The days of summer are here. And so are the cries of "I don't have anything to doooooooo!" Keep the kids cool and fight boredom with a "Beat-the-Heat" party. Following is a list of games to play, whether you have a pool or just a hose.

IN THE POOL:

• Raft races are always great. For a twist, try using only one arm or one leg.

• Ping-pong ball races take a little more finesse, but they are just as fun. Use a squirt bottle to propel a ping-pong ball across the pool. First one to get their ping-pong ball across wins.

• Basic pool freeze tag is a great crowd-pleaser. You can only be "unfrozen" if someone swims between your legs.

• Ping-pong toss. Float a pool ring in the middle of the pool, with half of the kids at one end of the pool and half at the other. Mark a spot on either side of the ring that the teams can't go past. At "go", each team tries to land their ping-pong balls in the center of the ring. After two minutes, take a count of all the ping-pong balls that made it. (You'll need to prepare the two sets of ping-pong balls ahead of time with different-colored X's or different numbers.)

ON THE LAWN:

• For a summer twist on bobbing for apples, bob for oranges in a bright summer tub. The bitterness of the orange peel makes it doubly-hard for kids to want to bite into that orange, but the faces they'll make are worth it. (You can even try lemons if you really want to make them squirm).

• Toss water balloons back and forth. (This works best on a driveway or other hard surface, where the water balloons will always break when they hit they ground.) Expand the tossing distance between players after every turn.

• Do the fireman sprint. One child is the fireman and sprays the hose up and over the other children, waving the hose back and forth to make catching water difficult. The other children hold out cups to catch water and race back to fill their buckets at the other end of the yard. The first to fill his or her bucket gets to be the fireman next. (For water conservation, wave a sprinkler around instead and use smaller cups and buckets).

These ideas are just a start. With some basic supplies and a little imagination, even the dullest of afternoons can become a water-fun-filled day.

Ah. The great summer blockbuster. It's so much fun! And don’t you just love paying for tickets, popcorn, and drinks -- and running your child to the bathroom at the best part? For those of you who are tired of paying sky-high prices to see mediocre movies, create your own movie theater at home. It's easier than you think. And if you think you can't please your hard-to-please kids, think again. Follow our checklist for a great movie party at home:

• Check your local movie rental store for a list of upcoming releases and schedule your party to coincide. While many of your guests may have already seen the movie, most kids count the days until a movie comes out on DVD so that they can see it again. Schedule your party on the movie's DVD release date for the best "Hollywood buzz". (Just be sure to reserve a copy so you won't disappoint).

• Send out "ticket" invitations. You can make large tickets on your home computer or have your kids draw them.

• Create some movie money to purchase items at your "concession stand". Have fresh microwave popsorn at the ready, as well as miniature versions of all the great movie candy. (Miniature versions allow the kids to try more than one). Also have great drinks available -- whatever your guests crave.

• Have an usher at the door (dads are great at this) who can take tickets and then direct your guests to the concession stand after they arrive.

• Dim the lights once … twice .. three times before the movie is about to start.

• Create an intermission. Stop the movie halfway through for bathroom breaks and a re-visit to the concession stand.

• Gather the gang for a "review" of the movie afterward, then send them home with a leftover snack or two and some movie money as a memento.

And who knows? The next great summer blockbuster might be saved for in-home viewing only. (It could happen, really).

Put on your best poker face! Invite all your friends and neighbors over for a potluck poker party. It's a great way to spend time with all of your favorite people, and we have some unique ideas to get the kids involved, too. Read on …

• Have everyone bring a fuss-free dish to pass. One-handed foods are best. Think finger sandwiches, fruit kabobs, chips, dips -- anything easy to eat that won't create messy, drippy fingers.

• Set up different poker tables for newbies, amateurs, and pros. Bet with pennies or hard candy if you prefer to avoid "losing your shirt", so to speak.

• Purchase inexpensive decks of cards for the kids to build a house of cards. (For precision building materials, you can prepare the decks of cards by cutting small slits in the corners of the cards. The cuts should be perpendicular to the long edges of the cards, allowing the connecting cards to slide into the slits to create perpendicular walls).

• Teach the kids to play war while "betting" marshmallows or pretzel sticks. Simple rules apply. The dealer deals one card face down to all players. Children are allowed to look at their card and then "bet". The youngest child starts by betting 1-6 marshmallows. Each child around the table then "sees" or "raises" the marshmallow bet according to their perceived chance that the card they hold in their hand is the highest card. Once "betting" has gone around the table once, everyone shows their card. Whoever has the highest card wins the bounty of marshmallows in the pot. In the event of a tie, each player is dealt another card and the highest card wins.

• Have a "Best Poker Face" contest. One child holds a low card and one child holds a high card (make sure each of them knows whether they are holding the "winning" high card or the "losing" low card). The audience must then decide who has the "winning" card and who has the "losing" card.

That's it -- an easy evening with friends. Enjoy.