Question: How do you keep the kids active over the summer?

From Rhonda Sasa: With our pool now opened, the kids will be spending a lot of time outdoors and will be inviting a lot of friends over to share in their good times.

I try to encourage them to play water games while in the pool. They like to play basketball or volleyball by putting a net across the pool.

Watching our children and all their friends can be a lot of work for us as parents, but knowing the kids are safe at home where we can watch them is priceless.

We also offer the kids their choice of Summer Camps now that they are older.

Our daughter attends a basketball camp to keep her in shape and ready for the upcoming season. She loves to go to camp, because she gets to spend lots of time with her teammates from the St. Rocco's Raptors.

Our son, who is a wrestler, will be attending a wrestling camp. It’s a great way for him to keep in shape and ready for the upcoming year, too.

During this summer vacation we thought it would be a good time to get our son acquainted with the real world — now that he is 16 — so we are employing him part-time so that he can learn how to run our family business in home weatherization.

Although it may not be his trade of choice when he grows up, we hope that it will give him some insight of what it takes to make a living and to save and manage his own money.

If you are looking for some good safe activities for your children to do during their vacation, remember that our very own Johnston Memorial Park has lots of summer activities to sign up for.

From Mary Quirk-Sasa: There are so many different, low-cost, fun ways to keep our children busy during the summer months. Unless your children have to be in full-time camp or day care because you are working, it isn't necessary to go overboard planning a lot of structured activiites once school is out. Most of our children are involved in at least one after-school activity during the school year.  We often pick them up from school and rush off to dance classes, a sports practice, or music lesson. It's important to give ourselves and our children some time during the summer to unwind and kick back a little.

That being said, there are all sorts of things you can do that don't require spending too much planning time or energy. One of the greatest things about the summer is that we can take advantage of visiting local parks and playgrounds free of charge. Johnston Memorial Park and Deerfield Park in Smithfield both offer a pleasant get-away for families with young children and they each have playgrounds, picnic tables, and walking paths. It's fun to arrange a "play date" with some of your child's friends and have a picnic lunch together.  Be sure to invite kids who have moms that you enjoy spending time with too — that way you can squeeze in a little adult conversation while the kids play together.

Another place that is nice to visit on a hot day is the new Mohr Library in Johnston. The library offers special events, free craft activities, and story telling throughout the summer. On a rainy day, you could rent a DVD to take home with you, or borrow a good story book to read together.

If you are up for the challenge, it can be really fun to have friends over to your home for a visit.  Even If you don't have a swimming pool, kids can have a blast with bubbles, squirt guns, a sprinkler, or wading pool.  The point is you don't have to spend a lot of dough, to have a good time!  Relax and let the lazy days of summer be just that — LAZY!