As we hit the final stretch of summer vacation, many parents are looking for ways to keep their kids entertained for this last month, while also helping to slowly turn their young one's focus back towards engaging brains and learning activities.

At my house, one of the things my kids like to do is play the game "I-spy".

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Hill Street Studios
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It usually gets their gears turning and ignites their sense of competition. The trickier they try to get with their choices, the longer it takes (which can be a great way to kill time on those days when it's just a bit too hot and muggy to do anything overly active outside.)

However, I recently realized that there's a way to level up our "I-Spy" game, so to speak, and help the state of Maine in the process.

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If you check out the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website, there's a section for "Citizen Scientists". The site lists all the species of animal and insect life the state of Maine needs help tracking and counting. Essentially your kids could play the coolest, most useful game of I-Spy ever!

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herreid
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Aside from keeping an eye out for Turkey and White-Tailed Deer, they have programs for folks to help track birds, bumblebees, reptiles and amphibians, dragonflies, and butterflies, to name a few.

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johnandersonphoto
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All the stuff kids are into anyway, they can now harness and put into something educational and beneficial to that state, in a way that will help Maine keep track of these populations of animals.

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Send the kids outside or, better yet, take them for a nature walk and do it as a family. Give them a small notebook and have them record what they see, where they see it, and when.

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monkeybusinessimages
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They'll feel super cool at getting to be a "Citizen Scientist"  and you can get a much-needed break from the phrase:  "I'm bored! There's nothing to do!".

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