legend Alice Cooper recalled the joy of the last day of school in the band’s ubiquitous 1972 hit “School’s Out.”

Website design By BotEap.comWith no school to fill the youth’s final weeks or summer days, it’s up to parents to figure out how to keep them busy and out of trouble. Start planning now to stretch your creativity muscles with fun activities.

Website design By BotEap.comHere are 10 to make memories.

Website design By BotEap.com# 1. Broadway Babies.

Website design By BotEap.comHave the children write, produce, and do a play. Find books from the library about plays and plays, and ask them to encourage their friends to participate. If your kids are tech savvy, let them create movies.

Website design By BotEap.com# 2. Memory creators.

Website design By BotEap.comStart a scrapbook. Let the youth take photos of anything they want with a child’s disposable or digital camera. Have them work on scrapbooks of their work each week. In winter, they will have a keepsake that will capture tons of memories.

Website design By BotEap.com# 3. Freebie Frenzy.

Website design By BotEap.comVisit the website for your local Convention and Visitors Bureau. Look for possibilities like free movie nights or free or low-cost museum tickets.

Website design By BotEap.com# 4. Throw a pirate party.

Website design By BotEap.comGather your little Blackbeard for a pirate-themed party. Fill a treasure chest with sweets and other goodies, and get the kids to dress up. Draw a treasure map and have the children complete the tasks before receiving the following clues. Consider activities like doing puzzles, solving puzzles, or competing in cake-eating or gum-blowing contests.

Website design By BotEap.com# 5. Go global.

Website design By BotEap.comEach week, check out a book from the library about a foreign country. Learn with children about different cultures, foods, and clothing. Declare “(Country Name) Day,” when everyone prepares typical foods, learns phrases, and plays popular games from that nation.

Website design By BotEap.com# 6. Super Savers.

Website design By BotEap.comSet up a coupon clipping contest and have your kids help you find savings. Put them in charge of coupons for alternate weeks and keep an up-to-date tally of what was spent each week. For Halloween, the one with the fewest dollars wins a prize.

Website design By BotEap.com# 7. Freezing time.

Website design By BotEap.comBuild a time capsule for the summer of 2008. Have your children collect all their memories and photos from the summer and make a CD with a mix of their favorite songs. Next, secure the items in an airtight container and bury it. In 10 years, they can dig it up again and laugh at the fun times they shared. Bury it at least 4 feet underground, but check with your utility companies before digging. Mark the spot and record where you have buried the time capsule.

Website design By BotEap.com# 8. Wet and wild weather!

Website design By BotEap.comWhen the meteorologist predicts hot and humid weather, throw an old-fashioned sprinkler party. It’s fun, inexpensive, and always fun. Ask neighbors, friends, and family to bring different types of sprinklers, squirt guns, and slides, and fill water balloons. It will be a great way to keep the neighborhood entertaining and fresh.

Website design By BotEap.com# 9. Children’s kitchen.

Website design By BotEap.comHave your children create fun meals on their own. Start with a cookbook like “There’s a Chef in My Soup” by Emeril Lagasse. Let the kids do everything from setting the table to seating your guests and serving the food. Be prepared for disaster, and for some great time and great photography. But always make sure that you or another responsible adult is available to supervise kitchen activities.

Website design By BotEap.com# 10. Karaoke, anyone?

Website design By BotEap.comThe next rainy day, try a karaoke DVD for kids. They can set up a stage, make costumes out of old clothes, and rehearse. They will be ready to give a concert in the late afternoon or evening.

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