There's a heat advisory for today, and when it's as hot outside as it's predicted to be today, many kids will retreat indoors—but now they're inside, what will they do?

Here are some ideas on what your kids might find entertaining ways to spend a day, arranged in order from ideas for the youngest to oldest.

You Need To Know Kids Love Puppet Shows: Use this handy guide to get started. For story lines, use your favorite books; ones with lots of dialogue will work best. 

You Need To Know Everybody Loves Lemonade: Why not make some—and sell it! The Frugal Dad website suggests the benefits of having a lemonade stand include the lessons on entrepreneurship the activity includes, but you may also consider the health benefits possible—skip the sugar and kids can offer a great healthy treat that's satisfying, pofitable—and hard to find! Just keep lots of ice on hand and have correct change. If you want to try your hand at operating a stand but want to make it a charitable enterprise, contact Alex's Lemonade Stands, a foundation raising money for kids with cancer through kid-run lemonade stands. (OK, we know they will technically be outside—but think of the indoor activity spent planning!)

You Need To Know Kids Love to Travel: Have a vacation coming up, or just back from one? Have your middle-schooler create a vacation planner, complete with the places they'd want to go near your destination ("Awesome, dad, we could go to the Video Game Hall of Fame in Akron on the way."). They may find some you'll love, too: one family's trip to Seattle was highlighted by a visit to the Jimi Hendrix Experience Museum, suggested by the 8-year-old son. Just back from a trip? Have them map where you went.

You Need To Know Art Techniques: Maybe your teen is headed towards the Sarbonne or maybe not, but odds are there's some kind of art they find intersting. They can find online instruction for Manga, cartooning (here's a link to the Library of Congress' "Origins of American Animation" collection, where kids can watch cartoons produced between 1900 and 1925), or using acrylics and oils (anyone can do an abstract—but it may take a few tries before you're satisfied).

You Need To Know The Byrds Did It, The Beatles Did It: Why not write a song? Got a piano or guitar? Spend a few minutes creating your own composition. Start with a familiar song's chords or melody, and play around with it. Think that's not being creative enough? Just remember what Igor Stravinsky said: "Good composers borrow ideas; great composers steal."