Summer break can be a lot of fun, but it can be a challenge, too, if you don’t have activities to keep your children busy.

Jenny Davis, recreation program supervisor for the Albert Lea Parks and Recreation Department, knows what that’s like first-hand, as she has three children of her own.

Davis and her husband, Ben, used to live in Albert Lea but now live in Austin with their children Owen, 9, Scarlett, 5, and Willa, 19 months.

Davis has worked for the Albert Lea Parks and Recreation Department for 10 years, overseeing the city pool programs and staff, activities at play parks and other youth events and programming.

Albert Lea’s 41 parks and recreation areas offer a variety of opportunities, including basketball, tennis, fishing, swimming, ice skating and baseball, to name a few.

There are also various activities hosted around the community through the Parks and Recreation Department, Community Education, the Albert Lea Family Y and other organizations, including Music in the Park, Art in the Park, Wind Down Wednesday and Wee Wednesdays, among others.

Some of the activities or events slated are cheap or even free to attend, such as the summer reading program at Albert Lea Public Library.

In addition to these events and others, Davis said her family looked up a list online of 100 things to do in the summer, and the family plans on going through the list little by little, trying out new things to do in addition to attending various events.

Most of the city events can be found in the Summer Fun Guide that is combined with events for Community Education.

Davis said her family lives in a neighborhood where the children are outside a lot, so her children go outdoors often to play with the others.

“We try to keep them pretty busy, but not too busy,” she said.

For a full listing of events and activities to do during the months of July and August, check out July/August 2016 issue of Albert Lea magazine. The city, Albert Lea Family Y and Community Ed offer additional activities.