Parents, get the plan together. Summer vacation from school is upon us. Make it imperative that this year the children do more than become slugs thanks to processed air conditioning and high-tech gadgets.

Many activities for kids are available. Some are obvious, while others take a bit of adventure and ingenuity.

Volunteer. Floodwaters of the Mississippi River have yet to crest. Thousands of acres of land are under water — and will be for many weeks. When the water does recede, much cleanup will be required. Some whose homes were inundated with water are poor, or elderly. They will need help more than most.

Volunteering teaches life lessons and provides a wonderful sense of humanity for the volunteers and those whom they help. Could your children do something to help?

Play. That word, for those who have grown beyond childhood, meant getting outside, finding the neighborhood buddies and just being children. Drive around Vicksburg neighborhoods in the summer, and each year it appears as if the summer streets get emptier.

Communicate. One of the travesties of the modern age is the loss of communication skills. Sitting alone in front of a video screen will not enhance those skills. The only way to improve communication is to communicate — in person.

Get active. Little is pleasant about Mississippi’s summer weather, so make it fun. Take the dog for a walk. Play hide-and-seek. Throw around a baseball at the local park. Chase fireflies. Do something with the legs moving. Modern video games and countless channels on the “idiot box” have lured children into the air conditioning, away from life experiences they have only one chance to capture.

Parents can assist by insisting the kids get outside. Kids can assist by realizing the joys of summer. Life is more than 3-D video games and large screen televisions.

It’s chasing fireflies, helping others and being kids.