If you let them, your kids would eat ice-cream sundaes for breakfast. Offer them the next best thing: sundaes made with yogurt, cereal, granola, and fresh fruit layered in tall sundae glasses and eaten with long spoons. For special occasions, such as the morning after the big slumber party, lay out a parfait buffet and let kids make their own.

Kids can bone up on anatomy and create a fun Halloween decoration at the same time when they make a skeleton out of noodles. With an illustration of a skeleton as a guide, they just need lots of dried pasta, white glue, and construction paper to assemble the pictures. We snapped some of the pasta in half and used alphabet-soup noodles to make labels.

Here's a potion kids are sure to love. Among the ingredients are cinnamon candies that give it zing. Stir 1 quart apple cider and 1/4 cup hard cinnamon candies in a medium saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until heated through and candies have melted completely, about 8 minutes. Serve warm.

In summer, the mere mention of chores can evoke reactions usually reserved for dentist appointments and haircuts. To make tasks less tedious for everyone, print them on strips of paper, color-coding to distinguish "grown-up jobs" from "kid jobs." On chore day, have everyone draw and complete a job.

Who's game for this challenging treat? Cut gingerbread while it's warm; after it cools, decorate with royal icing. Wrap pieces with a note: "Don't cheat: Solve the puzzle before you eat!"

Cookie Recipe