Left to their own devices, children would educate themselves according to their immediate interests, creating a generation of unemployed princesses, superheroes, and dinosaurs. Keep your offspring's options open with today's Groupon: for $50, a youngster between the ages of 5 and 12 gets to attend a one-week summer program at Kids 'R' Kids' Southshore location in Gibsonton (a $190 value, including a $50 registration fee). Summer sessions begin June 13; parents can drop off their precocious progeny as early as 6:30 a.m. and retrieve them as late as 6:30 p.m.

Kids 'R' Kids nurtures the development of its tiny clients by providing them with a secure environment that's both fun and educational. Each kid-friendly employee is certified in first aid and CPR, and many have training in early-childhood education and classroom management, helping them react with aplomb to classroom conundrums such as students running with scissors, juggling scissors, or selling counterfeit scissors on the black market. Kids 'R' Kids stretches brain boosting beyond the school year with summer camps for kids who want to pause doctoral research in order to engage in arts, sports, healthy eating, and field-trip adventures. Camp activities are themed, with scheduled weeklong sessions geared toward exploring the wonders of nature, delving into a child's creative talents, or inspiring an entrepreneurial spirit in young innovators. All field-trip costs, meals, snacks, and activities are included with tuition.

Kids 'R' Kids lets doting parents keep a watchful electronic eye on their younglings thanks to a password-protected Internet camera. Sign in to feast proud peepers on children learning valuable social and cognitive skills, forming healthy bonds with schoolmates, and staying above the influence of unsavory imaginary friends.