Looking for something to do with your kids this summer? Here are some ideas.

Visit the Milwaukee County Zoo. While you're there, check out the summer robotic dragon exhibit. 

Visit the Racine Zoo. The zoo recently got a grant to incorporate empathy into its exhibits. See if you can spot the signs. 

Check out Lake Geneva Animal Safari. You can stay in your car while you watch the animals.

Sign up for your local library's summer reading program. In addition to keeping track of the books your kids read, they can attend fun events like outdoor story times and Lego-buildings.

Support local bookstores with your kids. Lion's Tooth in Bay View has books for kids and adults, and so does The Little Read Book in Wauwatosa. Rainbow Booksellers is all about children's books. And La Revo doesn't have a storefront, but they do a great job curating books online and have often have bookselling pop-ups.  

Barbara Cerda of La Revo Books is known as Barby the Book Fairy, and she makes it her mission to fill the Little Free Libraries around her neighborhood with children's books. Take inspiration from her with your own kids, and make sure those locations are filled with books for children to take.

Take your kids shopping for a new toy — either an outdoor toy to enjoy summery weather or an indoor toy for those rainy days. Check out these local independent toy stores on your shopping trip. 

Have a board game marathon after a shopping trip at Board Game Barrister. Their employees are great at advising people on the perfect game for different groups of people. 

American Science & Surplus has science kits, build-your-own toys and lots of random fun stuff to keep your kids busy on a rainy day. It's also just a fun place to explore.

Spend some time at a local pool, wading pool or splash pad. Here's a list in Milwaukee County.

Step up your swimming game with a trip to a water park. There are some in hotels like Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee and Timber Ridge Lodge in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee County water parks, and some a bit farther from home like Raging Waves and Hurricane Harbor in Illinois.

Go out for ice cream or frozen custard. Better yet, go to a few custard places and vote for your favorite.

Go to downtown Milwaukee and check out the new food hall that used to be Grand Avenue Mall.

If you're still working from home, take your child along with you to work at a coffee shop or cafe. Bring along a tablet, books or art supplies so the kids can "work" alongside you, and make sure to treat them to a fun drink or snack. You could try out your local Colectivo, or there's the Rise & Grind Cafe in Sherman Phoenix. You can of course also head to your nearest Starbucks, or whatever your favorite neighborhood place is. Kwik Trip also has some pretty good coffee (and a few of them have seating either inside or outdoors).

Outdoor eating is perfect for summer weather, it's safer than indoors for pandemic-era dining and it's more casual for kids. Here are some places for patio dining.

Food trucks are even more fun and casual. 

Visit a few farmers markets. Go without a plan, buy whatever produce looks good that day and brainstorm how to use it to make your dinner.

Relax at a beer garden or two. Lots of them are in parks with playgrounds nearby for the kids.

Go camping. If your family isn't hugely into the wilderness, camp in your backyard, or even in your living room.

Milwaukee has lots of great summer camp options. There's day camp or overnight camp at the YMCA, science day camps at Discovery World, acting classes at First Stage, art instruction at the Milwaukee Art Museum and animal-themed camps at the Milwaukee County Zoo and Racine Zoo.

Go to a nature center to see flowers and hike on trails. Some examples: the Domes, the Wehr Nature Center, Boerner Botanical Gardens, Hawthorn Glen or Schlitz Audubon. 

The Urban Ecology Center has three locations at parks in Milwaukee. And members can rent equipment from them, including bikes, Frisbees and croquet sets.

Visit a state park. If you're concerned about crowds, these parks typically have the fewest visitors.

Take a tour of several playgrounds and parks. Waukesha's Fox River Park's nature playground includes an amazing slide built into a hill. And Northwestern Mutual Community Park on Summerfest grounds has an inclusive playground and plenty of places for families to relax. It's open for play during festivals, and also has daily hours when there aren't festivals going on. There are also Sunday family fun days when local arts and entertainment groups will be staging family-friendly entertainment. Those dates are June 19, July 17, Aug. 7, Sept. 18 and Oct. 9. 

 Take a hike with your kids. Here are a few good ones around Milwaukee.

Go see a movie at the Milky Way Drive-in theater or at one of many options for outdoor movies this summer.

See a $3 family film at Marcus Theatres. The movies run from June 5 through Sept. 1 and feature a different movie each week like "Sing 2", "Paw Patrol" and "Minions." There are also $3 popcorn and $3 drinks for sale. 

Take a trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Find a nice place to sit near the lake afterward, get out some art supplies and ask your kids to re-create their favorite artwork.

Visit the Milwaukee Public Museum for some iconic Milwaukee favorite exhibits, from the Streets of Old Milwaukee to the dinosaurs to the igloo. Also, see if you can find the rattlesnake button!

Go to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum. There's free admission from noon to 8 p.m. on June 16, July 21 and Aug. 18, but you do have to reserve a slot in advance.

Take a trip to Discovery World. A visit to Milwaukee's science museum is a great way to ensure science literacy in your children — something the pandemic has taught us is very relevant and very important.

The Perseid meteor shower is a good reason to look up at the sky in August. If stargazing sparks an interest in space for your kids, check out the Horwitz-DeRemer planetarium in Waukesha, or the Manfred Olson planetarium at UWM, or the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater and Planetarium at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Go to the lakefront or a park to fly a kite. Better yet, check out one of the summer's kite festivals.

After a few years of cancellations and then attendance limits due to the pandemic, most festivals are back. Check out a few.

Last year, Summerfest came back from its 2020 cancellation with a festival over three weekends. That's happening again this year. Here's how to get in for free.

From the giant slide to sampling tons of great food to rides on the midway, State Fair is one of the Milwaukee area's most family-friendly ways to spend a few summer days.

Milwaukee's 3rd of July fireworks are coming back this year after a two-year hiatus. 

See what's going on in your community for the 4th of July. Go to your own parade or fireworks show or carnival, or — if your area's celebration doesn't appeal to you — try out a neighboring community's festivities.

Milwaukee is having its 51st annual Juneteenth Day parade this year to celebrate the official end of slavery. Milwaukee's celebration also includes a street festival and community block party.

Milwaukee is considered the city of neighborhoods. Choose a few neighborhoods you don't live in, and explore.

Walk around downtown Milwaukee enjoying Sculpture Milwaukee.

Artists Working in Education go throughout parks and events in summer with mobile art projects and artists to lead kids through them. Check out where they'll be.

Take a road trip. A drive to the Dells is a very manageable amount of time in the car for little ones, and there's lots to do once you get there. Or, if you're interested in outdoor explorations, take this road trip that hits some great state parks along your travels.

Go to a baseball game — a Brewers game, a Milwaukee Milkmen game or a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers game.

If your child has a summer birthday party, check out one of these cool places to have a birthday party around Milwaukee. 

60 to Escape in Southridge Mall has several kid-friendly escape rooms for your family to figure their ways out of.

If your kids feel like their Lego collection isn't big enough or cool enough, check out Tosa Block Party. The store has tons of Legos and open play times when everyone can just hang out and build.

Go roller skating. Outside your house is perfect if the weather's nice, and Incredi-Roll in West Allis works if it's rainy.

Go ice skating at the Pettit National Ice Center. They also have ice skating lessons and a summer camp.

Contact Amy Schwabe at (262) 875-9488 or amy.schwabe@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @WisFamilyJS, Instagram at @wisfamilyjs or Facebook at WisconsinFamily.