I am looking for ideas on what to do this summer with my kids

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I feel for you! I’m a sahm and we’re moving to a town over an hour away

next weekend. i expect my kids will be at home a lot more this summer

than previous summers. they are 11, 8, and 5.

One thing we’re doing is buying a membership to the zoo down there,

because with it, I get free family membership entrence to that zoo,

plus over 100 other zoo’s & aquariums in the US for 1 full year. That

means when we travel, or when we go to my home town (not where we live

now), we can go to other zoo’s for free.

How about organizing a yard sale? Each child picks some of their own

things to sell, and with the proceeds, you can plan a day trip

somewhere that might cost a bit more than you’d normally want to spend.

Or, the money each child earns can be their own spending cash.

A lemonade stand might be fun for the younger kids. You could have them

make up flyers a day or two before hand, and pass them out to the

neighbors before setting up. If you think it would be easier, you could

buy cans of lemonade when it is on sale, and sell it by the can. When

we have yard sales, we always sell cans of soda & lemonade. I never buy

it unless it’s on sale dirt cheap, and refuse to spend more than $1.99

for a 12 pack. Then, the kids charge $.50 a can, and even after

Michigan’s deposit ($.10 per can of carbonated beverages- soda,

basically, but not lemonade), we still wind up making a decent amount.

Last summer, we took the kids to a semi-local amusement park for the

day. We had planned it a month or two ahead of time, because I got the

tickets half off through our radio station. Anyway, we didn’t have much

for spending money, and we were having a yard sale the weekend before

we went (we went on a Monday). I let the kids be in charge of selling

the cans of soda & lemonade, and they got to split the money for

spending money. They each ended up with around $10-12 from their

soda/lemonade sales.

Ok, moving on.. 😉

You could plan a weekly thing with the kids, like a walk to a local

park every friday, with a picnic for lunch. It gives the younger kids a

chance to get out and play, and it’s cheap to do. Find, buy, or borrow

a cooler with wheels to drag behind, or stick it in a wagon. Bring

sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a frisbee, etc.

Dig out the old board games that you have, or ask on freecycle for

some. If they are missing parts, don’t sweat it! In fact, with games

that have missing peices, you and the kids could make your own family

game. Make the rules, use construction paper to draw a new board over

top of the old one, use pieces and game cards from assorted games.

Plant a garden. Have each kid spend $5 on seeds or plants, and let them

grow their own section, water it, etc. Plant some edible things to help

with the food budget- watermelon, tomatoes, corn, peppers, etc.

Start or join a group for moms in the area, and plan play groups, craft

nights, outings to the local parks & beaches, etc. You could car pool

with another family or two and be able to get out while meeting other

moms.

The kids would have a chance to socialize, too.

Have a family movie day once a month. When you can get a ride, go to

the video store. Each kid gets to pick out a cheap rental (I recommend

Family Video- kids flicks are free, old releases are $.50 for 7 nights,

etc- dirt cheap), and the next day, make popcorn up and have fun

watching movies all day. This is especially great for rainy day

activities.

Speaking of rain… Take a rain walk. As long as it’s not thundering

and lightning out, rain has never hurt anyone. Well, ok, maybe not

never, but assuming everyone is healthy, hearty, and hail, it shouldn’t

hurt anyone. Dig out some water shoes, or sandles that can get wet, put

everyone in old clothing, dig out an umbrella or two, and take a walk

in the rain. It can be refreshing! Sing rain songs.

Have a campout in the back yard. If you have a tent or camper, use it.

If not, borrow from a relative or friend. Pack a cooler with stuff like

hot dogs, soda, juice boxes, and chocolate bars. Bring along

marshmallows, and graham crackers. If you can’t have a camp fire

because of city regulations, then use a grill to “roast” marshmallows

and hot dogs for dinner & a snack. Spend the night under the stars.

Don’t go inside expect to go to the bathroom.

Draw and decorate self portraits. Go to the dollar store, buy 8 x 10

frames, and construction paper. If you can, add in stuff like glitter,

glue, sequins, spangles, feathers, etc. Have each of the kids draw a

self portrait, then decorate it with the fun stuff. Frame them, and

hang them up. Think caricatures.

Have a treasure hunt. It can be a nature one- find a 4 leaf clover,

find a white dandelion, find a round rock, etc. Or, you could hide

things from around the house, or notes with directions to a new spot.

The prize could be something simple- homemade cookies, or it could be

something from the dollar store, or a quarter, etc.

Build a tent in the living room on a rainy day. Use sheets, and chairs,

and flash lights to “camp” out under there.

Make “homemade” squirt “guns”. Use old spray bottles (clean them really

well first!), or squeeze top bottles (like old dish soap bottles). Have

a water gun fight. Add in some water balloons for a really fun

afternoon on a REALLY hot day. Dollar stores have water balloons you

can pick up cheaply.

Host slumber parties. Pick 1 child per week to have a slumber party

with 2-3 friends. Make sure each child gets the chance to do it through

out the summer.

Make a pinata- then stuff it with some treats, hang it, and let them

destroy it!

Hunt for butterflies. At night, hunt for lightening bugs.

Find a local pool you can go to, or see if anyone in the neighborhood

has one that you might be able to go to once in a while.

Hope some of these idea’s help!

— In Budget101_@yahoogroups.com, “teddysbutterflybluepit”

wrote:

>

> hi i am a sahm of five kids our budget is so tight it screams

sometimes

> i am looking for ideas on what to do this summer with my kids for

free

> or really cheap.the ages are 4,8,12,14,16.. i dont drive a car so

ideas

> on things to do around the house or neighborhhod.or if anyone nows

some

> good websites that give good craft ideas or fun stuff for the kids

and

> me so we dont go bonkers during summer break.

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