When I was a kid, the worst thing you could ever say to your mom or dad was, "I'm bored."

They'd get this funny look on their faces and say, "That's good, because I need some help around the house." Then I'd be trapped inside the house doing chores all day.

During the school year , I lived for the weekends. In the summer, I almost never came inside. Who wants to be stuck indoors when there were trees to climb, forts to build, fish to catch, games to play, holes to dig, bikes to ride?

My buddies and I would get together and build a tent city in the yard and play Monopoly until 3:00 am and eat potato chips and drink root beer and have burping contests.

We'd start a new tree house at the beginning of every summer or add on to the one from the year before. We went on marathon bike rides or we'd play ping pong tournaments or we'd swim or we'd chase cows or we'd play Capture the Flag or get all the kids in the neighborhood and play baseball until it was too dark to see.

One windy day we decided to make kites and see how high they would fly. Another time we tried to build a car out of scrap wood. Didn't work, but it was fun.

We ran races, we played soccer, we walked to 7-Eleven for Slurpies, we built a raft and sank it, we sold popsicles from our homemade Popsicle Stand, we got dirty from head to toe. We lived like savages.

Who wanted to stay inside? There was too much to do.

So, take my advice. Turn off the TV. Turn off the Xbox. Turn off the iPod. Make your own fun.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

1. Write a story.
2. Write a poem.
3. Read a book.
4. Dig a hole.
5. Plant a tree.
6. Write a letter.
7. Call a friend.
8. Make a kite.
9. Go fishing.
10. Play catch.
11. Shoot arrows.
12. Play cards . . . outside.
13. Go for a walk.
14. Chase the dog.
15. Climb a tree.
16. Go hiking.
17. Take a bus ride.
18. Build a bird house.
19. Make a scrap book.
20. Take pictures.
21. Make up a fake gameshow.
22. Shoot a video.
23. Make paper airplanes.
24. Go to the library.
25. Help a neighbor.
26. Stage a pretend Olympics, with medals and everything.
27. Go swimming.
28. Visit your grandparents.
29. Go bowling.
30. Try to stay up all night.
31. Go camping in the yard.
32. Play basketball.
33. Build a bookshelf.
34. Draw a picture.
35. Skip rocks.
36. Make holiday decorations.
37. Start a stamp collection.
38. Go to the beach.
39. Build a dog house.
40. Paint a picture.
41. Do handstands.
42. Jump rope.
43. Build a treehouse.
44. Make a treasure map.
45. Have a dance contest.
46. Go to a playground.
47. Listen to music . . . outside
48. Play tag
49. Make a tent city out of blankets, ropes and boxes.
50. Have a "gurning contest" (weirdest face wins)
51. Press flowers.
52. Make a terrarium.
53. Teach your dog a trick.
54. Start an insect collection.
55. Learn five new words from the dictionary.
56. Make stilts.
57. Learn to juggle.
58. Put on a puppet show.
59. Build a lemonade stand.
60. Play an instrument.
61. Make up your own song.

IF IT'S SNOWING:
62. Build a snowman.
63. Build a snowfort.
64. Have a snowball fight.
65. Make snow angels.
66. Go sledding/inner tubing.
67. Go skiing.
68. Go for a walk in the snow.

Below are links to a whole bunch of websites where you will find instructions on how to do almost anything.

If any of these links are broken, please let me know: [email protected]

If you have an idea you want to add to my list, SEND ME AN EMAIL!

THINGS TO MAKE

How to make paper airplanes
How to tie knots
How to fold origami hats, birds, boxes, etc.
How to make kites
How to make a pair of stilts
How to make a kaleidoscope
How to make a Can-N-String telephone
How to make a Submarine Candle

THINGS TO BUILD

How to build a birdhouse
How to build a treehouse
How to build a raft

GAMES TO PLAY

How to play Bicycle Scavenger Hunt
How to play Capture the Flag

SKILLS TO LEARN

Learn how to Juggle
Learn how to draw cartoons
Learn how to jump rope

PLACES TO GO

Visit your local Children's Museum