visit new places

If you want to enrich your child's summer, you can make a list of five to ten places your family hasn't visited yet, then go to each place.  It doesn't have to be far away or expensive.  There are many state parks, bike trails, museums, and other attractions that could be an opportunity to learn something new.  If you and your family are library fans, you could visit other libraries.  You could also go to a new restaurant.  A few places on my list for the summer are the governor's mansion, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Northland Arboretum.  If you live in Minnesota, here are more destinations for you to consider putting on your list.

Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul
Forest History Center in Grand Rapids
Lake Itasca State Park near Park Rapids
Minnesota History Center in St. Paul-it is free Tuesday afternoons from 3-8
Munsinger and Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud
Voyageurs National Park near International Falls
Walker Art Center and Minnesota Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis-it is free on Thursday evenings from 5 to 9 and the first Saturday of the month from 10 to 3

If you are ambitious, you could also make a book to document the places that you visited this summer.