You know what they say, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.” Many of us frequently heard those words as children,  and our moms occupied us with tons of activities to keep us out of trouble.  But times have changed and these days fewer moms are at home to supervise. While we used to have fun with a ball and a wall, or jacks and jump ropes, today’s children get bored more easily. Add that to the fact that many parents are busier and struggling more than ever, and we could be headed for a recipe for disaster this summer. To fend off trouble, parents must keep children busy – even if it means getting them to learn how to cook or do crafts.

On another front, Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter is making sure that neighborhood pools open up on time. Last summer, the mayor threatened to shut down more than half of the city’s 72 swimming pools and scale back library hours because of budget woes.  Philadelphians were outraged,  and Mayor Nutter and Recreation Commissioner Sue  Slawson responded by launching the Splash and Summer Fund campaign, a corporate and community fund raising partnership designed to keep 69 of the city’s swimming pools opened this season. According to the Recreation Department’s website, there are also plenty of other interesting activities to keep our children engaged, including summer camps and outdoor activities, free or for nominal fees. That’s a very good thing, because on a national scale young people face tougher challenges than they have in decades.

The 2010 Child Well-Being Index recently released by the Foundation for Child Development, reports especially troubling news for parents on the lower economic spectrum and paints a grim picture for this generation of children. In short, the report says poverty, obesity and violence will affect this generation with numerous social and health challenges, wiping out all of the social progress made on behalf of children since 1975.

The Recreation Department’s website lists 150 free recreational activities, ranging from chess tournaments to concerts. But there’s nothing better than a spark of imagination in our homes to compliment those programs. I refuse to tolerate the words “I’m bored” from my two teenagers, so I’ve been web surfing to find simple, low costs things for them to do. Here are some of their projects.

In  Facebook, I  found one of the best safe driving campaign slogans I’ve ever seen. No matter what your religious beliefs, this one drives home a serious point. It reads,  “Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him.” I’ve challenged my children to create a safety campaign equal to or better than this one.

Scrapbooking is a fun, creative way to get children to document their activities.

Also found on Facebook : Camp CAYA sponsored by Karima “Life Coach K” Roepel. It’s a self-esteem building workshop for teen girls that helps them create their own personal Dream Boards, also known as Vision Boards. If you find Roepel’s class is full, encourage your girls to create their own dream boards. Kids love to dream and getting them to create a vision board gets them thinking about and preparing for their future.

Most public high schools have summer reading lists. Go a step further and choose a book for the entire family to encourage healthy discussions around the dinner table.

Philabundance  is launching the Sharing Your Garden project that encourages people to plant an extra row of vegetables to share. Kids love to watch things grow. Even just a pot on the windowsill can house vegetables to put on the table and to share with neighbors. Since obesity is such a big problem, we can keep our kids interested in helping with family meals by getting them into growing our own healthy food.

These activities encourage communication with our children, which also helps us parents to keep better tabs on their whereabouts.

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5. Chicken fingers: A birthday treat