Art&Seek Jr. is one mom‘s quest to find activities to end the seemingly endless chorus of the “I’m Bored Blues” while having fun herself. Impossible you say? Check back on Tuesdays for kid-friendly events that are fun for adults, too.

I have a friend who is a stay-at-home mom who, honest to god, has her children’s daily activities for the whole summer scheduled on neat, laminated index cards. She has a column for each day of the week with boxes for the kids to check for things like chores, summer homework assignments and playtime. At the bottom of each card she has entries for special theme activities like, “Trip Tuesday,” “What’s Cooking Wednesday” and “Fun Friday.” The other moms in our circle “oohed and ahhed” at her organization, her creativity, her … self preservation. This woman is leaving nothing to chance. For those of us who work outside the home, frantic planning for summer camps and activities began last March,  and the realization that “summer” would be a week longer than last year was met with mostly groans. Gone are the lazy-daisy, carefree summers that we experienced as children. These days, unless you want your kid languishing away in front of the television, you gotta have a plan.

If you don’t have a plan, or the one you have is failing miserably, fear not – help is close by. In fact, it’s as close as your local library. That’s right. The library. I know, I’ve said it before and you’ll probably hear me say it again, but your local library is a great resource for those of you with kids. It’s especially true in the summer if you have extra, uh, time to fill. Here are just a few opportunities that caught my eye:

Come practice your reading with a friend.

For the dog lovers in your house, here’s an event I love so much I can’t stand it. The Paws for Reading program at the Irving Public Library (Central Branch) lets children read to specially trained therapy dogs and practice their reading skills. How great is that? It’s for students in grades K-6 at 1:30 p.m. on the third Sunday of every month.

If you’re wanting to get a little exercise in, the South Branch of the Denton Public Library is offering a Mom and Tot yoga class this summer. This one-hour class is a mix of flowing yoga stretches and exercises especially for mom’s and kids ages 1-4.

School-age children, ages 7 to 12, have the opportunity to become creative kids this summer by joining the Creative Kids Group at the South Garland Branch Library. This program series features a different class each Tuesday through July 24. During these sessions, children will learn a new creative skill and then practice with hands-on activities and crafts.

Finally, as part of the Mayor’s Summer Reading program, the Creature Teacher will be visiting the Oak Lawn Branch of the Dallas Public Library this Saturday. It’s anyone’s guess which creepy, crawly live animals he’ll bring, and it’s always fun to lay odds on whose kid will be the first to pet the reptiles and who will sneak back to the safety of momma’s lap.

These are just a sampling of  summer library fun; check out more events on the Art&Seek calendar .

Therese Powell is an Art&Seek calendar coordinator and KERA-TV producer. She spends most of her free time seeking out adventures for her 7-year-old daughter, Rose. Tell us about your time at the library or clue us in to your ideas for quirky kid adventures by leaving a comment. Or e-mail Therese at [email protected].