Summer is not completely canceled. 100 ideas to do during the Pandemic!

1. Family game night: Have a weekly game night, and rotate who chooses the game. We'll be playing Monopoly this weekend at my house. The first time, we'll use the Hasbro rules. The second time, we may use the lesser-known rules from The Landlord's Game, the original game created by Elizabeth Magie Phillips.

2. Family movie night: Show a movie on the main television in your home (we have one TV, so this is easy). Serve popcorn and sodas and sing along to "Mary Poppins," watch Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader duke it out in "Star Wars" or watch a modern Disney classic.

3. Family dance party: Host to all sorts of different music and show the kids you can boogie (or salsa). Invite more guests via Zoom.

4. House or neighborhood scavenger hunt: Set up a scavenger hunt with clues at the end that involve a prize such as a favorite dessert or the winner's choice of movie night pick.

5. Create light: Make candles from scratch with yummy smells to give as presents.

6. Face painting: Learn to face paint and practice on each other. Hold a contest over Zoom to vote for "best paint job," "most realistic," "best superhero" and "scariest animal."

7. Do a puzzle: If you're bored with your puzzles, trade with a neighbor.

8. Lego challenges: Give everyone a bag of Lego pieces and charge your crew with building a house, a store, a park, their school or a castle in the sky — and then set the timer. Creativity wins!

9. Raise a glass to freedom: Sing straight through Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton." Not for little kids — we get it — but you can pretty much sing your way through the entire musical. Little kid substitute: "Mary Poppins," of course.

10. Each one, pick one: Each member of the family gets to pick something from his or her personal list for the whole family to do together. One rule: No picking something you already know another relative hates. Not fun!

11. Create a splash pad: Before there were nearby pools or even living in a beach town, we'd turn on the hose in the backyard to cool down. Sometimes we'd add plastic bags on a slope to make a slip and slide.

12. Have a water balloon fight: Send your kids outside to battle it out and get soaked or join in on the fun. Fill small balloons inside or with a water hose. Make sure adults also get doused.

13. Grow herbs, lettuces and flowers: We're planting cilantro, basil and parsley in our container garden with high hopes for summer. Or have everyone plant sunflower seeds and patiently see whose will sprout first. 

15. Smash the virus: Make a coronavirus piñata, fill it with candy and whack the heck out of it.

16. Chalk art museum: Chalk the neighborhood to make outside your kids' art museum.

17. Map the neighborhood: Walk your neighborhood and see if your family can make a map from your house to another location. If they can't get off your property, have them do it inside. 

18. Hike the park: Time to find your nearest state or national park or national forest to get outside (with proper social distancing) to take a walk or hike.

19. Let's have a picnic: Picnic or grill in the backyard or in your local park. Grill meat or veggie hot dogs or bring sandwiches or takeout if that sounds overwhelming. Bring a Frisbee or soccer ball and play.

20. Outdoor game day: You can invest in a croquet set, ping-pong set up or basketball hoop.

21. Cooking challenge: Create a short list of ingredients that must be used in the meal. Think cheese and bread for the younger kids or novices, and more advanced ingredients for the older/more experienced cooks.

22. Random birthday cake night: It doesn't have to be anyone's birthday to bake a cake and top it with buttercream frosting to eat and share with neighbors.

23. Pantry challenge: Pick an ingredient out of the pantry or refrigerator and cook from it. You can look at cookbooks for recipes or check online for guidance. Today's challenge — or perhaps opportunity — could be that random eggplant from our vegetable delivery bag or the lentils a friend gave me when she moved out of town.

24. Ice cream social: Create an ice cream bar with options for sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and more.

25. Host a Meatless Monday dinner: No, I'm not trying to make you go vegetarian. If you live in a meat-centric home consider a vegan main course from another culture without making it a statement.

26. Host a teatime: Many children will happily serve lemonade or juice at teatime, and snacks.

27. Make a fun drink night: I know this sounds like an adult event (and it can be) but I turn to the non-alcoholic recipes from my favorite Maine joint,  The spot started out nonalcoholic and has since added booze.

28. Bake for a neighbor: My favorite neighbors are stress baking and walking baked goods over (masked, of course). Then I share them with my other neighbors. And scones go with tea. See how it all works?

29. Historic recipe hunt: Call a relative and ask her to walk you through a longtime family recipe. Then make it. If she claims you have to have a certain ingredient or the recipe won't work, ask for another recipe.

30. Eat someplace else: Pick another state or country with food you like, cook it and listen to their music during dinner and bring some phrases to the table from that location. This is especially good if you had planned a trip to that place. You'll be ready to go. 

31. Make music: There has never been a better time to pick up a new instrument. Some are easier (and less expensive) than others, like the ukulele, and a wealth of online videos and tutorials make it feel approachable and less intimidating.

32. Spanish, Chinese, Russian: Everyone can learn a language together in your home, and you can cook food from the country of that language. Watch a movie together and try out phrases that you've picked up from the film. 

33. Time to learn science: Take an online class to learn about viruses and vaccines and how to contribute to public health.

34. Take a happiness class: Yes, you can learn happiness — and for free — from Yale University psychology professor Laurie Santos. Her wildly popular class is online.

35. Play video games: Go online with your kids or kid-like friends and learn the video games and apps they love and play with them. It could be Toca Boca, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda or whatever else is hip to the kids these days.

36. Use that equipment: Is there kitchen equipment in your hallway closet or attic that you've never used? It's time to get out that pasta or Popsicle maker, spiralizer or AeroPress coffee maker (that's on me) and learn how to use it.

37. Hire an intern: Have your child "intern" at your home office. At CNN, my child can pitch and write stories, take photos, write headlines and participate in many video conference calls. She can also fetch coffee and make lunch.

38. Get down to science: Learn chemistry by making homeade butter and bread.

39. Composting is good for the Earth: Learn how to compost and do it. It's good for the Earth and your garden, and vermicomposting is really interesting, because worms.