When my kids were younger, they would often ask me to go to print a Free Coloring page for them, and they've also shown interest in sharing their own art with others. I recently found out about MoreColoringPages.com, plus you can download more printable pages from this site.

When your children are in school, they may ask you for help with various reports, presentations, and other assignments. Here are some resources that might help you:

• 50States.com is a reference site about the 50 states in the United States -- lots of info!
• The World Factbook from the CIA is a huge reference site for countries around the world.
• morgueFile.com, despite the name, is not a "morbid" site. It's a place to get no-cost, royalty-free photos that can be used in reports and such. (The term "morgue file" is used by newspapers to mean a "place to keep post production materials for reference; an inactive job file.")

Speaking of education, what are you teaching your kids about finances? Are you modeling good money habits? If you're not using your computer to manage your finances, you really should consider it. (If you use GnuCash, a free and open-source accounting program, you won't have to spend any money to manage your money.) Whether you're already managing your finances effectively or you start doing so soon, sharing that with your children is immeasurably important. Don't just tell them that they need to get good grades so they can go to college, get a degree, and land a steady job! That might have worked decades ago, but it's terribly outdated now. Your kids will need a lot more than just that bit of vague guidance if they're going to be financially stable when they reach adulthood, and understanding — really understanding — money will be immensely valuable.

Aside from all that "education stuff," kids like to be entertained! If you have a beginning reader, please consider ordering for them a copy of my children's book, Two Boys, Two Planets. Also, be sure to take a look at the children's music CDs Trash Can and Grandpa's Truck, by Eric Ode. I met Eric while attending Auburn High School (seems like a long time ago now) and it's nice to see him enjoying success with his endeavors. I recently found out that Eric is quite active in providing entertainment for children, so you might be very interested in Eric's site, or his recently-released DVD, Welcome to the Workshop.