"Mom, we're bored!"  The dreaded words no mom wants to hear, especially at the beginning of summer.  So, here are some options for you:

Go to a park and fly a kite.
Hit the Harris Hill pool.
Run through a sprinkler or set up a slip and slide.
Head to the library.
Tour a museum.
Enroll in a camp.
Go on a scavenger hunt.
Ride a bike.
Eat ice cream.
Burn off some energy at a playground.
See a movie.
Play mini-golf.

We are also fortunate that there are many summer programs in our area to take advantage of.  We are having two weeks of summer camp at the preschool this year, July 14-18 and August 11-15.  Also locally, Tanglewood Nature Center, Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, Head Over Heels Gymnastics, Elmira Gymnastics and the Corning YMCA offer many fun programs for children.  For school aged children, both Horseheads and Big Flats have Summer Cohesion/TAFFY programs for children ages 5 and up.  Don't forget to also take advantage of all the local parks, playgrounds, museums, resource centers and zoos!

What do you do to make birthdays special at your house?  Growing up, we always had family parties and one of my grandmother's famous checkerboard cakes.  The big treat was always picking the colors for the checkerboard and listening to the oohs and ahs when the cake was cut into and everyone got to see your choices.  When my own children came along, I wanted to make sure we had some special traditions too.  Traditions don't have to cost a lot of money, and it doesn't matter how small or silly they are.  It's the fabulous memories you are making for your children that they will remember their whole lives.

For my own children, when they come down on their birthday morning, the kitchen has been transformed into a birthday wonderland.  Balloons and streamers and of course a Happy Birthday banner are hung.  The special birthday candle (just like I had as a child) is ready to burn down another year.  Later in the day, the birthday child is allowed to pick a special dinner and a special dessert (served on a birthday plate!) for the whole family to enjoy.

Here are some other cute traditions I read about that sound like fun:
Make a favorite things list.  When the kids are younger, you can help with the list.  As they get older, they can write it themselves.  It can include favorite foods, pastimes, books, TV shows, colors and what they want to be when they grow up.  Save these each year and keep them in a scrapbook to have as a memento when they are older.

A friend of mine had a special seat cover with a birthday cake on it for the birthday child.  They also had a special birthday plate and cup to use that day as well.

Celebrate a half birthday!  We do this at our house.....the kids get half a card and I serve half a cake.  It's also fun to serve half a glass of milk, use half a napkin and sing half of the "Happy Birthday" song.  It's a cute and funny way to recognize when you are halfway through a year and it's especially nice to be able to have a little celebration during a different season (my daughter has a winter birthday so she loves to celebrate her half birthday in the summer).

Write a silly message or picture on the bathroom mirror,    A bar of soap or lipstick make an easy way to leave a simple message for the birthday child to wake up to.

Stash a surprise.  Instead of leaving the gifts in a group, try hiding them throughout the house.  Sneek a tiny gift into their shoe, leave one on the carseat.  It's like a big game of Birthday Hide and Seek!

There are so many creative ways to make the day special and memorable for your child.  What you do will be carried through their lives and probably passed on to their own children as well.  What a wonderful gift!