Free/Almost Free Summer Fun Ideas

[jaime]

I thought it would be interesting for use to share some ideas for frugal summer fun. Here are a few my family enjoys:

• picnic at a park (bring your sketch pad and have some fun)
• get a dvd at the library, make homemade pizza and have a movie night
• pitch a tent and camp out in the back yard
• grab some $ store ballons and have a water ballon fight
• play flashlight hide and seek
• go for a bike ride on the trails

ok…it’s your turn. share some of your low cost summer fun! :bounce:

[wilbe95]

This isn’t exactly free but…If I have the sprinkler on to water the grass, the boys get to throw on their swim suits and play in the water at the same time 🙂

Bike rides (we have a bike path in our town).
We also are fortunate enough to have a free fishing pond in our town and the boys love to go there-of course you have to toss your catch back in but still fun.
Flying kites-we always have a wind here 🙂

[jaime]

Kim, I remember playing in the sprinkler when I was young LOL…what fun! Thanks for sharing some more ideas!

[brchbell]

Teach the kids how to cook over an open fire; How to hang clothes out on a line; how to make a tent out of a tarp; how to change a tire. I used our summers to teach my kids skills they could use in the future. My youngest son loved knowing how to wash clothes out by hand and wring them and then hang them up.

At college he washes every night and has a line strung in his room and never has to pay for the machines. He’s getting a room with a balcony this coming year so he’s excited that he can grow a little salad stuff and have a line outside.

[Pyxidragon]

Summer fun for us includes:

– Chicken, Goat, & Horse watching/care
– Growing edibles in the gardens
– Badmitton/Frisbee/Boffing (The last is a term for “fighting” with pvc pipe covered in foam & duct-tape. Shields can also be made from the same materials)
– Outdoor movies (they show them for free in the local parks in the evening)
– Swimming or rubber-duck racing in the nearby river
– bbq/open fire cookery (homemade pizza is amazing on the grill)
– water-gun fights
– learning & practicing new medieval crafts

[danghsia]

go hiking. cooking outdoor… playing fun game at park (three legged, musical game ..

I forget what it call

[arleneb]

Pyxidragon, I’m glad you defined boffing ’cause it had a very different meaning when I was a teenager. LOL”

[jaime]

What great ideas everyone. Summer is a good time to teach some skills to our kids as well as time for them to just have some good old fun 🙂 (the boffing thing had me laughing)

[rtebalt]

Some fantastic ideas!!! Thanks!!!

[Carlybarly]

Pack a picnic. Fill the car up with gas, and go for a car ride. Stop at parks that you that you find.

Great way to discover the countryside. My husband and I did this when my daughter was little. We have some great memories and pictures.

[DohDohBird]

Summer concerts in the local parks

Kids set up a lemonade stand and make a profit

Hold a yard sale!

Help little ones build a fort out of large cardboard boxes

Make popsicles

Let the kids wash your car. (I loved doing this when I was a kid)

Sign up the kids at kidsbowlfree.com and they can bowl free a lot this summer!

See if your library shows free family films and go there — free enterainment and free AC!

Host a family field day and invite the whole family — everyone brings something to grill or do potluck.

[Linette]

Our kids love to fish and crab and also love to go pick berries. We are so fortunate in our area because we are a 45 second walk from the gulf and we fish and crab right off the dock. I do not eat seafood but my husband and children love it and in the summertime our meat bills decline!

My kids can fish without a license but my husband and I have licenses but still it is cheap! The berry picking is my favorite and you can make jams and such with the berries we pick around here–most of which grow wild.

[Pyxidragon]

@arleneb 117500 wrote:

Pyxidragon, I’m glad you defined boffing ’cause it had a very different meaning when I was a teenager. lol”

*wry smile* i thought about that other definition as i was about to click on “submit post” and figured i’d better clarify. good thing, apparently. :036:

[andyandlexismom]

A few things that we have done in our area….

If you have young(er) kids, take a tour of your local fire or police station. Call ahead first to see if they will give you a tour. I’ve found that most are more than happy to show the kids around.

If your town or city has a website, check it out to see if they offer other free tours to local places.

Make up a scavenger hunt for the park/nature trail. Take the family on a nature hike and see who’s the first to find everything on the list.

Enjoy summer reading clubs at the library or at a bookstore –Barnes & Noble is one that comes to mind. I’m sure there are others.

Check out the movie theaters in your area for summer movies that are usually either free or $1.00. We’ve done this the past two years and they will allow you to take in your own food and drinks so you don’t have to pay their high prices.

Go camping in your living room –complete with sleeping bags, S’mores and ghost stories told by flashlight. No TV allowed! 😉

[jaime]

Andyandlexismom, I love the ideas. I never thought about the free local tours! Thanks

[carolee]

Just a couple of ideas…. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce, thye usually can tell you what is going on in the area and if it’s free(i.e., fairs, art shows, music festivals…) We have a music festival coming up this weekend and they are blocking off 4 streets for you to dance in and everything. Also, your state’s web site should have a ton of info on things to do for the summer for free.

Nature trails, hiking, fairs, festivals, camping, fishing, shows, learning programs, 1 day events. Just to name a few

[FreebieQueen]

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