Every year kids and parents look forward to summer vacation, but a few days spent cooped up in the house can make everyone a little crazy. If this sounds familiar, check out these seven ideas for summer fun.

1. Make a T-shirt

Most kids love to make crafts, but crayons and construction paper get boring after a while. Instead of pulling out the art supplies, head to
your local store or garage sale and purchase some inexpensive, solid-colored t-shirts. Kids can use fabric or acrylic paint, markers, dye or just about anything to make a shirt that they can wear proudly. You can also do this with hats or visors and inexpensive canvas sneakers.

2. Go on a Picnic

Enjoying the great outdoors is a must during the summer, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by going on a picnic. Gather your kids up to make a menu and get them involved with the cooking and preparation. Assign each child an important job to do (gather silverware, make sandwiches, count juice boxes), and pick a table at your favorite park or even a sunny spot in your own backyard where you can enjoy your meal. As an added bonus, you and the kids can bake cookies or cupcakes for your excursion.

3. Have a Scavenger Hunt

This one is great for new readers who need to keep their skills sharp during the long weeks spent away from school and can be as easy or as
elaborate as you would like. Simply make a list of common items your kids can find in your house or yard. These might include a rock, a coin, a red toy, a blue crayon – you get the idea. If your kids can’t yet read, draw pictures or cut them from magazines. Have a prize ready for whomever finds all of the items.

4. Arrange a Reading Contest

This one helps your kids stay on top of their education and it can be fun, too. Set up a goal number of books and any other rules you may
want to include (such as books must be at least 20 pages long) and whenever your little readers reach a certain milestone reward them with stickers, trips to their favorite parks, sweet treats or movie night. Save the biggest reward for the largest number of books.

5. Go Camping Inside

This one doesn’t involve a tent or even the outdoors. Allow your kids to set up camp in your living or family room by bringing pillows,
blankets, sleeping bags and a bag of their favorite toys, books and snacks. Pop some popcorn and put a movie in the DVD player to add some extra fun.

6. Have Your Own Summer Olympics

Summer is a great time of year to get your kids moving, and what better way to do that than having an Olympic-style competition? This
isn’t your average Olympics, though. Depending on how much money you want to spend, you will have to get creative with your competitions – three-legged races and egg and spoon races are always fun. You can set up obstacle courses with lawn furniture and use items such as beanbags, water balloons and bubbles to create other competitions. Just don’t forget medals or rewards for the winners.

7. Volunteer at Your Local Animal Shelter

This idea is inexpensive and can teach your child about helping others. Most animal shelters allow people to come walk or play with the homeless pets. Just be sure you check ahead of time to make sure there are no age requirements for volunteers.

Allison Smart loves planning summer activities for her family, which includes her husband, Mike, and three kids, Luke, Matt, and Sara. A
favorite family activity is boating at the nearby lake. When they needed a good rate on their boat insurance, Allison and Mike looked no
further than http://www.boatinsurance.org/
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