School's out, the long days of summer are upon us, and yourkids are restless. Short of shipping them off to summer camp, how can you keepthem happy and busy, and without letting them catch on, make sure they'relearning along the way?

Here are tips on what to keep in mind when you're planningsummer activities, as well as some easy ideas for little tykes, preschoolers,and school kids that will keep them entertained all the way through August.

Let Summer Begin

When the thermometer starts to creep upward, the first thingyou should consider when planning playtime is safety.

"I think with all age groups, parents should considersafety first," says Barbara Roth, specialty consultant for child care forthe YMCA of the USA.

With safety in mind, ask yourself, what activities areappropriate for your child's age? What safety equipment should you have onhand, such as a lifejacket if you have a pool, or training wheels and a helmetif your child wants to learn to ride a bike? Will you be home with the child,or working? If you're working, is an adult present?

"Kids should never be home alone, so make sure they'reunder adult supervision if you will be working," says Roth.

Second, what are your goals for your kids during thesummer?

"Beyond simply keeping them busy, you want to keep theirdevelopment in mind and realize how much learning goes on in play," saysRoth.

Learning doesn't stop the moment the school bell sounds for thelast time in June. Kids keep on learning all summer long.

"Kids also need to work on social-emotional skills, whichis ongoing for all age groups," says Roth. "Make sure the activitiesyour kids are involved in include kids their own age as well as kids otherages."

And last, remember that there is only so much time in the day-- don't overbook yourself and your kids so that summer vacation doesn'tinclude a moment's rest.

"Eliminate stress," says Michele Borba, EdD, author of19 books on parenting and childhood. "A big, huge calendar on your fridgethat can help you keep track of everyone's schedule is a gold mine and reallyhelps avoid overbooking. And make sure there are fun active things going on andalso some laid-back activities. It's OK to have nothing to do, to spend sometime in the sandbox."

Toddlers

Toddlers, ages 1-2, require constant supervision. Whether youare home with your child or another adult is supervising, these activities willhelp your kids have fun in the sun.

Bins of fun. "Get some plastic bins and fill themwith fun things, and rotate which bin your child gets every day," saysBorba. "Use paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes in one bin, which aregreat for toddlers to use as kazoos and drums. Put play dough in another binand let them play with that for a while. And old paint brushes with just waterare great -- toddlers can paint anything and watch the water change its color,and there's no pick up for you after."