In the 1850s, Lawrence men built mud forts to protect the city from groups of Missouri men camped along the Wakarusa River. In this 2012 Journal-World file photo, children, parents and volunteers build two mud forts along the Kansas River as part of that summer's Civil

With school officially out for the summer, we thought we’d offer some ideas for local parents looking to keep kids busy over the next few months. For Lawrence Public School families, that would be all the way up to Aug. 16 through Aug. 18, depending on your child’s grade level. Until then, consider our nonexhaustive guide of kid-friendly camps, workshops, activities and other events going on this summer in Lawrence.

In addition to the list below, keep in mind that the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and neighboring Spencer Museum of Art regularly offer programming for children and families. Plus, the Douglas County Fair, slated for late July, offers a whole bunch of attractions to keep kids entertained. In the meanwhile, check out our Datebook for daily event listings.

Watkins Museum of History

Young history buffs will have several activities to choose from this summer at the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St. First up, the museum’s Time Travelers Summer Games Series. If you’ve ever wanted your own pet rock or to craft your own flapper-style hat, check out this free lineup of kid-friendly crafts, games and activities at Watkins. Installments will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays at the museum, starting this week and running through July 26, barring the week of July 5.

Also returning this year is the museum’s “Let’s Build a Mud Fort!” activity. From 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 14 and 15, adults and kids ages 7 to 12 will team up in pairs to recreate the mud forts built by settlers to protect pioneer-era Lawrence. Registration is required and costs $30 per child/adult pair. Register through the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department by visiting lawrenceks.org/lprd.

Students interested in the Civil War might consider enrolling in Watkins Museum’s School of the Soldier, slated for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Aug 19. The popular activity, organized as part of the museum’s Civil War on the Western Frontier series, is designed to give kids ages 7 to 12 a sampling of what life was like for the Civil War’s young soldiers. Activities for child-adult pairs include an “enlistment ceremony” for recruits, marching lessons and a scouting mission around the museum, among other activities. Registration is $5 per pair. Call the Watkins Museum at 841-4109 to reserve your spot.

Lawrence Arts Center

The Lawrence Arts Center is hosting a variety of kid-friendly classes and workshops this summer, some of which began earlier this week. Those still up for grabs as of press time Monday include the art-making/sleuthing “Art Detectives” for first- and second-graders, the “Anime-zing” class for first- and second-graders interested in the Japanese art of manga, and acrylic painting for sixth-graders through high school seniors.

For those more interested in consuming art rather than creating it, there’s always Summer Youth Theatre. The Arts Center’s annual roster of kid-centered productions kicks off June 15 with “She Kills Monsters,” about a girl who finds a portal into the world of Dungeons and Dragons. (The Arts Center is advising parental supervision with this one, as there’s some “strong language” involved.) Other productions this summer include Disney’s “The Lion King Jr.,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “Les Miserables.”

For a full catalogue of Arts Center classes, and ticket info on Summer Youth Theatre, visit lawrenceartscenter.org.

Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department

If you’re looking for variety, Lawrence Parks and Rec offers it in spades. As of press time Monday, there were several kids’ camps with open slots available, ranging from sports and outdoor pursuits to web design and video production.

A few that caught our eye:

• “Lights, Camera, Animals,” for ages 6 to 13, June 26-30: This five-day class at the Prairie Park Nature Center invites kids to channel TV personalities such as the Kratt Brothers, Bindi Irwin and Jeff Corwin as campers learn about new animals and help in producing their own educational video.

• Video Game Design, for ages 10 to 17: The first installment of this class is already underway, though slots for June 26-27 and July 10-13 are still available. Campers at Sports Pavilion Lawrence will learn the basics of video game design, producing several interactive games to share with friends and family along the way.

• “Clues, Crimes and Culprits,” for ages 5 to 7, July 17-20 and July 24-27: Depending on the section, campers will meet at the Community Building or Sports Pavilion Lawrence to help crack the mystery of the Parks and Recreation Department’s missing “Mad Science” monkey. Throughout the camp, kids will learn about and use chemistry, forensics science, physics and biology to solve the crime.

For a complete catalogue of Lawrence Parks and Recreation camps, visit lawrenceks.org/lrpd/camps.

Lawrence Public Library

With the library’s Summer Reading program already underway, kids will have plenty to keep them busy this summer — when they’re not reading, anyway. Popular Summer Reading activities slated to make their return this year include Dinner + A Movie (June and July selections are “Lego Batman” and “Jurassic World”) and StoryWalk through DeVictor Park Trail June 5 through July 28.

Special kid-centric events include a Lego Build-a-thon on June 12, a performance from dancing magicians H3TV on June 15, and a Cardboard Construction Challenge with artist Juniper Tangpuz on June 19, among many, many others. Teens will also have their fair share of activities, including a zine-making workshop on July 7, an all-night lock-in celebrating Harry Potter’s birthday July 28-29 and a Morse code workshop with the Douglas County Amateur Radio Club on June 20.

As is typical with Lawrence Public Library programming, all activities are free, though registration is required in some cases. For a full catalogue of Summer Reading events and book recommendations, visit lawrence.lib.ks.us.