School’s out.  Now what?  Every parent knows the drill.  A few weeks of vacation go by, then it’s “I’m bored.  There’s nothing to do.” What are parents to do to beat the heat—especially this summer as temperatures rise and cash is low?  Here’s a thought inspired by a young friend. Andy was a hard-to-please child.  Andy also [...] #49: Watch Lightning Bugs Spark and Flare When I was a child, parents would poke holes in the lid of a mayonnaise jar and send my friends and me off to catch lightning bugs, watch them spark and flare, then set them free. These days we’ve come to appreciate nature’s creatures on their own terms.  But you [...] School’s out, now what? Every parent knows the drill.  A week goes by, then it’s “I’m bored!”  “It’s raining and there’s nothing to do.”  Ahoy, say I.  Time for adventure! Whether whitewater rafting the Colorado, rough-riding it to  Grandma and Grandpa’s, or armchair traveling by book and information super highway, TRAVEL GEAR: The BackPax Parents’ Survival [...] Moon-PLACEHOLDER Alabama U.S. Space Camp, Huntsville Alaska Nature’s own continuing spectacle: the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) Arizona Great Meteor Crater, Flagstaff Arkansas University of Arkansas Planetarium, Little Rock California Exploratorium (Palace of Arts & Sciences), San Francisco Colorado Hovenweep National Monu­ment, Mesa Verde/Chaco Canyon, N.M. Connecticut Museum of Art, Science & Industry, Bridgeport Delaware Mt. Cuba Observatory/ Delaware Astronomical Society, Wilmington District [...] Hail to the graduates! Now that you have made it to this day, it is to you, as successful people and achievers, that this open letter is addressed. Amidst the congratulations due, let’s talk about the PRICE of your success, the DEBT owed for it, and a SENSIBLE  REPAYMENT  PLAN. First, the price: take time to thank [...]