Continuing our tradition of trying to give you as many creative summer activity ideas as possible (y’know, so your kids don’t get bored or drive you crazy), Love and Be Loved’s has a list of 101 things to do this summer. Here are the first ten:

1. Picnic under the shade of a tree
2. Star gaze
3. Fly a kite
4. Set up your own lemonade stand
5. Throw and outdoor party
6. Play in the rain
7. Go to the zoo
8. Surprise someone you love with a special gift
9. Make homemade ice cream
10. Plant a flower, watch it grow

This is seriously a gorgeous post with even more gorgeous photos. Check out the 91 other ideas at Love and Be Loved.

Volunteerism helps your local community, but what positive effects can it have on the volunteer? According to guest blogger Erik Fisher at MomLogic, there are many, apparently, and that’s why your family should volunteer together.

“Giving back to others is teaching the man to fish: It creates a cycle of giving and receiving,” he says. “Frankly, what got us into the mess we’re in now was more taking than giving (plus an excessive sense of entitlement that seemed to be taught from the top down).”

I’m assuming “the mess” he’s referring to is the economy. But I think the chance to do something as a family that teaches everyone to value what they have is a hugely positive experience, even for parents. And hey, it’s a great, free activity to do with your family.

Does your family volunteer regularly?

From MomLogic. Photo by angelmedflight.

This piece is somewhat of a Bay Area-centric story, but don’t stop reading just because you live in Florida. You never know when you might make a trip out west to visit San Francisco, and if you do, there’s a good chance that you will cross the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County.

Just for fun let’s just say you live here or have plans to make it out sometime in the near future. Here’s a cool place to put on your ‘to do’ list.

Directly across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco is the Marin Headlands. The Headlands have a long military history dating back to 1890s, and during World War II the Headlands were occupied by U.S. Forces as a defensive fortress against any hostile ships that may have tried to enter the SF Bay through the Golden Gate. Later, during the Cold War, the large guns protecting the Bay were decommissioned and replaced with antiaircraft missile sites.

Today, the Marin Headlands are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and you can visit and explore the old military bunkers, the locations of the gun batteries, and even take a tour of a Nike Missile site complete with a dummy missile that still resides underground. On clear days, the Headlands provides panoramic views of the bay including the Farallon Islands, Angel Island, Alcatraz, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the East Bay.

(Since the point of the article isn’t necessarily the Headlands themselves, but rather a place within the Headlands, I will leave you to google the “Marin Headlands” if you wish to learn more.)

Located at 2000 Bunker Road, just before Rodeo Beach is the Marine Mammal Center.

From their website they describe themselves as follows: “Our mission is to expand knowledge about marine mammals—their health and that of their ocean environment—and to inspire their global conservation. Our core work is the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured marine mammals, supported by state-of-the-art animal care and research facilities, a corps of dedicated volunteers, and an engaged community.”

Tanner and I went for a visit yesterday and as a rehabilitation center for injured marine mammals. We found almost 120 sick or injured mammals such as sea lions and elephant seals that were easily accessible for viewing. We stood back and watched as the full-time and volunteer staff worked to isolate one of the sea lions for a check up before being released back into the wild. It was interesting to watch and fun to hear the grunts of all the elephants seals competing with the barking of the sea lions.

We were also able to visit a hands-on classroom for a view of the kitchen where they were preparing the meals for the mammals and even the hospital itself where they care for the injured animals when they are first brought in.

Tanner and I see California seals and sea lions quite frequently around the Bay and on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, so it was a cool experience to get ourselves closer than ever before to have a look at these beautiful animals.

I certainly enjoyed the visit and I know from all the questions that Tanner had that he learned a lot that day. I’m sure he now has a better appreciation for these creatures, as well as an understanding of how humans can have a negative impact on these animals from careless and irresponsible behavior. According to the Marine Mammal Center, “nearly 10% of the animals we rescue have been impacted by human interaction and hazards like net and fishing line entanglements, gun shots, illegal pick-ups, and boat strikes.”

As mentioned earlier, the Marine Mammal Center is located just before Rodeo Beach, so bring a picnic to enjoy down at the beach after your visit to the center. The center is constantly releasing and rescuing new patients so you never know what you might find when you visit. If you are in the area, stop in for a visit. It’s educational, fascinating, fun and free with donations welcomed.

As we reach the mid-way point of summer vacation, some of us may be running out of things to do to keep the kids busy. But never fear, the easiest and best idea is right in front of you (or within walking distance anyway): the local park.

Whether you live in a big city or a quiet suburb, there is a good chance that you have a great park nearby to keep your kids entertained. Visit your local Parks ands Recreation website and print out a list of all the parks in your city and start at the top.

Here’s a list of ten reasons why visiting your local parks is one of the best things you can do this summer.

1. It’s Free

Times are tough and fun is expensive. Visiting your local neighborhood parks is FREE. A little sunblock, a few snacks from the pantry and you’re good to go!

2. It’s Healthy

When kids are at the park, they do the healthiest thing kids can do: play! Running and climbing for an hour or two will not only keep your kids healthy, but it will tire them (planning your park trip before nap time is a smart move, Mom). But it’s not just healthy for them; it’s healthy for you too. Take advantage of any walking paths surrounding the park and while the kids are swinging away, you can walk yourself toward a healthier you.

3. It’s Good For The City

Have you seen the show Parks & Recreation? Though it may be exaggerated, the truth is that there is whole staff of people in your local Parks & Recreation department who put their heart and soul into taking care of your local parks. Appreciating their hard work is just good citizenship!

4. It’s Good For The Community

The more parks you visit, the more people you meet. Many of us parents can recall vividly the days we spent at neighborhood parks playing with and getting to know other kids in the neighborhood. Times may have changed, but there is still a need for that sense of community. Frequenting the neighborhood parks is a great way to do that.

5. It Introduces Your Kids to New Parts of Town

Whether it’s the suburbs or the city, chances are there are plenty of neighborhoods your kids don’t know very well. By making it a point to visit new neighborhood parks throughout the city/town you live in can help introduce your kids to other parts of their hometown that they may not get to visit very often.

6. It’s Good for the Environment

Especially if you can skip the car and walk to come of the parks in your area. You save the gas and carbon emissions and stay local. You can also make the trip a learning experience for the kids by packing some garbage bags and spending a few minutes cleaning up any garbage you may find at the park. Teach your kids that it’s their neighborhood and their park, so they should help take care of it too.

7. The City is Putting on a Show For You

During the summer many cities and towns put on special events at local parks. Visit your city’s website to see when the next concert or Shakespeare in the Park is happening near you. These kind of events need attendance to keep going, so help your city out!

8. It’s Good For You

This especially goes for when your kids reach the age when they don’t need to be completely shadowed anymore. Take the opportunity to relax. Bring a blanket and lay on the grass or your lawn chair and favorite book. There are few chances for a mom to simply chill, and the park is a great chance to do that. Or invite a friend that you haven’t hung out with in a while and catch up while the kids play.

9. It Can Be an Adventure

Make a little scrapbook for your children. Every time you visit a new park, let them draw a picture and write about the park. They can even glue pictures you took while there. This is a great way to make the summer trips to the park a real adventure and a way to help keep your school age child writing and using their thinking skills while they’re on vacation.

10. Did I Mention its Free?

What your favorite thing about going to your neighborhood park?

The growing popularity of the staycation means two things: families are budget conscious and that they don’t need to go to Disneyworld to have a great vacation. But don’t underestimate the organizational hazards of staycations. You may be at home, but taking a few extra steps to make sure everything is organized can make for a stress-free (or as much as possible) vacation. Here are three tips from Mandi at Simple Mom.

1. Keep Your Schedule Flexible
Remember, it’s a vacation, so nobody wants to wake up super early or follow a strict itinerary. Also, when you plan your schedule, leave a lot of time between activities so nobody feels rushed going from place to place.

2. Get Chores Done Beforehand
You’re still at home, which means there are a number of house chores to be done, but if you’re going to commit to this staycation, you’ll need to get as much done as possible ahead of time. Sure, the garbage will still be collected while you’re “on vacation,” but do your best to get as much out of the way as possible.

3. Plan Your Meals
You can cut down on the stress of a staycation, and save a bit of money, but thinking ahead about what your family will be eating. Stock your fridge with all the groceries you’ll need, and freeze meals so you can just throw them in the oven when needed. And don’t be afraid to eat out. It’s a vacation, after all!

From Simple Mom. Photo by Scandic Hotels.

Last Friday, Tony gave ten ideas for activities to do with your kids this summer and asked you guys for more suggestions. Here are some of our favorite responses!

Reader Stephanie Parkinson suggests what she calls a “wet day”:

I like to have a supply of wet day activities to hand. This usually includes paints pencils, playdoh and other craft materials. The messier the better as it keeps them entertained longer!

Ashley Allain of HyperHomeschool suggested a handful of ideas:

We plan to go to the pool, picnic at the park, have playdates with friends, participate in the summer reading program at our local library, take nature walks at the local parks and enjoy their splash parks for a cool down & visit some area museums. For our 4yo birthday, we purchased a family membership to the zoo and aquarium in New Orleans. That will provide lots of fun throughout the entire year

Super commenter Haidy had several educational suggestions:

1- The library, we have a summer reading program where the kids register (and get a book for free) and when they read 10 books, they get to join a party and get another free book. My kids love it!

2- Vacation bible school. In fact, I leave the kids there cause I know they will learn something good and I get to take sometime off!

3- I also bought my kids workbooks. I usually assign them 8-10 pages to do in their work book in the morning. They get to play on their Wii if they do it. It is another way to keep their memory fresh with math, science and English and it is one good way to fill their time.

Our own Meghan Harvey recommends checking your local Parks & Recreation website:

You mentioned park, but we’ve decided on a fun summer plan that expands the whole park idea. We visited the Parks & Recreation website for our hometown and printed out the list of every single park in town. There are 27 neighborhood parks (not including sports parks & wilderness trails/open spaces) in town. We intend on visiting every single one and taking pictures of each and deciding which parks are the best in town. This will be a great way to explore neighborhoods we don’t usually hang out in, find some new cool parks and really pay attention to each one to see how they compare with one another. The cost of the summer park exploration/project? $0 And it’s something we can do the whole summer.

Photo by Shopping Diva.

According to a report by North Carolina University’s National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, cheerleading ranks number one for number of “serious injuries” in sports for girls. 65% of all catastrophic injuries in girls’ high-school athletics occur on cheerleading teams. SIXTY FIVE PERCENT! INSANITY!

The worst injuries include back and neck fractures. Spinal-cord injures are common when practices are held on hardwood floors without mats, and almost all competitions are held without mats. Knowing that, I’m less likely to blame the sport itself and more likely to blame coaches and cheerleading leagues for not better regulating safety standards, of which there are apparently none.

Do you have a daughter on the cheerleading squad? What safety precautions are you taking?

MomLogic. Photo by heraldpost.

We’ve all been to a kid’s soccer game and seen the parents who take it too seriously. They’re like cliches out of bad movies, and yet, they scream and yell inappropriately from the sideline, unaware that they’re making the whole experience less fun for spectators and the athletes. But what factors contribute to these parents taking sports too seriously?

According to Mark Hyman, author of Until It Hurts: America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids, it’s the dreams of professional athletic glory and college scholarships, as well as parents living vicariously through their kids. These parents push their kids to the point where sports are doing more harm than good.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says there is also a rising trend of sports injuries, thanks to pressures of year-round sports seasons. The group recommends that young athletes take at least one or two days off from playing, practicing, and training each week, and that each child should only play one sport per season.

All in all, it’s perhaps not so bad being that loud, raucous parent cheering on the sideline — as long as the enthusiasm doesn’t translate into unsurmountable and dangerous athletic pressures for your child.

How do know when competitive sports are too competitive? Where do you draw that line?

From Strollerderby. Photo by K.W. Sanders.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span is now the MLB’s biggest advocate for stadium safety. His mother was hit by a foul ball during a game, so now Span is arguing for safety nets that extend as far as the dugout.

“It’s hard to pay attention to every single pitch,” Span said. “Sometimes you’re coming down from the concession stand and whatever and boom! All of a sudden, that quick, the ball is coming at you. You can’t control that.”

There are 52 documented deaths from foul balls hit into the stands, though this number includes everything from Little League games, MLB games, and everything in between.

What do you think? Is this a necessary safety precaution, or a tradition-ruining proposition being imposed upon America’s favorite sport?

The story at Game On!. Photo by Roger Smith.

How much exercise does it take to stay the same weight? According to a new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association, one hour a day — and that’s to maintain weight, not even lose it! Most Americans gain 1.5 lbs. a year between the age of 25 and 55.

“You can still do much for your health with a lower level of exercise,” says Dr. I-Min Lee, the study’s author. “But if you want to exercise for weight control, it’s 60 minutes a day.”

Not all exercise experts agree with the study. Some say that only 35 minutes a day is enough, but with today’s parents being as busy as they are, that’s still a lot of time. The “moderate-intensity” activities included in the study were walking/hiking, jogging, running, bicycling, aerobic exercise/dance, using exercise machines, yoga, tennis, squash, racquetball, and swimming. (Housework and gardening were not included.)

I’m all for encouraging more exercise, but is an hour a day possible in anyone’s schedule?

More from the Los Angeles Times. Photo by Dave Patrick.