Is your child moping around the house saying, “I’m bored,” or words to the same effect?

They might even go so far as to complain that there is nothing to do in Albert Lea. Don’t let them get away with such falsehoods. Albert Lea has plenty to do, even when we aren’t shooting off fireworks, holding parades, hosting carnival rides or giving wagon rides down Broadway Avenue.

Here are a few ideas for the kids:

• Go play baseball. Set down the video game controllers and quickly back away from the TV set. Call some friends and go to the park and play baseball. There are baseball fields in nearly every Albert Lea neighborhood, yet pickup games don’t happen nearly as frequently as they did in the olden days, which pretty much means anytime before video games were mass marketed.

• Hike around Bancroft Bay Park. Did you know  there are several hiking trails through this park? They are scattered in the trees and are found in both the upper and lower portions of the city’s largest park. Explore this natural wonder. See how many trails and great locations you can find. The wildlife you find will surprise you.

• Tell your parents to take you to the Summer Carnival. This is an afternoon of games, face painting, tattoos, hair-dos, bouncy houses and so forth. It will be 4-7 p.m. July 11 at the Albert Lea Farmers Market. There is a $2 fee.

• Take your parents to Parents Night Out. Mommy and Daddy can go enjoy a movie or a meal or whatever while the Albert Lea Parks and Recreation crew watches their little ones at the Cottage at Edgewater Park. There will be food, games, crafts and such. Kids can be dropped off July 13 after 5:30 p.m. and picked up by 10 p.m. There is an $8 fee for the first child, $4 for each additional. Register by July 9.

• Go see Jim Jayes and the Marionettes at the Albert Lea Public Library at 2 p.m. July 12. And the ever-popular Zoo Man is coming to the library July 19. He will be there at 2 and 3 p.m. that day.

• Learn to take photos. It’s never too early to learn this skill. This hobby teaches kids how to use computers for more than browsing the Internet or watching Netflix. It teaches them to be computer-organized and to be creative.

• Go to the pool. Albert Lea has a true summer asset in its city pool. It has a great slide, interactive play features, diving boards, variable depths, lots of space, big shade umbrellas and a trained lifeguard staff. The price is fair to all incomes: $3.25 for children 3 to 17.

• Catch a movie. When school is out, Cinema 7 at Northbridge Mall has matinees every day. Usually there is one at 12:30 p.m.-ish and another near 2:30 or 3 p.m. Go see “Brave” or “Madasgascar 3” in air-conditioned comfort.

These are just some. We easily could add: outdoor basketball at Frank Hall Park, fishing in Fountain Lake, skateboarding at the Albert Lea Skate Park, disc golf at Bancroft Bay Park, golf at Green Lea or Wedgewood Cove, swimming at City Beach, hiking or canoeing at Myre-Big Island State Park, biking around Fountain Lake, volleyball at Snyder Fields and playground equipment at schools and parks around the city.