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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Moms and dads, close your eyes -- listen for just a second. Do you hear that? It's the calm before the storm.

It's a quiet house before the kids get released for summer break -- when you start losing your mind as you count down the days until the next school year.

So what do you do? With the summer months ahead, many parents are wondering what to do with their children during that time off.

In Part Two of the Summer Survival series, FOX21's Craig Coffey and our expert help one local mom with tips on how to keep the kids busy at home.

"We stay home full-time and it can get pretty crazy with the endless days at home," says stay-at-home mom, Lyndsey Denny.

This local mom, like many, has her hands full.

But Family Manager Cari Pemberton says the best ideas are the ones already planned out. "So, even though it's free-form and it's great to have latitude to do different things during the summer, if you don't even have a loose plan of some things to do, you're going to get the inevitable, 'Mom I'm bored,'" Pemberton says.

"The reason they're bored is that they just can't find something at that very moment to entertain them," Pemberton continues. "So, with a list you can have some possibilities for intellectual growth, things like learning multiplication tables or maybe researching somewhere you're going to visit in the summer, social skills, having a little mini etiquette class around a tea party could be fun, physical goals, maybe learning how to ride that bike without the training wheels. There str a lot of different ways you can incorporate things you want your kids to learn into what you're doing for the summer."

Studies show that children tend to backslide a bit in the summer months away from school when it comes to education. So, a good use of all that free time should be geared towards math, spelling or reading as a light refresher once in awhile.

"It's great if you can theme it around something, so maybe you'll read a book about a certain topic, have a lunch that fits in with that and then maybe rent a movie in the afternoon during quiet time so they can see a little more on whatever that topic might be," adds Pemberton.

She says some kids might want jobs around the house, like a dog walking service -- or help to clean out the closets for a garage sale and Craig'slist.

"So, you can kind of combine things that feel productive for you, but are fun for the kids, and teach them some life lessons as well," Pemberton suggests. "Also, put your ideas into categories for rainy days, quiet time, activities with others or alone -- both inside and out so that way you have an idea when you get that 'I'm bored,' you'll know which one to funnel the kids into."

Pemberton mentions a fun way to have the kids take ownership of whatever activity parents have planned is to write down the ideas on slips of paper, put them into a "jar or bowl of destiny" and then let them reach and pick it out. So, whatever they choose -- they do!

Click the video icon to watch the full story as it aired on FOX21 Morning News.

Click thecluttercutters.net for more information on how Cari Pemberton might help you or someone you know.