Each month Meghan Corridan, a pediatric occupational therapist, joins Catherine to share some of what she's learned from her clients and her own 5-year-old daughter. This time, they talk about rainy-day activities that can help kids be creative and independent, but have fun too. Read more of Meghan’s indoor play ideas at her blog, MAC&Toys, and see Catherine's activity suggestions and board game ideas at her site. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience).

Each month Meghan Corridan, a pediatric occupational therapist, joins Catherine to talk about activities that are both fun and therapeutic for kids (and often their adults too). This time she gives us the lowdown on all the benefits kids get from cooking and baking—everything from fine motor skills to self-esteem and confidence. Meghan also gives us her thoughts on whether kiddie cooking products are worth our time (and our kitchen storage space). Visit Meghan’s blog, MAC&Toys, for more reasons to whip up some cookies with your kids. And if you want your child to surprise you with a homemade Sunday brunch, Catherine suggests letting him watch a show called Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown for inspiration. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience).

We all know kids benefit from outdoor time, but it can be hard for parents to find the time to let kids loose in nature with a degree of supervision they're comfortable with. Susan Adcox, grandparenting expert for About.com, suggests letting the grandparents step in and provide some good outdoor activities in the company of loving grown-ups. She and Catherine discuss options like visiting every park in town, taking advantage of discounts at national parks, creating a wildlife habitat in the backyard, going geocaching, fishing together, tossing out some hula hoops and jumpropes, or even a friendly game of dodgeball. For more on what grandparents can do to get kids outside, read  "Nature Activities for Kids" and "What Grandparents Can Do About the Nature Deficit" on Susan's site and "Nature Play for Families" on Catherine's. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

You want your kids to be able to wind down and regroup during summer vacation, but you also don't want them to lose hard-won skills. Pediatric occupational therapist Meghan Corridan, who blogs at MAC&Toys, talks to Catherine about ways parents can work with kids who are tired out by camp and uninterested in being tied to a desk. She mentions the apps Letter School, Toonia Differences, and Little Bit Studios, plus the use of a stylus as useful for fine-motor skills. For toys, she suggests games from Blue Orange Games, Discovery Putty from Fun and Function, and OgoDisc from Ogosport. For more on OT-approved summer fun, read Meghan's articles on "Summer hAPPiness" and "Screen Free Summer Fun." And if you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://specialchildren.about.com for the full recap experience.

Is the weather finally nice where you are? If you're looking for fun things to do outdoors with your kids, pediatric occupational therapist Meghan Corridan, who blogs at MAC&Toys, has some ideas for you. She and Catherine chat about simple and fun activities like riding a scooter, doing some gardening, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and blowing bubbles that are simple springtime pleasures and also provide lots of opportunities for motor planning, proprioception, fine- and gross-motor skill-building, attention focusing, sharing, problem-solving, and family fun. On the topic of wheeled conveyances, they both recommend the Razor RipRider 360, a three-wheel bike that both older kids and grown-ups will enjoy pedaling around. What are you doing outdoors with your kids these days? Share in the comments or by tweeting us at @RoundAboutChat, and if you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.

Are superheroes good role models for little boys? And how much should moms worry about that? Amanda chatted with her Understood.org colleague Lexi Walters Wright about violent comic-book covers, mom-created vulnerable superheroes, and the rite of passage from obliviousness to obsession when it comes to the great wide world of superhero merchandising. What do you do when your child moves on from things like space and rainbows and brown — things you can understand and share — to a fascination with a huge and detailed universe you know nothing about? How do you convince him that Batman pajamas don't mean you can fly, dressing up like the Hulk doesn't mean you can hit your friend, and doing the dishes is superhero-worthy work? For more on the topic, follow these links mentioned in the podcast:

+ Marvel cancels two upcoming covers following uproar over new Spider-Woman
+ Violent 'Batgirl' cover pulled after Twitter uproar
+ Mom creates a coloring book to show son that superheroes CAN cry
+ PDF of the coloring book
+ Let Toys Be Toys

What's the superhero situation in your house? Share in the comments, and if you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.

With long boring months of school vacation ahead, toys and other time-fillers become more important than ever. About.com parenting experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Catherine Holecko (familyfitness.about.com), Susan Adcox (grandparents.about.com) are joined by About.com's expert on Toys, Keriann Wilmot (toys.about.com), to discuss new playthings, old favorites, and other fun things to use as distraction for your child during the long months off from school.