Ideas for keeping little hands — and brains — busy

At summer's end, if you had to write an essay on "how I spent my summer vacation," Gail DiGiulio hopes you would have plenty to write about.

As co-founder and CEO of SimplyFun, a family-oriented, home-party game company based in Bellevue, Wash., she knows a lot about having fun. And summer is a time to have fun, she said on a recent visit to Salt Lake City. Take advantage of the opportunities, she says, and you will have lots of things to write about in your essay. With a little planning and ingenuity, you will be able to say:

1. We kept our brains active and our hands busy — and had a great time doing it. "Don't let your children spend the summer parked in front of the TV or with the Game Boy or computer," she says.

Plan daily activities that will be fun but also will encourage thinking and creativity, such as:

— Texture paper: Put a piece of paper on a brick or concrete and rub a crayon across it. See how the texture shows. Find different textures you can use to create a piece of art, wrapping paper, etc.

— Toe talent: Put a piece of paper on the ground and a pencil between your toes. Now try drawing and writing. Compete with family and friends in toe talent art contest.

— Nameplate: Make a nameplate for your door using paper, glue and sticks. Collect a variety of little sticks and glue them on the paper to form the letters of your name.

— Tube people: Use paper-towel or toilet-paper tubes to create people. Use colored markers, construction paper and other accessories. Be creative. Make a whole town.

— In the news: Create your own family newspaper. Clip headlines, words and pictures from local papers to create one just for you.

Another fun thing to do, says DeGiulio, is to write a script and put on a play using stuffed animals and other hand puppets.

2. We went places and did things — and found that the journey was part of the fun. Summer is a time to go and do, whether near or far. But whenever you are traveling any distance in the car, use that time to interact and learn more about each other, suggests DeGiulio.

SimplyFun has a key ring called "Let's Chat" that offers 98 different things to talk about. But you could make up your own list and put them in a box or bottle. Part of the fun is the randomness of the topics, she says. For example,