Parenting
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Summer kid fun on a budget
We've talked
cool water gadgets under $10 to keep kids cool throughout summer. We've chatted about ways to
keep your kids busy without sending them to summer camp (for the younger crowd
and tweens).
Yet even with all of those ideas, you will probably still find yourself searching for more ways to have summer fun with your kids...without having to empty your bank account.
Here's the thing. When you have younger children -- say those in their early tweens and under -- you really need to plan ahead for summer. Sure, it's fun for them to chill out at home for the first few weeks. But the general concensus from the parents I've chatted is that this hanging out business gets old fast...for the kids and their moms and dads.
To create your summer game plan, you sort of have to channel and embrace your inner school teacher and map out your agenda for those 6-8 weeks of vacation. So while you have some time before school's out, check out these ideas to add to your list of things to do:
- Sign your kids up for summer reading programs at your local library. Most libraries have summer reading programs where kids can win prizes for meeting weekly and monthly book counts. And it's usually free! The summer reading clubs usually start with the preschool crowd. And if your library doesn't have an organized program, check out Scholastic's Summer Reading Buzz, where pre-K to eighth graders can log their summer reading. For every four books a child reads, Scholastic will donate a book to a child in need. You can click here for some awesome book recommendations.
- Explore low-cost programs at your local park and recreation centers. From sports to art classes, most run for two weeks for about a 90 minutes a day and cost anywhere from $30 a session to $100, depending on the class.
- Take advantage of free days at local museums and zoo. It's usually a day during the first week of the month.
- Get outside! Gas prices are making folks think twice about frequent road trips but you can definitely throw a few into your summer plans. If you're on the coast, take the kids to check out beaches for some low-tide exploring. Are you inland near a lake? Go fishing. Take a fun hike and end it with a picnic.
- Take field trips using public transportation. My kids love spending the day on the train. We stop in towns with parks and cool areas they can explore.
- Have a supply of “I’m bored” projects and games on hand. You'll hear it. Many times. So be prepared with a stash of games and activities that can "un-bore your kids. Some ideas...sidewalk chalk to draw amazing, elaborate mazes. A bucket filled with water and paint brushes/rollers so your kids can "paint" your fences and house. Hand over your video camera or regular camera so they can turn into mini journalists (Jen Singer, I love this idea!). Make ice sculptures! (Thanks to Shine user Kat Eden for this idea!) It's easy and requires a day or two or prep...plan ahead.
Okay, your turn! What are some of your favorite ideas for low-cost summer fun?
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Posted by thundernreign29 Tue May 20, 2008 1:23pm PDT
Ideas I will be using include swimming, planting a garden, and cooking creatins (having the kids make snowcones, bake cookies, etc.) using their own ideas for ingredients (with supervision of course).
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Posted by Mimi-pz Tue May 20, 2008 6:11pm PDT
We spend a lot of time at the pool. We bring a picnic some days and have picnics at the pool (either lunch or dinner depending). Georgia is VERY hot in the summer so parks and outside stuff (other than the pool or beach) is out of the question (for me, I'm a wimp).
We also have a state park near us with a beach -- when there is no drought going on -- and we like to go there too. There is a $2 parking fee (or we have a yearly parking pass because we go there all the time) and I find this to be cheap as well.
Another thing that works for us... indoor bouncy castle places. Yes, you do have to pay, but we have the "bounce passes" (pre-paid) and find coupons in the paper for $5 entry which includes a piece of pizza. These are great and my kids love them.
Also, Chuck-E-Cheese -- you don't have to eat there, you can just buy some tokens and let the kids play until the tokens run out.
Story Time at the community center works wonders for us -- our library goes on summer hiatus from ST.
A lot of movie theaters have free kids movies in the summer. We take advantage of this quite often. I did notice that this year some of the theaters are offering $1 movies in lieu of "free" with the money going to charity.
We are very rarely looking for things to do... in fact I generally schedule "down time" when we don't do anything because we're out and about so much.
And it helps that we go back to school early August!
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Posted by J-fer Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:05am PDT
The kids play didge ball with water balloons. At dusk the kids wear glow sticks around their ankles and wrists and play tag football.
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Posted by lorieand5more Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:31am PDT
I live in Arkansas and the heat is already unbearable this summer, but in the late afternoons, while I water by garden and my flower beds with the water hose, my kids love to ride past me on their bikes or run by me and see if I can spray them. It's a great way to get them to excersice and they don't even realize it.
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Posted by floo fairy Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:20am PDT
Hi there from Arkansas! I am here too! I can not stand the humidity so water fun is where it’s at! My kids also cruz by on their bikes or the 4 wheeler and get sprayed while I water the flower beds in the early evening. They also love to paint with water colors which are cheap and easy to clean up in the afternoons when it is just too much to be outside. We tend to hit the movie store about once a week and stock up on the older $1 movies ( like AIR BUD, FREE WILLY, ET, GOONIES, etc ) to play during rest/nap time. This is necessary mostly for me :)
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Posted by jenn_sykes Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:30pm PDT
Paper mache projects are always a hit. This summer I'm having the kids work on creating circus animals. Cheap, highly creative, and it recycles.
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Posted by angela_hatrick Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:45pm PDT
We spend most of our time at the Nature Center. It's miles and miles of trails and the kids love looking for frogs, turtles, etc. It's also free to go so we pack snacks and make a day of it.
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Posted by kim.russell11 Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:36pm PDT
Good Evening ... I am the mother of a 13 year old only child and as you can probably guess ... I am on the entertainment committee..... I do have to work .... however, I told him I would take off a couple of days a week to do "things" ( I am lucky that way ) but he does not have that many friends to do things with and I am trying to keep his spirits up .... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...
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Posted by floo fairy Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:50am PDT
Kim.russell11 - I assume you live in a big community. Is there a water park or fun center or amusment park near by? If so I would get a few annual or summer passes. One for you and him and if names dont have to be added to the pass and extra so he can maybe take a friend (even a different kid each time to make new friends - no kid I know would pass up a free ticket!). What about sports? Indoor basketball, scoccer? How about roller or ice skating? State parks usually have programs sometimes even nightly and usually free or a donation. My daughter will be 13 in a few months and what she is 'willing' to do or try is getting limited too. She claimes she is bored ALL the time, but when I suggest things to do I get the face. Good luck!
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Posted by barbara9885@sbcglobal.net Thu Jul 3, 2008 9:57pm PDT
HI my name is Barbara and i live in los angeles. Summer vacation is here too, i am a mother of twin girls they are almost 8.and i recently went back to school i go 5 days a week and is really hard for me, because i have so so much to do every day,but i always make time for my kids you have to. if you don't give them quality time they won't be happy,believe me!!! we write on a board all the fun stuff they want to do or they like to do, from coloring, painting, crafts,reading most favorite book, going to the park,gardening in your own house,even changing and cleaning their room,renting movies,playing games, there's so much to do you just have to be creative.and you don't even spent any money. i am not saying is easy but you can make it easier on you, but only spending enough time with your kids they need us more than we can ever imagine and as for me
being a mom is a blessing and the best thing that could ever happened to me and my husband.
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