Twenty questions: Someone thinks of a person, place or thing. Those playing can ask up to 20 questions to try to figure it out. The questions can be answered with only a "yes" or "no" response.

I see an animal in the sky: Ask your child to point out animal shapes they see in the clouds. Get them to make up a story based on what they see. You can have them start the story and each person can add another piece. You can take part, too, and soon you have a whole story. You might want to write the story down as you go. Then you can all add pictures by cutting up magazines or drawing your own.

Memory game: Find 15 to 20 small, everyday objects from around your house. Place them on the cookie sheet. Let your children look at the cookie sheet of objects for a few minutes. Tell them to try to remember as many as they can. You can start with 5 items for young children, more for older children. Name the items with them. Then cover the tray with a towel, and see what they can remember. You can vary this with items from different parts of the house. Children often learn the names of new things by playing this game. You can also do this by showing them a picture (from a book or magazine) for 20 seconds and then asking them to answer questions about some of the details in picture.

I packed my bag for California (or some other far off place) and in it I put....You then start off with one item and each player repeats that item and adds another. Soon it is harder and harder to remember all the items, but you can give each other hints if you like to keep the game going as long as possible.

Imagine what would happen if.... Start with, "Imagine what would happen if people didn’t have cars?" or "Imagine what would happen if houses had ears and could talk?" Try to get them to think creatively by asking questions like, "What would be different about our city (town) if there were no cars?"

Problem-solve: Encourage children to solve problems together. One problem might be to come up with money needed for one of the outings planned on your calendar. You might be amazed at their ideas.

Cool treats

Frozen banana: Simply peel a banana and cut in half. Put a Popsicle stick in each half, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Children can easily do this themselves. They are really yummy!

Jello cut-outs: Jell-O made with extra gelatine stays firm when set so you and your child can cut it into shapes. This feels really cool and is a fun-to-eat summer treat.

Homemade popsicles: Put ‘Kool- Aid’ or juice into small yogurt containers, using a Popsicle stick as a handle. Just freeze and eat!

Frozen grapes: Remove stems and spread seedless grapes on a shallow dish or plate and put in freezer. This is another one kids can easily do for themselves. They are so delicious!~ With permission from Parents as Partners in Education