Cyndi Loza

You might catch some people humming Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” today. It is the last day of classes for Washoe County schools that follow a traditional schedule. If you’re wondering how to keep students engaged this summer, we’ve found a few ideas:

Summer Camps

Whether they want to be Peter Pan or David Beckham, there are a variety of summer camps that youths can join. Some camps are already under way and will continue through August.

Click here for a complete list of Reno-Tahoe-Carson-area summer camps.

Reading

The Washoe County Library System recommends “Beetle McGrady Eats Bugs!” by Megan McDonald, “Ugh, a Bug” by Bono and “Beetles, Lightly Toasted” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for third-graders and younger. Students in grades two through seven would enjoy “Free the Worms (Katie Kazoo)” by Nancy Krulik and “Bizarre Bugs” by Doug Wechsler.

Video Games

Some games make for active children. “Wii Fit” is an exercise video game developed by Nintendo for the Wii console that consists primarily of exercise activities using the Wii balance board. Garrett Chambers, a Best Buy sales associate and “self-titled video game nerd,” said other games that keep people engaged are the music-based video games “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band.”

Board Games

Suzanne Peterson, owner of Learning Express Toys, said strategy games such as Blokus and Khet can help keep children’s minds stimulated. Peterson said Blokus is a game played with cubes for ages 5 to adult and Khet is similar to chess played with lasers.

Sports

A game of golf, for example, can help with motor skills and keep youths practicing their math as they keep score, said Wayne Williams, the general manager for the Bunker Indoor Golf Center at Grand Sierra Resort.