Meal planning night after night for family dinner is, frankly, the worst. Maybe you're that rare meal magician whose kitchen is stocked with everything you need to whip up a healthy meal that your entire family will enjoy. But probably you're a mere mortal: the kind of parent who struggles at the very thought of coming up with one meal, let alone an entire weekly menu plan. I mean, ugh—why are these little humans always so hungry?!? We asked readers how they tackled the monumental task of meal planning family dinners everyone will eat, week after week. These tried and true tips from seasoned parents are amazing and help answer the never-ending question of what’s for dinner.

After you read these tips, peruse our 100 Top Easy Recipes for Kids and other kid-pleasing fare in our Guide to the Best Recipes for Kids.

Farmington River Tubing is located in Satan's Kingdom State Recreation Area in New Hartford. Despite its rather unusual name, during the summer months, this park becomes a popular destination for river-tubing. Satan’s Kingdom is the launch spot of Farmington River Tubing - the only official vendor for a tubing journey down the river. 

After ten long years of swimming lessons, my family was finally old enough to plan a trip up to New Hartford and enjoy a day floating on the Farmington River.  This trip is fun–jaw-dropping, heart-racing, adrenaline-pumping fun! This is not your leisurely float down the river. Your family will never forget the trip down the Farmington River. It has enough rocks and rapids to keep everyone entertained.

For more fun on the water, see our list of the 10 Best Ponds and Swimming Lakes for Connecticut Kids. And check out our Connecticut Summer Fun Guide for all our favorite activities.

You don't need fancy art supplies to make some fun crafts with kids. A simple household item like duct tape is an amazingly affordable and easy-to-use crafting material, and it comes in a variety of fun colors and designs. A duct tape wallet is the perfect starter project to learn how to use duct tape for designing and crafting. It's so easy, in fact, that it made it onto our ultimate summer bucket list! Once you get the hang of creating “duct tape fabric,” the possibilities are endless.

Read on to learn how to make a duct tape wallet with children. For more fun art projects for kids—some of which use duct tape as well—check out our lists of 21 rainbow crafts for kids and 100 awesome art projects for creative at-home fun.