All too often, it's much easier to park them in front of the TV or games console and let them get on with it. It doesn't have to be like that, though, as there are loads of great green ideas to keep your kids entertained and inspired this summer – both indoors and out – and many of them won't even cost you a penny.
All parents have gone through the horror of bored children trapped inside on a rainy day, but there are plenty of green-themed games and activities that can be played indoors.
To small children your recycle bin is a treasure trove of scraps of paper, cardboard and bits of plastic that can be used to create all sorts of things from papier måché face masks and mini dinosaurs to rubbish sculptures and clothes made out of old newspapers.
If you're looking for further inspiration, the Blue Peter site on the CBBC website (www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc) has an archive of past projects undertaken by the team, including how to make a nodding dog, a Doctor Who game, a pirate ship and even a mini snooker table from old cereal packets.
Once the kids have exhausted the contents of your recycle bin, there are tons of other options to keep them out of mischief. Sign up for your local toy library and, for a small fee, you can borrow a range of good-quality educational toys and equipment for a fraction of the cost if you'd bought them new.
It means you won't be adding to the plastic toy mountain and your kids get to play with a new toy each time you make a visit.
A fancy dress box is always good fun, too, and helps give old clothes a new lease of life while odd socks can be transformed into amusing hand puppets.
One of my favourite indoor treats is to hold a Caribbean or Jungle-themed picnic.
Get your kids to create a desert island or jungle in your living room from various bits of waste paper and paint and then indulge in some Fairtrade food treats for that authentic tropical taste. Yum.
Another great idea is to put together a time capsule to bury in your back garden – this could include all sorts of things, including family photographs, personal items and arts and crafts as well as a letter written by your children to someone in the future predicting what life on Earth might be like.
This will really get their imaginations working overtime. Sealing everything up in an old biscuit might not protect it from the elements, but it's the task at hand that's important.
When the sun is out, your options for green-themed adventures increase dramatically. Try and find local activities that have low environmental impacts like a kickabout in a park, a game of volleyball at the beach, a hike through woods or a trip to the zoo.
Treasure hunts are always fun, but give it an environmental twist and get your kids to collect old fizzy drink cans, sweet wrappers and plastic bottles instead.
That way they're tidying up their local area and having fun at the same time.
If you're lucky enough to have a garden, turn a corner over to your kids so they can start their own vegetable patch.
You'll be amazed how they'll suddenly develop an interest in gardening, especially if you plant lots of fast-growing produce so they get an almost immediate reward for all their hard work.
At the end of the season, throw a party using everything that's been grown from the plot and celebrate your children's green-fingered achievements.
Libraries and museums put on a range of activities over the summer months, so it's worth investigating what your local centres have got planned.
My local library, for instance, has a sing-a-long day for toddlers and a ghost-story evening for older kids. If you fancy a bit of fresh air, dig the bikes out from the garden shed and take the whole family cycling.
Three-quarters of the population live within two miles of the National Cycle Network that offers 12,000 miles of cycle routes on traffic-free paths, quiet lanes and traffic-calmed roads – ideal for kids to build up their confidence in the saddle.
To help you pick out a route, sustainable transport charity Sustrans (www.sustrans.org.uk) has put together a free information pack covering your local area that you can apply for online.
A favourite outdoor pastime of mine is kite flying. My nieces and nephews simply adore taking a kite to a hilly location or the local park and watching it soar into the air. If you don't already own a kite you don't have to splash out on a new one. You can quite easily make a kite from a bin bag and a couple of sticks. Don't believe me? Go to www.reeddesign.co.uk/kites.htm for details on how to build your own.
Farm visits are another winner with kids. There are more than 100 city farms throughout the UK and many put on events throughout the year including cook-outs, animal petting, harvest festivals and experience days to see if you or your kids would like to become involved. To find a city farm near you go to www.farmgarden.org.uk and click on the map.
To capture all the fun and games your children get up to while off school this summer, why not encourage them to capture all their experiences in a home-made journal using recycled paper? Filling up a journal with drawings and mini write-ups of the day's activities is a great way for your kids to unwind before they go to bed in the evening.