Give a dull day a jolt with a visit to the electrifying Bakken Museum & Library, located in an intriguing Tudor mansion just like the ones in spooky old Vincent Price films. Home to thousands of rare books and scientific instruments relating to the role of electricity and magnetism in life and medicine, The Bakken was founded by Earl E. Bakken, inventor of the first transistorized cardiac pacemaker.

The Bakken is an independent, nonprofit educational institution and hosts many hands-on learning events and exhibitions throughout the year, including weekly Family Science Saturdays and multi-session Saturday classes for budding inventors.

Its small museum store carries a bright and shiny array of unique toys and games. Mini-scientists are sure gravitate toward the wide selection of home experiment kits.

Parties: Available during Family Science Saturdays for $100, which includes use of kitchen space and a 2.5-hour room rental (10am-1pm or 2pm-5pm). Call 612.926.3878, ext. 200, well in advance to book.

Summer Camps: Offered weekly from late-June through August for ages seven through 14, with the largest selection of programming for kids entering grades four to six. Co-ed and girls-only options are sometimes offered as well. Expect to pay about $150/week (half-day) to $275/week (full-day); scholarships are available for those who qualify.

The Bell Museum's exhibits encourage exploration, and convey the wonder and excitement of nature, science, research, and conservation. No flashy bells-and-whistles in the halls of this 130-year-old institution, just beautifully executed displays that harken back to a simpler era. With plans underway to move to a new and larger site on the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota in 2009, time is running out for families to enjoy this more intimate incarnation of the museum.

Its renowned diorama halls span two floors, with all of Minnesota's habitats, animal life, and seasons represented - from the big woods to the Great Lakes to the prairies, and even a mushy carpet "bog" kids can squish across. Each scene is so detailed, there is always something new to discover, and the information provided with the displays is presented in a fun, easily-digested format. The West Gallery showcases temporary exhibits of artwork, but the dioramas themselves, painstakingly created from the 1920s to 1940s, are also works of art.

Kids gravitate to the Touch and See Room, the first of its kind in the country, to get up close and personal with the natural world by touching turtles, peeking inside animal skulls, and handling pelts and other objects.

The Bell Auditorium, the on-site cinema screening non-fiction works, sometimes runs films suitable for children, such as documentaries exploring wildlife or environmental issues.

Nature Play is the museum's series of themed family workshops, held the second Saturday of each month from 1pm-3pm for ages four and up. It's offered free with museum admission. Nature Tots, the museum's program for toddlers and preschoolers, is also free with admission, but advance registation is required. That program takes place the first Thursday of each month, from 9:30am-11am.

Family membership is $45/year and includes free admission as well as discounts on events, camps, and parties.

Parties: Starting at $125 for two hours and up to 12 guests, parties the Bell Museum include a tour and gallery games led by a knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide, usually a U of M science or education student. The museum will supply cake, treat bags and pizza for an additional charge; a fridge and freezer are available if you bring your own. The deluxe party option, available only on Sundays for $200 for up to 12 guests, includes an extra hour during which kids make nature print t-shirts. Book at least two weeks in advance.

Tours: Available for families, scouts and youth groups. Call 612.626.9660 for reservations.

Summer Camps: Check the website for a complete list of offerings.

A private, co-ed Episcopal college-preparatory day school enrolling students in preschool through grade 12. About 18% of Breck students receive financial aid.

Summer programs include sports, culture, and adventure camps and academic classes for preschoolers through eighth graders.

Let your children's imaginations run wild this summer during Camp Invention, a weeklong day camp offered in select communities across the country.

Kids in first through sixth grades participate in fun, hands-on activities that enhance their understanding of the arts, sciences, history, and math, while building teamwork and problem-solving skills. The program was created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation in partnership with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The College of St. Catherine offers high school girls (currently enrolled in 9th-11th grade) the chance to explore business and technology career skills while "building" an online shopping mall during St. Kate's Business & Technology Careers Camp, a week-long residential summer camp. College professors and students provide instruction and mentoring, and scheduled activities give kids a taste of campus life. Financial aid is available.

The campus also hosts performances and events open to the public throughout the year.

iD Tech Camp is a week-long, day and overnight program for kids ages seven to 17. Campers build robots, create video games, design websites with Flash, film digital movies, and learn programming. Special teen programs include iD Gaming Academy, iD Film Academy, and a Study Abroad program in Spain.

Leonardo's Basement provides programs for girls and boys who want to design and build art, science, and technology projects. The 4,800-square-foot workshop is stuffed with tools and building materials, providing formal and informal creative and learning opportunities. The organization's Studio Bricolage program offers events and classes that give adults a chance to play, too!

Classes: Offerings include afternoon programming during the school year for kids ages six and up, morning classes for children ages four and five, special school release day workshops, and Saturday classes for youth and families. Computer animation and music-making classes for teens are also available. Check the website for a current schedule.

Summer Camps: Weeklong themed half-day camps are offered mornings and afternoons during select weeks over the summer. The camps combine art, science, math, and building experiences. Check the website for a complete schedule. Fees: $140/session; add $5/session for morning or afternoon aftercare. Camps can be combined for a full-day experience.

Birthday parties: On-site parties are usually scheduled on Saturday or Sunday afternoons for kids ages six to 16. Parties generally last 90 minutes, and include building a take-home project selected by the birthday child. Themes include inventions, painting, jewelry-making, electricity, and more. Refreshments can be brought in; space is provided, but not food. Cost: $20/child, including supplies, with a minimum charge of $75; additional fees may apply for particularly complex projects. Leonardo's will also bring the party to you; call for details.

Despite the pain inflicted by ongoing budget cuts, the city's Park Board offerings are a key component of the generally high quality of life in Minneapolis.

The Park Board administers over 150 picnic areas, beaches, and parks, including some four dozen neighborhood Recreation Centers which offer free and low-cost enrichment programming, sports leagues, community events, and Rec Plus year-round childcare for ages five to 12. Phat Summer keeps kids ages 12 to 18 busy with specialized and evening offerings when school's out. Daily live entertainment is offered throughout the summer at several locations, including Minnehaha Park and Lake Harriet.

It also grooms skating rinks in the winter, and maintains the Parade Ice Garden, pastoral Nicollet Island, the Stone Arch Bridge, and other historical sites, and - in partnership with the Walker Art Center - the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, with its signature Spoonbridge and Cherry. Permits to reserve picnic pavillions for private parties at select sites start at $35/half-day.

The Park Board website is easy to navigate and full of useful information. The Park Finder lets users specify which facilities they're looking for, and parking info breaks down the combination of free, meter, pass, and pay-station parking offered in the parks. A page of suggested itineraries offers something for every age and activity level.

The Sabes JCC is a full-service community center, offering family events and entertainment, a fitness facility, infantcare and preschool programming, afterschool and school release daycare, enrichment and arts classes, and summer camps for kids in grades K-10 at its extensive and well-equipped campus. Participants are welcome from all religions.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School - a coed institution created in 1969 by the merger of older, separate boy's and girl's schools - is a private K-12 day school with more than 900 students split by grade level across two campuses. Approximately 17% of the student body receives financial aid.

Summer camps: Academic and arts enrichment programs, and tennis and hockey camps, are offered throughout the summer. Campers need not be SPA students.

The only complaint we ever hear about Southwest's fantabulous Super Summer programming - offered by the Community Education department of the Minneapolis Public Schools - is that it's not offered all summer!

The informal, inexpensive half-day mini-camps are offered Monday through Thursday at Southwest High School for six weeks each summer - mid-June through July - and include sports, arts, academics, computers, cooking, and much more. Each camp has a specified age range, with a plethora of offerings for kids entering kindergarten through eighth grade. Combine a morning (9:30am-12n) and afternoon session (1pm-3:30pm), send your camper in with a bag lunch, and you're set for the whole day; there's no additional charge for the supervised lunch/play hour between sessions!

The program's horseback riding camps may be the best deal in town: $66-$68 includes two days of learning about horses, and two days visiting a ranch - one to practice grooming and saddling, and one to ride. There are also reasonably priced mini-camps for other higher-end activities such as photography and Red Cross babysitter training classes. Full-day Trek programs for ages 12 to 14 include canoeing, rock-climbing, and biking, as well as an environmental education component.

Expect to pay about $40 per camp per week and register early to avoid disappointment - the camps are open to all kids (not just Minneapolis residents), and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis starting in April. Most camps are limited to 10 children.

Register by mail or in-person; contact the program office to receive a brochure, or find out more about registration and cancellation policies. Extended-day care is not available "officially," but ask in the office for referrals to high school and college students who might be available.

Summer Opportunities: Most of the camp leaders and helpers are Southwest High School students - many of whom probably participated in the program when they were younger! Teens looking for summer jobs should contact program director Tom Neiman.

The only complaint we ever hear about Southwest's fantabulous Super Summer programming - offered by the Community Education department of the Minneapolis Public Schools - is that it's not offered all summer!

The informal, inexpensive half-day mini-camps are offered Monday through Thursday at Southwest High School for six weeks each summer - mid-June through July - and include sports, arts, academics, computers, cooking, and much more. Each camp has a specified age range, with a plethora of offerings for kids entering kindergarten through eighth grade. Combine a morning (9:30am-12n) and afternoon session (1pm-3:30pm), send your camper in with a bag lunch, and you're set for the whole day; there's no additional charge for the supervised lunch/play hour between sessions!

The program's horseback riding camps may be the best deal in town: $66-$68 includes two days of learning about horses, and two days visiting a ranch - one to practice grooming and saddling, and one to ride. There are also reasonably priced mini-camps for other higher-end activities such as photography and Red Cross babysitter training classes. Full-day Trek programs for ages 12 to 14 include canoeing, rock-climbing, and biking, as well as an environmental education component.

Expect to pay about $40 per camp per week and register early to avoid disappointment - the camps are open to all kids (not just Minneapolis residents), and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis starting in April. Most camps are limited to 10 children.

Register by mail or in-person; contact the program office to receive a brochure, or find out more about registration and cancellation policies. Extended-day care is not available "officially," but ask in the office for referrals to high school and college students who might be available.

Summer Opportunities: Most of the camp leaders and helpers are Southwest High School students - many of whom probably participated in the program when they were younger! Teens looking for summer jobs should contact program director Tom Neiman.

The Portage for Youth is a non-profit afterschool and summer enrichment program for girls living in the Dayton's Bluff and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods of St. Paul. Its mission is to "provide the tools, opportunities, and support to help at-risk girls dream, achieve, and become healthy, successful adults."

Full- and half-day weeklong summer camps explore visual and performing arts. The program utilizes the facilities of the Mounds Theatre.

The Science Museum offers visitors a wealth of hands-on activities, engaging exhibits, weekend science-in-action demonstrations, breathtaking large-format films, and a mind-boggling array of educational programming. The great river view - and seasonal activities in the "backyard" - are just added bonuses.

Board a real towboat in the Mississippi River Gallery, and learn how they got it up there. Explore the Primeval Swamp among the dinosaurs. Find out more about how bodies work than you might care to know in the Human Body Gallery (be sure to open that little door to get "sneezed on"!) and take on the role of an infectious disease fighting detective while exploring three "patients." Artifacts and oddities (no offense intended to the mummy) are on display in the Collections Gallery.

Even the restrooms are educational, with posted information on what ends up where in the waste stream.

In spring and summer, the museum hangs out in The Big Backyard. Features include - who knew there could be such a thing? - educational miniature golf, a giant sluice where kids can pan for fossils and gems, a medicinal garden, a 3D map of the world, a large maze, and more.

When stomachs start to rumble, look to the snack cart in the lobby, or - for more choice and better prices - head to the cafeteria on the sixth floor. The Explore Store entices with an enormous selection of science kits, gems, games, books, toys, and jewelry.

Classes: Family and children's weekend classes, for ages three and up, explore everything from magic to mechanics to mummies, with art-making often thrown into the mix. Many meet for just one session ... and many fill, so register as far in advance as possible.

Homeschoolers have their own selection of choose from, and computer classes are held in the Learning Technologies Center, down on the education level with the class and party rooms.

The museum also offers programs at the Warner Nature Center.

Summer camps: Hands-on experiences and fun learning opportunities abound at the Science Museum when school's out. Half-day and full-day camps are offered for kids ages four to 16.

Birthday parties: Reserve well in advance for these popular packages for ages four and up. Pick a theme from the catalog, and add on options such as Omnitheater admission or pizza, if you please. The basic package includes an hour of hands-on activities in a private room, followed by 30 minutes for cake and punch (provided), decorations and paper goods, and free admission to the exhibit halls. Kids make something to take home - be it dragon eyeballs or dinosaur eggs - and the birthday child gets a special button; $215 non-members; $175 members, for 10 guests.

Membership, at $95/family, provides unlimited exhibit access, free admission to the Omnitheater - or a discount on any special features showing, and discounts on classes, lectures, parties, and summer camps. Members receive a handy monthly newsletter with info on upcoming programming and invitations to members-only events.

The Works Hands-On Museum (formerly known as The Works Technology Discovery Center) is an interactive museum that makes science and engineering fun for kids ages five to 15. More than 40 exhibits and unique family activities engage visitors, demystify technology, and inspire interest in the way things work.

Classes: Offered during school release days, with special monthly programs for homeschoolers. Custom programs can be scheduled for groups of eight or more.

Camps: Summer programs are offered for boys and girls ages five to 14.

Parties: Packages for ages five to 12 include time in a private party room and the exhibit gallery, a host and activities, a "face warp" portrait of each guest, and set-up and clean-up. Cake and beverages can be brought in from outside. Rates start at $135 for a 90-minute party for up to 10 children and four adults (additional guests $6 each). Add-ons include additional time and private workshops.