Melanie Hexter adds, "Having a large family, we focus on 'edible gardening.' We have strawberries for ground cover, raspberries for bushes, and blueberries amongst our flower beds. The kids help with weeding and picking, freezing and eating! What we can't or don't yet grow, we pick at nearby you-pick-it farms and create annual traditions for the meal that night. One day each summer we shuck, parboil and freeze 12 dozen or so ears of corn. Guess what's for dinner that night? Or when our strawberry crop is at its greatest, we make shortcakes, smother them in fresh strawberries and call that dinner."

IDEA #5: TURN FAMILY VACATION INTO A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Says Marcia Washburn, "When we went on a family vacation, I tried to plan a variety of activities for each trip--scenery, museums, historical sites, visiting relatives, etc., as well as just plain fun. We'd mix it up so there would be something to interest everyone from the little ones through the adults."

Suzanne Broadhurst suggests allowing your kids to plan a trip (real or imaginary). "Choose a destination, or even many destinations within the U.S. or around the world, then have your children write to state/country visitor bureaus for maps and brochures (or go online to request them or view them right on the Internet). Plan distances, gas money/mileage, airfare, train fare, hotel or camping spots, sightseeing, food expenses, grocery lists, etc." If the trip doesn't fit in your budget or schedule, perhaps you can find some travel videos from your planned destination to finish up your project with.

IDEA #6: GET A DOG

"Summer is a great time to get a new dog, learn about raising it, and work on obedience or agility training," suggests Melanie Hexter. "Take an obedience course for your new dog together with one of your older children at the County Extension Office or Career Center, then practice, practice, practice. It'll reap rewards for the future."

IDEA #7: VOLUNTEER AT A LOCAL MUSEUM OR HISTORICAL SITE

Melissa Pinkley and her ten-year-old volunteer in 1803 costume at Lewis and Clark's Winter Campsite. "This is wonderful for learning about history (well enough to share with visitors) and it's also a great way to learn to communicate with others in a way that they'll learn, too."

IDEA #8: PHYSICAL TRAINING

Summer and physical activity go hand-in-hand, and with just a little effort you can add some fun variety and a touch of learning. Tamara Willey suggests activities such as rock-climbing, hiking, canoeing or kayaking, and walking. Come up with a plan that an individual can keep without relying on teams, etc. She also suggests coming up with a schedule for your activity so you can make a life habit of it--and soak up some of God's natural world, too!

Melanie Hexter and her daughter added an educational twist and a bit of friendly competition to their exercise routine. "We used a pedometer to mark out the perimeter of our yard, and then calculated how many laps it would take to walk a marathon (26.2 miles). We each determined to walk a 'marathon' and kept a running tally in our kitchen. She beat me to a complete marathon, of course--almost twice as fast!"