This of course, appeals to me, as I am thrifty (that is a nice way to put it).
Each year seems different and has different high lights. Last year we really enjoyed VBS at a few different churches. That was a huge treat for me because I was living the single parent life as Chuck had already relocated for the new job. Just to have the morning to myself. WOW. What a treat for the homeschooling mom who always has her kids with her.
Of course the girls enjoyed camp, but I am trying to come up with FREE activities that are fun. Ones that don't cost anything. So...help me, o creative moms, to come up with some other great activities that require little or no budget. (My friend over on this blog HERE posted about this earlier and I thought it was a good post).
- For us we have enjoyed being part of a book club. A fellow homeschooling mom has organized a small book club where the girls read a designated book and then she has activities to coordinate. She has done a fantastic job and the girls have really enjoyed it. The most recent book was "A Little Princess" and then the kids watched the old Shirley Temple movie. The idea was to compare how the book is usually better than the movie.
- Another fun one has been swimming at the neighborhood pool. It is part of our home owner's fees and it is a great way to meet the neighbors. That has been fun.
- One more idea before you all chime in with fantastic ideas. =) Another mom has organized a play group that meets in the back yard (they rotate) and the kids play with water. Sprinklers, kiddie pools, slip and slides, duck duck goose with water on the head, squirt guns...the ideas go on. Everyone brings their sack lunch and towel and the host mom doesn't need to have anything else ready. I thought this one was a great idea.
So...do share some of your favorite summer activities. Things you can do right in your home town. Things that aren't going to break the bank. Ways to keep the kids busy and entertained and having fun until school starts up again. Now we are off to the science center which we have the family pass for and it is air conditioned.
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7 comments:
We love the Lake Michigan beach, you can't get much better than that : ) We can walk to it on days we have more energy. I love letting them play with water in the backyard as well, they love to play in the kiddie pool, sprinkler, in dishpans washing plastic baby dolls. We also enjoy bike riding as a family, it is so great to just be outside : ) thanks for the ideas ~
Down town Nashville has two parks Centennial Park and Bicentennial park....we discovered them on July 4th and the boys loved it. Centennial park has a huge train and jet, a replica of the Pantheon and a nice shaded playground. Bicentennial park has 18 water fountains that shoot water up and you can run through them and play (with public restrooms to change and a shade for you to sit at a picnic table)....on Saturdays they have very large farmers market/craft thing right there (we didn't have a lot of time to check it out and we forgot our stroller). The boys loved watching the train go by several times. Free and Fun! Of course the drive there but we thought it was worth it.
Great post! We love the ones you mentioned. In past years, the girls have really loved going to the library programs in the summer. The Frist Center is awesome and children are free---would you like to set a day very soon to go together? The exhibits aren't my favorite right now, but ArtQuest is so much fun and worth the visit. The Tennessee State Museum is also free and it has some interesting items. We like to window shop in downtown Franklin and stop for a treat or lunch.
Last summer Nastya had a "Lemonade Stand"; we live near a hospital and she really made a LOT of money. She loved that. This year she frequently goes to a Russian lady's house, who does childcare and she assists taking care of the babies. I think she loves this more than anything she's ever done!
She and I are taking a cake-decorating class together. This reminds me of a fun summer I had with Lydia when she was this age. A friend and I got our girls and a few others from church and had a "cooking club". Highlights I remember were the time we tried out three vastly different brownie recipes. Another time we made various flavored shakes and smoothies. We taught them to make pie crust. Lots of fun!
The kids have enjoyed playing on the Slip-and-Slide almost everyday!!
There's always the local hardware or home improvement store for free kids classes. They get to build all kinds of things and keep the really cool apron. They get to earn "points" if they join the "club". The one by my sister's house even gives the kids a certificate for a free hot dog, chips, and a drink at the stand out front. And those hot dogs are really good.
We are planning a little Staycation for the first weekend of August. We bought a tent and will be sleeping outside in our yard (w/ a 2 and 5 year old, we figured it best to do a trial run at home first) for two nights. We are going to the beach on Saturday and haven't decided on Sunday yet. No phones, email, etc. For the campout... smores and roasted hot dogs by the firepit. I think it'll be fun and it's perfect with little kids... no long drive, expensive hotel, or crazy schedule that exhausts them and causes crankiness.
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