Cheap Summer Fun

Summer may be a time to relax, but tell that to kids who are bouncing off the walls or shrieking "I'm bored" every five minutes. How can parents and nannies keep kids entertained, active and out of trouble for an entire summer? 


The trick is to plan ahead. Brainstorm ideas for things to do now, so you don't wind up spending the entire summer watching cartoons.
 
 
Put colored tape on the carpet to make roads for your kid’s toy cars.
Visit an amusement park: like Knotts, Castle Park, Scandinavia, Mulligans and or indoor trampoline places.
Well placed yarn is all you need for your kids to get their Mission Impossible on.
Bake Cookies.
Make a scrapbook or collage.
Visit a farmer's market.
Visit the beach and collect shells.
Make a fort out of cardboard boxes.
Have a picnic at a park. 
Stage an A to Z scavenger hunt, where you have to find something that starts with every letter. Here are 8 more scavenger hunt ideas.
​​​11. Write and illustrate your own book and have it published into an actual hardcover book using IlluStory.
Turn an old box into an inside slide. 
Clean up trash at a local park.
Make homemade pizza.
Have a water balloon fight.
There has never been a better time to teach your children the value of a dollar, so let kids put the “small” back in small business. The old-fashioned lemonade stand or family yard sale remain good choices. But let your children’s interests and abilities guide them toward a fund-raiser that makes sense: a dog wash, a car wash, bake sale or lawn mowing service.
Plant flowers.
Take a tour of your police or fire station. Since most locations don't have set visiting hours, call ahead to arrange an appointment.
When summer storms render the jungle gym too wet to climb, take a trip to a sheltered playspace, like the indoor court at a nearby public elementary school or, better still, Småland at your local Ikea. The home retail giant's supervised playspace offers up to 90 minutes of parent-free fun for little ones who are out of diapers and between 37" and 54" tall.
Many factories offer tours so kids can see their favorite products created from start to finish. Get info on visiting more than 500 factories across the nation from factorytoursusa.com.
Select Regal theaters offer a Free Family Film Festival each summer, screening PG and G-rated movies at 10 a.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday. Go to regmovies.com for a schedule. AMC runs a similar program, Summer MovieCamp, on Wednesdays, with $1 tickets; check outamctheaters.com for more details.
Go to groupon.com and look for local deals.
Every Friday and Saturday at twilight, parks across the country sponsor free outdoor family film nights. Visit your parks department Website to find screenings near you.
Barnes & Noble, and most independent book shops, as well as libraries, host story hours for kids. Find schedules and other information at bn.com, or by phoning your local library or bookstore. 
Flashlight Tag: There’s something magic about being allowed to play outside at dusk on a lazy summer evening. Make it even more memorable with a game of flashlight tag. Played at dark, this classic game combines tag with hide-and-seek. The person who is “it” counts to ten (or higher) while others hide. The person who is “it” must find the other players and call their name while shining a light on them to tag them.
Take a hike:  Kids don’t need expensive equipment or the Appalachian Trail to experience the joys of hiking. Just slip on sturdy sneakers and pack water bottles to hit the trail. Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, there are probably interesting walks in your own hometown. Make the adventure even more engaging by putting together a page of pictures for a kid-friendly scavenger hunt with common items — from clovers and honeysuckle to trash receptacles and benches, depending on your destination.
When it comes to vacations, many preschoolers get as excited about the transportation as they do about the destination. If your budget doesn’t allow for a plane trip this summer, you can still take kids to your local airport and watch the jets take off.
Stargaze from a trampoline/roof/mattress.
Sleep in your backyard, under the stars.
Swap a favorite book with a friend and read it.
Hold a mini Olympics with your friends.
Go bowling!
Watch a movie you've always wanted to see.
Learn a few words or phrases in a foreign language.
Go roller blading.
Give your pet a bath.
Make a keep sake box of memories from this summer, fill it with photos, messages, postcards from places you've been, and wrap it in pretty paper. Keep it for years to come to remind you of your awesome summer!
Get rid of your old stuff with a garage sale.
Make your own Slip-n-Slide. Use a roll of thick plastic sheeting. Add water and a little dish detergent to make it extra slippery. Or go to your nearest park that has a water playground.
Turn off your electronics for an entire 24 hours.
  
  
  
  