Fuel for fun
Eight low-cost, no-gas ideas for summer

Be creative! Let your kids raid your closets to dress up, then blast some of your favorite dance tunes into the living room. Our 3-year-old, Megan, loves “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones, “I Fought the Law” by The Clash and the accordion classic, “Chicken Dance.”

1. Try a backyard campout. Pitch the tent on the backyard lawn, and go camping without leaving home. See who can find a shooting star and tell stories by flashlight – until it is time to sleep.

2. Cook indoor s’mores. It isn’t summer without this tasty treat! If you don’t have a fire to toast your marshmallows, use the microwave. Cut marshmallows in half with scissors, and place each half on a graham cracker. Microwave for 30 seconds, add chocolate and the other cracker. Enjoy!

3. Put on a show. Use some scissors, crayons and construction paper to build finger-sized animals, people or other creatures. Attach them with tape to Popsicle sticks. Voilá – you have little puppets. Let the kids put on their own puppet show.

4. It’s a water war! This game is best for cooling off on a hot summer afternoon. Hand out water balloons and let them attack. Mom can stand by with the hose, giving out little squirts for her squirts.

5. Everyone loves a parade. It’s best to enlist all the kids on the block for this. In honor of Independence Day, use red, white and blue paper and streamers to decorate your bicycles, tricycles and wagons. Then put on a patriotic kiddie parade.

6. Make the sale. Bake some cookies, brownies or cupcakes. Make a pitcher of lemonade. Then, your little capitalists can set up a lemonade stand. Have the kids donate their profits to their favorite cause, or buy a toy the kids can use together.

7. Be a scavenger. Send your kids on a “natural scavenger hunt” at the park or in the backyard. Make a list (or draw pictures) of objects such as a leaf, rock, stick, flower and pine cone. Have a race to see who finds everything first, or, for younger ones, let them work together.

8. Host an art opening. Let your little Monets and Picassos paint and draw several works of art. Hang them all on a wall, and invite grandparents or neighbors to come over to
your gallery.


Nurture your naturalist

Does your preschooler insist on bringing every rock, stick, leaf or insect she picks up into your living room? Instead of getting frustrated, consider it a sign that she might be a future Jacques Cousteau, John Muir or Jane Goodall.
   
Naturalistic intelligence – the eighth type in Harvard professor Howard Gardner’s groundbreaking Multiple Intelligence Theory – describes the ability to sense patterns in, and connect with, nature. “Nature smart” kids have keen senses and remember things from their environment. These are kids who really appreciate being outside – whether to hike and camp or just sit quietly and observe the world around them. They love learning about animals. And yes, they tend to be great collectors of natural objects.
   
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall credits her mother with nurturing her childhood passion for nature, which later led to her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees.
   
Goodall tells a story of how, when she was 4, she helped collect hen’s eggs at a relative’s farm. When no adult answered her question, “How is the hole big enough for the eggs to come out?” to her satisfaction, Goodall hid in a henhouse to find out. She was gone so long, her worried family phoned the police. When Goodall finally emerged four hours later, thrilled with her discovery, Goodall’s mother did not reprimand her. Instead, she listened to her excited 4-year-old tell the story of how a hen lays an egg.
   
Today’s parents can nurture their naturalists, too:
> Give your child a patch of the garden, and let her dig to see what is alive in the dirt.
> Keep a bird feeder in your backyard and learn the names of the birds that visit it.
> Send her on a natural scavenger hunt for sticks, pebbles and leaves in the yard.
> Lie with her on the grass to watch the sky for cloud shapes or stars after dark.

For more ideas, parents can find a treasure trove of ideas to engage kids with the natural world in Jennifer Ward’s book “I Love Dirt! 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature.”
   
Who knows? Your little naturalist might be the Jane Goodall for her generation.


10 best salons for a first haircut

1. A Star is Born – Mission Viejo
949.582.8000; astarisborn4kids.com

2. Blue Sky’s Salon & Studio – Laguna Beach
949.510.1507; blueskysstudio.com

3. Boogaloos Kids Salon & Spa – Fullerton
714.992.4544; boogaloos-kids.com

4. Cool Cuts 4 Kids
coolcuts4kids.com

5. First Cut Hair Salon
Locations: firstcut4kids.com

6. Hair Bears – Tustin
714.731.5057

7. Hair City – Laguna Woods
949.583.9775

8. Kiddie Kastle – Cypress
714.527.0527

9. Kids Cuts & Curls – San Juan Capistrano;
949.496.3122; kidscutsandcurls.com

10. Rainbow Kids Hairstyling
rainbowkidshairstyling.com

Kelly St. John Regier is a contributing writer.