If high gas prices will keep you and your kids home this summer, a bit of imagination and a dash of goofiness can turn the “staycation” into a memorable event.

Think back to your own childhood: it was a kick when your parents acted goofy, especially if they were buttoned-down types. A stay-at-home vacation is a good time to unleash your inner goofball.

If your kids are young, explain the financial situation to them in basic terms. Then announce that you’re going to try something new: you’ll see your hometown as tourists. Tell your kids that they will be both visitors and tour guides.

Ask your children for ideas. Occasional meals at a four-star fast food restaurant? Great! Regular walks to the park? Fantastic! Bicycle rides? Nothing better! Swimming, gymnastics, baseball – pure heaven! And, don’t forget to set aside some time to make gifts for the grandparents.

Use the trip to Greaseburger Heaven to discuss nutrition. Don’t make it a sermon, but reinforce your child’s good eating habits. Start by telling your kids that a hamburger now and then is okay, but a steady diet of fast food is unhealthy – and tell them why. Make it clear that carbonated drinks such as Coca-Cola (KO) and Pepsi (PEP) are just sugar water. (Warning: your son is likely to use this information to launch a belching contest.)

Visit the library and borrow some books on flowers, birds and insects to prepare for your trip to the park. You can teach your kids all about everything and have a great time doing it. As adults, we sometimes overlook a basic point: the world is new for children. The more you explain, the more kids will be engaged.

Show your children maps. This will teach geography, introduce the concept of scale and develop a sense of direction. Ask a young child to draw a map of the park showing playground equipment, flowers, a stand of trees, the water fountain, paths – all that good stuff.

Then expand the scope of the next map to include points of interest in your town. Suggestion: save the maps and tuck them in your photo album because the project will be a delight to you when the kids leave for college.

When you’ve developed the basics over a few days, ask your children to play tour guide and you’ll be the out-of-town visitor. Be sure to ask good questions of your kids. Flip the roles around and let your kids be the visitors as you tour, say, the children’s museum. Discuss points of interest as you take them on a historical tour of your town.

There are endless variations on this theme. If you child can handle a camera or is ready to learn, digital photos and captions can illustrate the grand tour of your town. This will teach your child perspective and how to frame a shot. Drafting a few words to go along with each picture will introduce your kids to the basics of writing. The first efforts will be a little rough, but with encouragement, your child will learn the basics quickly. A travel brochure touting points of interest in your town produced by your kids is another treasure to send to grandparents.

The basic rule for your stay-at-home vacation: no electronics. This means no Apple (AAPL) iPod, no Time Warner Cable (TWC) TV, no Sony (SNE) stereo and no Clear Channel (CCU) radio. Withdrawal will be easier than you think and after a few days you won’t even miss the mindless chatter. (On a rainy day, Minyanland.com is a free, fun and educational online option.)

Pitch a tent in your backyard and call it Alaska. Ask your children how much they want to rough it. Is the refrigerator out-of-bounds? Can you use the car to zip to Safeway (SWY) or Kroger (KR) for emergency supplies? Do you stay in the tent if it rains?

Remember: you’re on vacation so be prepared to follow the rules of the frontier in all instances except those in which you do not. Keep it light, bright and slightly goofy – your kids will love it.

Build a fort on a hot afternoon and defend it with squirt bottles. (Note: be sure to wear goggles – a swim mask will do in a pinch.) Your clever kid is bound to bring up the artillery – the garden hose – and soak you. This may call for a bold Teddy Roosevelt-like charge up San Juan Hill to wrest control of the nozzle from a soon-to-be-sopping-wet kid.

Once you get started, your kids will have lots of good ideas for things to do. Follow them – you’re on vacation. This will help build your kids’ confidence. Introduce your kid to one of the great pleasures in life – browsing a bookstore. Barnes & Noble (BKS), Borders (BGP) or a local bookseller will fill the bill.

The basic lesson for your kids: you don’t have to blow out your JP Morgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC) or Wachovia (WB) credit cards at exotic places to have fun because there’s nothing better than family.