As of this Friday summer camp is over for my kids. And no, I have no vacation of activities planned for the rest of the summer. Am I crazy to try to figure out the last few week of August on my own? Perhaps. But I’ve got a secret weapon: I have a copy of the book How To Entertain, Distract, and Unplug Your Kids: Tricks, Tools and Spontaneous Screen-Free Activities by Matthew Jervis.

First things first: Matthew Jervis is a father-of-two who develops programs and creative workshops for kids and adults. He teaches courses in creative strategy and process, so he knows a thing or two about thinking outside the box.

I received a copy for review and loved the original ideas for activities that keep kids busy and having fun. Some of the ideas require adult participation. For example, #19 Blind Tasting, where kids are tasting various foods while blindfolded. But most activities are simple and require very little work; in other words, you get 30-45 minutes of time to yourself, which you can use to do chores, get some work done, or even take a catnap.

One activity that I thought was very creative was #2 An All-American Junk Drawer Challenge, in which kids go through a junk drawer (after you’ve gotten rid of anything sharp) and use the objects to make a tower, create faces and more. One of the tasks is to organize the drawer. That’s a win-win in my book!

There are lot of great ideas in the book. Some are outside, some perfect for a rainy day. There are crafts, cooking activities, road trip activities and much more. Not one of the 50 activities involves a television. There’s nothing to prepare ahead of time and most of the items you’ll need are around the house; some activities require absolutely nothing.

You can purchase How To Entertain, Distract, and Unplug Your Kids: Tricks, Tools and Spontaneous Screen-Free Activities here for $10.92

I was not compensated for this post. I received a sample.

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Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Bites and has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for fourteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 8, 6 and 2) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.

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