For many parents it’s almost the end of the school year and, if you are like me, you’re beginning to think about how to keep the kids entertained without it costing a fortune. I discovered so many wonderful ideas to make this summer sensational with the added convenience of finding them all at the West Valley Branch Library.

I started at the free community resource area where I found these free guides. The San Jose Citywide Activity Guide, in addition to classes held at nearby community centers, lists the city’s camp and aquatic programs. While not free, they are a lot less expensive than many other programs being offered by local business. There was also information about the nearby regional parks and some low-cost Family events. BayArea Parent and India Parent Magazine are another great place for inspiration. Some of the free events I will attend this summer will be the city and county libraries’ Summer Reading Celebration programs. Although there wasn’t a listing of which library will be having what yet, I will check their websites for that information. I also found advertisements for two bookstores: Hicklebee and Kepler promoting author presentations that are free. Other listings I saw were for the Kids Free Fishing Day and also free arts and craft activities at Lakeshore Learning Store on Saturdays.

Also, very helpful was the special edition from Bay Area Parent’s aptly entitled, Summer Survival Guide. Although most listings charge a free to attend their event there were still some listings for free events such as Santana Row’s Free Kid’s Club “Mommy & Me on the Row,” the Region’s Best Playgrounds, Seeing it on the Big Screen: where to take the family to enjoy a free movie, some summer festivals, and the local farmers markets that also included some easy recipes.

The library also has free computer usage with a library card and two websites that I like for gathering ideas of what to do with the family are: www.Celebrate-Family.com and www.parks.enews@prk.sccgov.org. Celebrate-Family is compiled by the creator and editor of the newsletter, Marian Kicklighter. She is one determined mother looking for low-cost events. You’ll get updates on free events, discounts to local attractions, Museum Day and Free Night of Theater and more. Check it out and add your email address to receive her weekly newsletter. The other website I enjoy is www.parks.enews@prk.sccgov.org.

Of course, I found some very helpful books like: Open Road's Best National Parks with Kids which includes the best family-friendly sleeps and ears, great info on kids’ programs and top sights the family will enjoy and South Bay Trails: Outdoor Adventures in and around Santa Clara Valley by Jean Rusmore.

I’m looking forward to the many things we’ll be trying this summer and hopefully we’ll all be as excited about spending time together at the end of the summer as we did in the beginning.

I love my portable, electronic, navigation device. It got a work-out recently while visiting family back east. Besides local attractions and friend's addresses it also listed local libraries for me to visit. If you are wondering how to locate a San Jose library near you and do not have such a device we got you covered. Just go to our homepage > http://www.sjpl.org/ and select Locations. Once you're there you can input your address and find a branch closest to your location. Clicking on the branch, then on the more info link will take you to the branch page where you will find a Google map, driving directions, and bus routes. We hope to see you soon.