It’s summertime and kids just want have fun. These days the cost of fun has gone up so we must be creative.  I decided to sit down with a trusted advisor and specialist of all things fun for kids to get ideas of what to do this summer.  That trusted advisor and child specialist is my eight year old daughter.  She is a master in her own mind of all things cool and exciting.

Children love to be a helper and nothing is more fun than helping mom in the kitchen.  My daughter and I made a tasty dessert together.  It was so much fun!  Making simple desserts can be kitchen fun as well as family dessert.  Mom gets to plan and the children get to have play time cooking with mom.   You can make homemade popsicles or something a little more advanced like easy southern banana pudding using instant pudding mix, bananas, whipped cream and vanilla wafers.

If cooking isn’t your thing use household items around the kitchen for a little science time.  Be creative.  Make homemade clay with flour and salt.  Make a volcano out of the clay and paint it with food coloring.  Make it erupt and fizz with food coloring vinegar and baking soda.   Kids will love this and so will you.

Contact your community recreation center for arts and crafts, aquatics and maybe even martial arts classes.  Some recreation centers have gyms set up so parents can exercise while the children enjoy a class with their peers.  These classes will allow you a little ‘you’ time.

Don’t underestimate the power of the outdoors.  Outside is still the best playground there is.  Get outside and challenge your little one to a race.  Go down the slides and get on those swings.  Get together with other mothers and challenge the kids to a battle of moms versus kids’ dodge ball game in the park.  Show your kids how you jump rope too.  If available try a little tetherball.

Tap into your inner child.  You’ll be surprised how much fun you will both have just taking it back to the basics.  If you have a backyard plan a trip to the toy store and buy a slip and slide.  Summer will be over before you know it so have fun.  Take pictures of all your summer adventures and at the end of the season sit down with your children and make a 2010 summer memories book.  Let the fun-tastic times begin!