School's out, and believe it or not, the kids are already bored. So, in between swimming, bicycle riding, and water balloon fights, send them to the Internet for some fun (and maybe educational) activities.

For online games, Yahoo! Games is a great place to start. Play single player games, or play against an online opponent. Game choices include Bridge, Go, Dominoes, Bingo, and Fantasy Football. In order to play most of the games, you have to join Yahoo! Games, but it's free and painless. At the time of this writing, over 54,000 people were playing games in this section of the Web. http://games.yahoo.com/

Another site offering free online games and contests is Riddler, where your kids can play games such as Klondike, Incognito, and Dragrace Tournament. The games are fun, colorful, and surprisingly fast, and sure to keep them occupied for several hours. http://www.riddler.com

What about a challenging game of trivia? At Trivia World, choose among categories like TV & Movies, Sports, or Computers, then get started. http://www.triviaworld.com/

Want to participate in a crime investigation? The Crime Scene features fictional crime cases and is a combination of interactive storytelling and online gaming. View the evidence and post your theories for free. Or, pay $10 to join the site and become a Case Detective. http://www.crimescene.com

Older kids might like to test their TV knowledge at the TV Pop Quiz site. Choose among categories such as Cartoons, Drama/Adventure, Soap Operas, or Comedy, and see how much they really know about their favorite TV shows. http://www.tvpopquiz.com/

Online Games at the Kids Domain features educational, yet fun, games for kids of all ages. Choose Fun School Java, then pick the age group, and let your child have fun and learn at the same time. Play Keyboard Fun and pick out a tune, hit record, and it will play back your tune. Or, play various sports games such as Basketball Interactive, Robot Soccer, or AKI Snow Racer. http://www.kidsdomain.com/games/

If your kids are sick of their old coloring books, why not print out some coloring pages from the Internet? At the Free Coloring Pages site, you'll find categories such as animal, holiday, religious, sports, and more, all with a wide assortment of free coloring pages, ready for you to download and hand to your children for hours of fun. www.onlinewebtraining.com. Or, visit Robin's personal Web site at www.robinsnest.com.
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