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I admit that I don’t have kids at home anymore, but the beginning of the school year always brings back memories — including the ones about trying to make sure my daughters were well-occupied after school.

So, the other day I browsed the aisles of my favorite Target for some of that fun stuff. Like it was back then, cheap is good for short attention spans and uncoordinated fingers. I didn’t have to go any further than the $1 Spot section. I found pens, pencils, puzzle books, workbooks, stickers, journals, a jumbo calculator, foam puzzles and so many other items that will keep everyone busy until dinner time. It would be fun to buy an assortment and dole them out like prizes throughout the weeks to come. Just in case they rebel, there were also outdoor toys like the package of four mini flying discs to get rid of pent up energy.

I found a pocket kite that is ready to fly ($1.99) and a 3-D micro kite ($5.99) at World Market. Scratch Magic ($5.99) is for ages 5 to 95 and comes with four masterpieces to scratch off a board. My favorite thing was the Fun Bubble Color Lab ($1.99), which lets you create colorful bubbles. The tins of pick up sticks, jacks, dominoes and marbles ($2.99 each) are the perfect toys when two kids need something to focus on besides TV. Origami Paper ($1.49) will have small fingers folding and bending. I thought the Trapeze Writers ($3.99), pens with movable animals at the top, would make a good companion for the puzzle and workbooks from Target. One last find was Sidewalk Chalk ($1.99), five pieces of large polka dot chalk that will make artistry a game on the driveway.

If you’re really ambitious, get the “Cupcake Cookbook” by Shelly Kaldunski ($18.95) from Williams-Sonoma. With it and an interested helper, you can make as many as 60 lavish cupcakes, including peanut butter and jelly or salted caramel flavors. Get the cupcake plates by Sweet Tooth ($19.99) at Dillard’s to serve the treats on, and you have an instant party. Life can’t get much better than that.

Another good after school snack that’s healthy and appeals to both adults and children are Fruitaceuticals. The all natural, dried cranberries with pomegranate juice ($3.79) are available at For Goodness Sake. They taste good and take the edge off hunger pains until dinner without a sugar rush.

After school and most times after work is a special time for you and the kids. Enjoy it together and rediscover a part of your own youth.

Where to shop

Dillard’s, Coastland Center, 1798 U.S. 41 N., Naples, 261-4100 and Edison Mall, 4125 U.S. 41 S., Fort Myers, (239) 936-1441; Coconut Point, 8017 Via Sardinia Way, Estero, 947-4133

For Goodness Sake, 7211 Radio Road, Naples, 353-7778

Target, 2324 Pine Ridge Road, 435-0051; 2415 Tarpon Bay Blvd., Naples, 435-0051; 26831 U.S. 41 S., Bonita Springs, 948-2300; Coconut Point, 8040 Mediterranean Drive, Estero, 495-4920; Gulf Town Center, 10,000 Gulf Center Drive, Fort Myers, (239) 432-2631; and 13711 U.S. 41 S., Fort Myers, (239) 481-8860

Williams-Sonoma, Waterside Shops, 5415 U.S. 41 N., Naples, 514-2213 and Bell Tower Shops, 13499 U.S. 41 S., Fort Myers, (239) 415-4222.

World Market, Tarpon Bay Plaza, Immokalee Road, Naples, 566-1239 and Coconut Point, 8072 Mediterrean Blvd., Estero, 390-1424

Ike Likes It

My husband read about Haagan Daz’ concern for the collapse of honeybee colonies around the world. To address it, the company is donating funds for research programs at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Davis. To highlight the issue, Haagan Dazs invented a new premium flavor named Vanilla Honey Bee. A portion of the sales of this flavor goes to the research programs. Haagan Dazs depends on honeybees for 40 percent of its flavors, and we depend on honey bees to pollinate more than 100 different crops.

Verdict: Ike’s eating it but he didn’t much like it, adding that it was over-the-top sweet and had an oddly unpleasant aftertaste. The original vanilla was as perfect a treat as you can get, he said.

“My high school science teacher used to say ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ and in this instance, I really agree with him,” Ike said. “I want to help the honeybees, but not with this flavor.”

Sheila Mesulam, snmesulam@naplesnews.com