I'm there, for sure! The library always has free stuff to do for the kids. I also check the inet for free local events. Parks are always fun & free. We have a pond in our neighborhood, so the kids have been doing some fishing & feeding the ducks. Of course crafts and cooking projects at home. We bought a box of puzzles and sat a the table for hours putting them together. The old standby, loading the kids off at Aunties and Grandparents for a couple of days, for a change of scenery. Spending the night w/ friends. We also have a neighborhood swimming pool, which gets them good and tired at the end of the day, which means I get a break! And... Believe it or not, most kids like to help out on household projects and yard work. I'm ready for school to start back! I feel like Julie on the Love Boat, being the entertainment director.

I take my kids to the playground if its not to hot. This summer is short, soooo we haven't done anything much. But next summer I will try to do more things, it has just been to hard to do the library activities, because my son is crazy and literally climbs the shelves. Sorry I have no advice.

I keep a folder each summer for ideas for next summer. So here are some ideas for next summer, since it is a little late in the season:

Check a museum in your area. In my area in New Jersey, The Newark Museum offers comparatively low cost and very good art classes taught by certified art teachers by the week for students.

Also, for middle and high school students, check local community and four-year colleges for pre-college classes. You can do a search on the college web site for "high school" or "pre-college". My high-school age son is doing a free internship at New Jersey Institute of Technology this summer.

I would also suggest using these resources for the academic year for Saturdays groups/classes.

Hi.
My kids are 13, 9, and 6.

Their homeworks consist of the next grade up. For example my 6 year old will be going to 2nd grade next school term, so I give her second grade reading, math, and such. I do the same with my 9 year old who will be going to 5th grade. I usually give him multiplications and divisions because that's where he needs help the most. He knows the work, but he's lazy to work out the problems then he ends up getting the problem wrong. My 13 year old I don't do much with him. He likes to read and he does so I leave him alone. I just don't want them to forget what they've learned by the time school opens.

What does the 1-2 hours of schoolwork consist of? What age are your children?