Nothing to do? No way! We have a ton of stuff you and your friends can take on for some summer fun in the sun. Get outta the house … NOW!

Summer Fun Activity No. 1: Balloon Battle-mania
Pick up some balloons at a party supply store. Fill with water by wrapping the lip of the balloon around an outdoor faucet, then tie in a knot. Divide your friends into teams and start launching! Yeah, it can sting a little to be hit with a water balloon -- but it sure feels good to get wet on a scorching-hot day!

Summer Fun Activity No. 2: Forever … Flower Power
Pluck flowers from your garden or wild varieties growing around your neighborhood and press them into keepsakes:

1. Arrange each flower between two sheets of waxed paper.

2. Place on an ironing board, cover with a thin dish towel and place a warm iron on top until sealed.

3. Let cool and trim to fit into a small frame, or to use as a bookmark.

Summer Fun Activity No. 3: Obstacle Course, of Course
Using garden hoses, lounge chairs, spare tires, picnic tables and whatever else you can find, map out and set up a challenging course for you and your friends to hop over, then crawl under and run around as fast as you can. And the winner with the fastest time is …

Summer Fun Activity No. 4: Make a Scene!
Break out the art supplies and paint or draw an image of some summer scenery. Do a sketch of your yard’s landscaping or create a canvas painting of a beautiful beach scene you’ve dreamed up. Hmmm, a dream scene.

Summer Fun Activity No. 5: Build a Fortress
If you and your friends are handy with some basic tools, you could build an elaborate fort from scrap plywood and other materials -- complete with painted details and window treatments. Or … just put together a temporary fort with lawn chairs and large beach blankets. Girls only or boys allowed?

Summer Fun Activity No. 6: Clean up!
Get all your buds to clear out their rooms and closets, and sell all your old toys, clothes and accessories in a yard sale. You’ll get rid of junk and rake in cash in one full swoop!

Summer Fun Activity No. 7: Free-for-all Mall Crawl
Yep, the mall is air-conditioned. But instead of your usual shopping trip, have a scavenger hunt for freebies! Pair off -- nobody goes solo, please, it’s unsafe -- and hit up stores for free items (cosmetics samples, sugar packets, shopping bags and so on). At an agreed-upon time, reconvene at your meeting spot to see which of you squirrelly girls gathered the best bunch of loot … and no sticky fingers.

Sure, sharing a room isn’t the ideal situation. But it happens. Here are some tips for carving out some personal space in a shared room, setting sibling boundaries, compromising on the decor and more!

“I’m dying for a little alone time!”
Maybe you want to crash on your bed, turn on your tunes and chill. “Sometimes, my little sis gets really annoying, and I just want her to leave me alone,” says GWD reader Leah, 9, who’s been sharing a room with her sister, Laurel.

Room share boundaries: Not in the mood to hang out? Instead of squawking “you’re always bothering me,” work out a schedule so each of you gets some private time. Maybe on Mondays and Wednesdays you get an hour to yourself in the afternoon; she gets the same on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Bonus bedroom tip: If you want a friend to sleep over, ask your sister if she’ll snooze on the couch, then let her have a friend over the following weekend.

“My sister raids my side of the closet.”
Sharing a bedroom doesn’t mean sharing everything in that room. “Once, I wore my sister’s new sweater. I was walking down our street with a friend when she drove by, slammed on the brakes and made me take it off right there,” says GWD reader Deb, 14.

Room share boundaries: Make an agreement that before “borrowing” each other’s clothes, shoes or jewelry, you’ll ask first -- and you each reserve the right to say no. Respect each other’s right to have dibs on your own personal belongings.

Bonus bedroom tip: Mutual respect must flow past the wardrobe too. Some areas are completely out of bounds: diaries, desk drawers and personal computers.

“Help! She puts princess posters all over our walls!”
When sharing a room, sisters need to be able to express themselves. But maybe you’re a bold and edgy kinda gal, and your sis is into frilly and fluffy stuff. How can you create a peaceful space without dividing the room with duct tape?

Room share boundaries: Start with the walls. Get ideas from decorating books and have a planning session. If you can’t agree, pick two colors -- perhaps bold but complementary, like orange and blue. Then decorate your area with wall stickers, dangly mobiles or a mural.

Bonus bedroom tip: What to do if you’re a neat freak and she’s a slob? The room is lived in, so it doesn’t have to be perfect, but set a weekly tidy-up session. (You can probably get your parents to back you up on this one.)

Look, all friendships have ups and downs. But if a bud’s behavior routinely pulls you down or cramps your style, you could be dealing with a toxic friend. Here, we take a look at three types of toxic friends … and dole out advice for detoxing from a pal’s poison darts.

1. Buds That Belittle
Do you have a gal pal who picks you to pieces? No matter what, she constantly cuts you down to size. Here’s the thing: Girls who repeatedly put people down have such low self-esteem that they feel empowered by finding fault in others -- even their friends.

Toxic friend detox tactic: Simply understanding that your belittling bud actually feels inferior can take the edge off her cutting remarks. A little bit of killer kindness can go a long way in softening the verbal blows. The next time she says, “OMG, where’d you get that tacky skirt?” just laugh it off with “Oh, at the Tacky Skirt Shack!”

2. Drama Queens
There’s a drama queen in every circle, but some take it to a toxic level. Perhaps your friend has a knack for turning little tiffs into full-on blowouts. This girl gets a rush when stuff is in crisis mode, so she might even create a conflict when the vibe is too serene and pristine. Can you say “meltdown”?

Toxic friend detox tactic: How to avoid the fallout of an over-the-top drama queen’s grand performance? Don’t be her tragic co-star or give her an audience. When she acts all dramatic, walk away and let her know you’ll talk to her when she’s chill. Think of it as friendship intermission.

3. The Ultimate User
This toxic friend only chats it up with you when she wants to “borrow” your weekly allowance or history homework. Or maybe she just buddies up with you because she has a big crush on your older brother. Whatever her deal, this friendship is one-sided.

Toxic friend detox tactic: Learn to say “no way” to this gal. If she snubs you when you don’t give her what she wants, she’s not a true-blue pal. So ice her out and consider it her loss, not yours. Yep, she’s a loser: She loses you!

Here, we’ve rounded up our favorite, fabulous activities to do with friends. And hey, you might even want to invite a few boys to join in on the action.

Squeals on Wheels
Let the good times roll! When’s the last time you and your buds hit up the skating rink? If you don’t have skates, you can rent them at the rink for super-cheap. No kneepads or helmets required. And don’t forget to take a break and wheel on over to the snack bar. Suck down your food and drinks, then back to the rink!

That Takes the Cake
Sweet frosting and colored sprinkles on chocolate cupcakes? Yes, please! Throw a Cake Bake and Decorate bash! For 12 cupcakes, you’ll need one boxed cake mix (read the package for other ingredients, most likely eggs and oil), ready-made frosting and sprinkles. For yummy extras, stock up on shredded coconut, chopped nuts, candy hearts, chocolate chips, broken cookies and M&M’s. Don’t forget the ice cream!

Go Green and Clean!
Hate litterbugs? Get outside and take part in a cleanup project! Community groups often hold neighborhood and park cleanups, so check your local newspaper or community bulletin board at the public library for these events. But you and your buds don’t have to join an organized effort. Just grab some garbage bags and rubber gloves.

The Perfect Ten
Get the gang together and challenge them to a 10-frame game of bowling. The shoes are weird in a cool, two-toned way, and what’s not to love about knocking down wooden pins with a swirly colored ball? Lots of alleys host rock-and-bowl nights, where there’s a band or DJ so you can jam to loud tunes while you play. Don’t worry about getting the winning score -- it really is just about having a … um, ball.

Show Troops Super-support
Many U.S. military men and women are overseas, and they appreciate receiving mail. So send some! To let the troops know you care, gather your friends to make homemade cards with inspirational messages. Mail your creations to:

A Million Thanks
17853 Santiago Blvd., #107-355
Villa Park, CA 92861

A Million Thanks is a letter-writing campaign started for the troops by a 13-year-old girl six years ago. It’s a wonderful way of giving a shout-out that screams, “Thank you so much for keeping us safe!”

It’s no big secret that the global economy is gasping for air. And that can certainly put a pinch on your just-for-fun funds. But it doesn’t mean you have to hunker down under a gray cloud of boredom. There are plenty of things you and the gang can do for a good time. No need to reach too deep into your wallets!

Dinner and a Movie
Round up the crew for pizza and movies at your place. Stash the carryout menu! Instead, hit the supermarket for shells (pita bread works great for pizza), sauce and cheese. Have everyone bring their favorite toppings and start the party in the kitchen. Heat the oven to 450 F, and let all your friends pitch in on the pizza assembly line. Bake about 10 minutes or so, then serve up some slices. Dessert? Try popcorn sprinkled with cocoa powder, cinnamon and sugar and munch on it while the movie rolls. Pssst…dim the lights.

Stay-at-home Spa
Get together with a pal for some pampering and a fresh glow. In a small bowl, mix up a moisturizing facial scrub of one-fourth cup brown sugar, plus one tablespoon each of sea salt, olive oil, honey and milk until it’s like a grainy paste. Apply with fingers in a circular motion to a clean face and leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing.

For a soothing foot soak, fill the bathtub up to your ankles with warm water. Toss in a handful of baking soda or Epsom salt, plus a dash of essential oil or vanilla extract. Sit on the edge of the tub and sink your feet in. Afterward, dry those tootsies, and polish each other’s toes with an eye-popping color while listening to soft music.

Swap ‘n’ Shop
Turn your bedroom into a department store. Clear your closet of all the clothes and accessories you never wear. Tell your friends to do the same, then gather up the goods for a grand giveaway gala. Stack all the sweaters neatly on a chair, group the shoes together, put jeans into a neat pile, hang belts over a door, display jewelry on a shelf. Make it look like an uber-chic boutique. After setting up, it’s time to shop…um, swap. No price tags because everything is free. Go at it, girls!