Every week, my kids get to see marine life up close, enjoy fresh-baked cookies and ride around in funny little cars. All in one place. For free.

That's because every week they go to the supermarket. Yes, whether you go to Hannaford or Shaw's or elsewhere, your supermarket is a lot more fun for your kids than for you. So take the time and show them the fun.

Here's what my nearly 5-year-old daughter Sophie does when I take her to our neighborhood Hannaford store:

1) Picks out one of those carts with a car attached, then sits in the driver's seat and waits for her engine (me) to start.

2) Heads to the bakery counter for a free sugar cookie, to peruse the fancy cakes, and to also peruse the cake design catalog. "Look Daddy! They have a Dora cake AND a Diego cake!"

3) Stops at the deli counter. If I buy cold cuts, often the counter folks will offer Sophie a slice of something.

4) Lobsters! She could spend an hour, nose to glass, watching the creeping crustaceans.

5) Checking out means putting dozens of things on a moving conveyor belt, going fast enough so that no part of the belt is ever left empty. What kid wouldn't love that?

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