Summer's here! Now what?

Remember when hot summer weekends at home meant filling up the kiddie pools, eating those cheap, freezy-pop popsicles and listening to that old radio you dragged outside from your kids' bedroom?

Summer is officially here. But the economy is running on fumes. Gas prices are starting to go down, although for many families, the cost of going anywhere for a vacation is still out of the question. The kids, however, are bored. Their sweet little souls have been patient to this point, but you can sense mutiny afoot if they have to spend one more weekend watching television or spraying themselves with the hose in the backyard.

It's time to get creative. Here are some ideas for things you can do with the kids that don't cost a lot or require hours and hours in the car. It's not a week at a beachfront hotel, but it might just be enough to restore some of the sanity in your household.

Sleep under the stars

I know it's hot outside, so camping out is best suited to begin as the sun is going down. Pull that old tent from the attic or the garage and find a spot in your backyard. Go by the library and take out a book on ghost stories — or nursery rhymes (no nightmares for the littlest ones, please.)

Set up your tent as dusk arrives, grab your sleeping bags or some sheets and pillows, a cooler with snacks and drinks, a few flashlights and bug spray, and take your kids on a trip without leaving your home. Read them stories and sleep under the stars and listen for the nighttime sounds we usually don't hear.

Let them bring their friends. Keep trips back into the house limited to potty breaks and emergencies. And just to make the experience authentic, eat some gooey, yummy s'mores. You can either make them ahead of time or — and kudos to you if you can do this — make a small bonfire and keep it real. The kids might not make it through the whole night outside, but it's likely something they'll be asking to do again.

Have a ball at the mall

Go to the malls where there are kids' activities. Short Pump Town Center and Stony Point Fashion Park have fountains, train rides and live music throughout the week. The food court play areas at Short Pump or Regency Square allow parents a few minutes to just hang out and have a coffee.

The best part is you don't have to set one toe in a store. Just wear out the kids for an hour or two and head home. Of course, if your kids are old enough to claim the mall as their second home, you're killing two birds with one stone.

There's even indoor golf at Virginia Center Commons — Lunar Golf — that's entirely in the dark, which might appeal to the whole family. The holes and course are lit with neon colors so you can find your way around. Golf is $8 for everyone 6 and older and includes up to 3 trips around the course. Kids younger than 6 are $6.

Know your history

If you're looking for a fun family event that gets you out of the house and downtown, the Virginia Historical Society is hosting a free Family Day Open House on July 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day will feature games, children's activities, historical demonstrations and trivia, music and crafts, behind-the-scenes tours and more. For information, visit www.vahistorical.org.

Go fish

Grab a fishing pole or buy a cheap one and take your kids out for a day at a local park that offers fishing areas, like Henrico's Deep Run Park or Three Lakes Park and Nature Center, or Byrd Park, Bryan Park and Forest Hill Park in Richmond. Kids younger than 16 don't need a fishing license. Even if you've got other kids who don't like to fish, these places will have activities for them like playgrounds, ball fields or indoor nature centers.

Make it grow

Plant a garden with your kids. Not everyone has room for a garden, or even a yard, for that matter. But that doesn't mean that something can't grow somewhere in the vicinity of your home.

If you have the space in your yard, determine an area where you could plant some veggies or flowers or both. Allow your kids to help pick out packets of flower bulbs or vegetable and fruit seeds. Some flowers like petunias, daisies and tulips are easy to grow. When it comes to vegetables, lettuce is a good one because it grows relatively quickly. Maybe plant two kinds of greens, like lettuce and spinach, along with cucumbers and peppers. Dig a small plot in your yard — or better yet, let your kids dig it — and spend a morning planting the seeds. The kids will have a good time playing in the dirt and picking up the worms and learning about plants, and they'll have something to look forward to when the flowers start to bloom and vegetables grow.

If you don't have space for a garden, look around for some inexpensive pots that you could place around your home on the floor, in your window sills or on your front or back porch. Same idea: Put down an old sheet on the floor, or even in the bathtub, get some dirt and seeds and let your kids fill the pots or planters. They can then be in charge of watering their plants every day.

Hooray for Hollywood

Regal Entertainment Group has $1 movie admission for everyone on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for their 10 a.m. showings of G and PG-rated movies. Regal's cinemas include Virginia Center Stadium, Commonwealth Stadium, Westchester Commons Stadium, Southpark Mall Stadium and Short Pump Station.

Bow-Tie Cinemas is offering free movies on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for its 10 a.m. showings, and it's first-come, first-served for tickets. The program runs through Aug. 17.

Or pack up the car with your kids and their friends and head out to Goochland County to see a movie at one of the few drive-in theaters left in Virginia. The Goochland Drive-In Theater shows current, popular movies and offers affordable snacks that won't blow your budget.

Come early and let the kiddies play on the playgrounds — there are two, one for kids 12 and younger and another for those who are 4 and younger. Then, once they're tuckered out, grab your lawn chair or spread out on a blanket, buy a couple of snow cones or a Gooch Dog — a hot dog covered with macaroni and cheese and special sauce — and relax while the whole family watches a movie. Admission is $7 for anyone 12 and older, and $3 for kids 4 to 11. Kids younger then 4 are free. Gates open at 6 p.m., and movies start just before 9 p.m.

Get crafty

Craft stores are like gold mines for little ones. For a few bucks you can get some wooden cutouts or a small canvas and cheap paint, or a handful of beads to make jewelry. Let kids pick out stickers and an inexpensive notebook and make their own scrapbook.

Sidewalk chalk is another favorite, and we also found cute kids' gardening equipment. They could paint flower pots or birdhouses, or get creative with some of their old T-shirts and fabric paint.

If you'd rather they do the dirty work elsewhere, Michael's locations nationwide are holding summer crafts workshops through the end of July. "Passport to Fun" workshops allow kids to make projects that represent 18 countries. Check with your local stores for times. Visit www.michaels.com and look for the kids/teachers link under departments.

Get bowled over

AMF Bowling Centers are offering the Summer Unplugged program, where kids ages 16 and younger can bowl for nothing. Parents can register their kids online, then receive weekly coupons by email for up to two free games every day for each kid. Free games are allowed until 8 p.m. daily through Sept. 5. The deal is good at all AMF locations. Visit www.amfbowling.com and look for the Summer Unplugged link. Additionally, Bowl America on Williamsburg Road has a Rolling Rewards program, which offers a free game for every A and B received on the child's last report card, through Labor Day. After Labor Day, kids can use their card for one free game every day through April 2012.