Saturday, May 14, 2011
More Ways to Save Money
Low Cost Summer Fun Ideas for the Family
by Renee Pfeil, June 2008
Without having to spend a fortune on fancy resort vacations, or long hotel stays, our family has kept our summers packed full of fun without the huge expense.
For small ages, keep the fun simple by just spending a little amount on several "must-have" items. I always had plenty of bubble soap on hand (in fact, one summer I made my own bubbles with the help of a local drug store), and when it was too hot to go outside with it, I put down an old big beach towel and let them have fun in the kitchen with it.
Pass along your summer fun ideas, (renee@CheaperByTheHalfDozen.com) and I will be sure to compile them for a future article.
Parents, above all, PLAY WITH YOUR CHILDREN! Kids will get so much more enjoyment from games when a “grown-up” that they love plays it with them. Those memories will be remembered for the rest of their lives. What a great investment!
Have a Great Summer!
by Renee Pfeil, June 2008
Without having to spend a fortune on fancy resort vacations, or long hotel stays, our family has kept our summers packed full of fun without the huge expense.
For small ages, keep the fun simple by just spending a little amount on several "must-have" items. I always had plenty of bubble soap on hand (in fact, one summer I made my own bubbles with the help of a local drug store), and when it was too hot to go outside with it, I put down an old big beach towel and let them have fun in the kitchen with it.
- Paints are also a must. I even went to rent a video from the local library that taught beginner water color lessons. It was short and was meant for kids to view, and my four kids did some great artwork that summer following the video lessons. Kids never tire of painting either with brushes or fingers, and having the chance to do so will improve their creativity and imagination, not to mention it will greatly improve the decor of your kitchen walls and refrigerators!
- Play dough is also another item you don’t want to be without. And like the bubbles, when I made my homemade play dough (which the kids liked helping me mix), I could add peppermint flavoring to it, and it smelled great for the kids to play with. Unlike the store varieties, homemade is much softer and will not dry out as easily when refrigerated.
- Older kids will love using Sculpey if you’ve never tried it. Sculpey (a polymer clay bought at your local craft store) is absolutely wonderful for making jewelry and anything else you want to sculpt. It comes in small quantities, and will NEVER go dry even when let out overnight without being wrapped. It stores forever, and when you finally make something you want to keep, it cooks in a warm oven for just 15 minutes and will last forever. My elementary kids actually made a business one year making sculpey earrings (they designed Christmas and Fall styles, and purchased the earring hooks from a craft store), and 7 years later I still get compliments when I wear them. They were SO attractive and easy to make, and my kids sold 69 pairs at just $2 each. Great Summertime fun and money maker!
- Check out the local library for the story hour reading times. All my youngsters loved going there faithfully, and looked forward to each visit. I insist that the whole household have one quiet reading hour a day when no one is allowed to have the TV on or any of their video games. They say that children who don’t continue to read during the summer vacation lose 4-6 times their learning power that they gained during the school year.
- A great FREEBIE is your local church’s Vacation Bible School. Kids learn great life lessons from them, engage in cool relationships with other kids their own age, and they're a blast to attend. Great songs are learned, as well as they get to enjoy arts & crafts, drama, Bible lessons, snacks, and more. My kids have attended since they were 3 yrs old, and right now my oldest 3 volunteer as teacher helpers and decorators, and they couldn’t imagine a summer without it!
- Watch some of the great food channels on cable, and have your own family “Iron Chef” or “Top Chef” contests. We did our first one this June, using zucchini as the secret ingredient, and each kid had to come up with their own recipe of what to make with it. Daddy and I had great fun savoring each dish as we judged it. Or how about a brownie cook-off....who can make the best ones?
- Spend minimal money on some outdoor games to help pass the cool evenings along. Badminton, Crotchet, Bocce Ball, and Volleyball were our favorites this summer...and hopefully will last for as many summers as they did for me when I was growing up.
- What's a summer if you can't get wet? Outdoor sprinklers or water slides can be just as much fun for the little ones as a pool would be. Don't forget to check out your area for water parks or your local YMCA for a great swim day! This would be an ideal time for swim lessons.
- Don't forget to check out Home Depot or Lowe's for the first Saturday of every month when kids ages 3-12 get to build their own project. My son and daughter love to go, and they get a free apron, too!
- This one was my daughter's brain child: a family treasure hunt. She designed a treasure map; purchased budget items at a dollar store, and designed our backyard into a treasure hunt area. We received clues to the next site where we eventually would find the grand prize.
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Lastly, my husband designed our basement into a carnival when our kids were all in early elementary still. Each station at the carnival had a game to try: pitching beanie babies into laundry baskets; putt-putting a golf ball thru a maze built by blocks; bowling; throwing beanie babies to knock down soda cans; etc. As each one played, they could pick out prizes that hung on clothesline rope (strung across the basement ceiling). The prizes we got from the dollar store, included cotton candy bags and other "carnival" treats! We took pictures of that memory, and my kids have never forgotten that time.
Pass along your summer fun ideas, (renee@CheaperByTheHalfDozen.com) and I will be sure to compile them for a future article.
Parents, above all, PLAY WITH YOUR CHILDREN! Kids will get so much more enjoyment from games when a “grown-up” that they love plays it with them. Those memories will be remembered for the rest of their lives. What a great investment!
Have a Great Summer!
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