Idea Queen Tips & News

Since the upstairs is a disaster area right now because of the remodeling, I gladly accepted the kids idea of camping out in my son’s room (which is downstairs) last night. It’s a large room, so easily fit a homemade “tent” made out of blankets and chairs.  Because they were doing their camping thing, I was able to take my son’s bed with mine being buried again. *GRIN* Everyone’s happy!

Their tent was simple and they put it together without any help. Just a few chairs and a blanket is all it took, with their old rocking horse in the middle to hold it up. The rocking horse was also their “divider” between them.

They took in popcorn and a flashlight, reading books and telling scary stories. Plus of course pretending they were on a real camping trip with a campfire. I didn’t interrupt them really, but just let them use their imagination to it’s fullest.

Good thing they were camping outside because it’s storming pretty good today and has been for most the night. I think camping inside was more fun for them anyway.

If you are in need of a few activities to do with the kids over summer vacation, why not spend a little time in the kitchen? I know this week we are suppose to be cleaning up the kitchen, but the promise of making something fun once the job if finished might be an incentive for the kids to help you out.

At Free Kids Crafts there is an entire page dedicated to craft recipes. You’ll find both edible and non-edible recipes like peanut butter play dough,  bubble recipe, clay jewelry, and a whole lot more.

The clay jewelry recipe we’ve got our eye on for today, since that project can be done over several days (painting and all).

Frugal Friday Tip 

When summer hits we tend to feel like we need to do as much as possible with our kids, regardless of the cost. Museums, amusement parks, the zoo, swimming, and other attractions get put on a list of things to accomplish.

While we should do certain activities with our kids, they don’t all have to cost money. Here are 5 free activities you can do with your kids that won’t cost you a dime (or won’t cost you much anyway).

1. Visit Local Parks
How many parks are in your area? Not just the one within your town, but bigger parks outside of town as well. Make a list of all of them and what there is to do there. For example, one park in our area has an observatory along with nature trails.

2. Play in the Backyard
Yes, this is allowed! It’s what backyards are for of course. Grab some toys and play some games -  Duck, Duck, Goose or Tag are fun games you can play together in your own backyard.

3. Turn on the Hose
Sprinklers too if you have them. Granted your water bill will go up slightly, but it’s usually not too bad if you keep your eye on how much water is being used. We have a 1-hour limit, several times a week, that keeps our water bill under $50 a month (normally in the winter it’s around $30).

4.  Go Fishing
If you already have fishing poles, this will cost you absolutely nothing but gas to drive to the nearest fishing area. Catch the worms yourself if you can so it’s completely free.

5. Visit the Library
One of the greatest free activities you can possibly find. Check with your local library for special activities for the kids such as story times or reading challenges that offer prizes. This one is pretty easy to make a weekly activity.

That’s just a few ideas to get you going. There’s lots to discover outside your front door that doesn’t cost a whole lot, you just need to find it!

Last weekend my daughter and I took a trip to the local dollar store. We didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend, so I figured going to the dollar store (one in particular where everything is a dollar) would be easy on my checkbook. I was right!

Our main goal was to get something in the way of crafts, which this store has a pretty nice selection. We ended up getting a package of foam door hangers, multi-colored cotton balls, foam shapes that stick (hearts), and glitter glue. A whole $4 we spent on a craft that kept her busy that afternoon (with lots of supplies left over for more crafts!). Even better, one of her friends popped in, so she did one with her. It was great watching two giggling girls decorate something for their room.

So if you are looking for something easy and fun, take a trip to your local dollar store to see what you can find. You can also check out kids craft kits at S&S Worldwide, since those are often more cost effective than buying all the supplies individually.

While the idea of making a kid read for half their summer seems a bit cruel, it’s really pretty important to keep up their reading skills over summer vacation. Luckily I have one kid who’s still young enough she enjoys me reading to her (she’s only 5, and still learning to read), and my oldest absolutely loves books.

The real trick to any summer reading program is to find books they enjoy. My son is pretty stubborn when it comes to suggested reading, and will go out of his way to pick his own books just out of spite. However, some might actually like hunting for specific books on a list. To make it easier to find books, pick a summer reading program from your local libraries.

If you live in an area where kids can go to the library by themselves, this is an excellent opportunity to give them a little extra freedom while sparking their interest in books. Again we are lucky because our library in our small town is just around the corner. My 8 yr old can easily hop on his bike and pick out his own books.  Although it’s a small library, so we have been taking trips to the bigger library one town over.

Picking a time to read really isn’t too hard. Just before bedtime is perfect since it’s usually a time of day where routine isn’t easily altered. Even in the summer my kids have a bed time, or at least a time of night when they are to go lay down in their rooms. The rest of the day might have a varied schedules, but bed time is always the same. My oldest has been in the habit of reading at bed time for well over a year now. We use to read together, now he does it on his own.

To recap, yes summer reading programs are important but you don’t want to force them. Take family trips to the library or make it a special deal for the older kids, and use lists only if they are interested. The worst thing you can do is turn them off of reading by forcing certain books.

Here it is the first week of June, and also the first week of summer vacation for our kids. While I wish I could take a vacation right along with them, being a single work at home mom that’s just not possible. So instead I have to keep on working, and figure out how to keep them occupied at least a few hours each day.

Today we are off to a pretty good start. I explained this morning that while they may be on vacation, mom can’t take one and has to get certain things done. I told them it’s important to let me get work done before we all play. My 5 year old quickly picked up on this, and asked if we could play a game together when I was finished. Perfect!

Luckily we have a nice backyard where they can play in the pool or on the swingset, so that will provide several hours of entertainment as well. Although if you let them play in the hose all day, be careful you don’t run up your water bill. The rule around here is they are allowed 1 hours with the hose on each day and no more. What they do with that hour is up to them. Turning on the hose without permission is automatic punishment around here, since we’ve had one too many sky high water bills from them forgetting to turn it off.

We are also lucky to have neighbor kids all over the place, including classmates directly across the street (a brother and sister, the same ages as my daughter and son - really it couldn’t be more perfect). They too have a kid’s pool to play in, along with tons of toys. Although their parents work all day, so they aren’t going to be home only Fridays and weekends. No big deal though, they’ll still have evenings here and there.

This week we might have to break out the card games and other things in the game closet, since the forecast is talking storms all this week. Our area already has some flooding down by the river, so one summer activity might end up being sandbagging! Luckily our town doesn’t flood, but towns real close to us might be in trouble soon.

For the rainy days, the computer is always a good source of entertainment. The kids still love playing with their Webkinz here and there, but they also like playing other games as well. My daughter likes playing download games and some free sites for preschoolers, while my son prefers game sites for slightly older kids.  Both of them like playing download games I’ve picked up here and there from BigFish.

Still need some activities and crafts? You might want to bookmark both Free Kids Crafts (our sister site) and the Fun Activities for Kids page on Idea Queen for some quick ideas. Kids are usually pretty good about finding things to do, but just in case they need a budge these pages might help!

First there was Virtual Villagers 1 which was called “A New Home”. I was seriously addicted to it, and LOVED that game. It was challenging, time consuming, and FUN.

When Virtual Villagers 2 (The Lost Children) came out, I was all over it. It proved to be just as fun and challenging as the first. After a week or two I had the game beat, and I needed MORE!

Well that wish was granted, as Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City is out today. I was so super excited, but know I’ll be stuck on this for awhile. This one is even more detailed than the first two with “real” weather, potions to discover, and a whole lot more. In Virtual Villagers 3 you also get to rebuild ruins of a lost city and help your villagers the same way you did before - build houses, gather food, and train them on specific jobs.

I do recommend playing the first two to get the full story of the Virtual Villagers and how they came to be on this new area. If you don’t though, there’s a nice story at the beginning that fills you in.

Happy playing!

When I was a kid, I had a very crafty aunt. I couldn’t wait to go to her house for the day, because I knew she would always turn me loose in her craft room with paint and other supplies. It didn’t really matter what we made, painting was half the fun.

Now that I’m all grown up and have my own kids, we do lots of crafts together. Sometimes we go in search for specific crafts depending on the holiday or season, but other times we just get out the paint and have a good time.

Just today I started to tell my daughter we’d do something crafty tonight with paint, and she was running for craft drawer. She didn’t even care what as long as it involved painting.

Here’s a few ideas of what you and your kids can do with paint.

1. Paper Pictures
What could be more simple? You’d be amazed how much this can entertain them. Shake it up a bit with different types of paint like water colors, finger paints, or just regular craft paint. Kids have a wonderful imagination, so let it shine!

2. Paint Shirts
One of “coolest” things I ever did with my aunt was painting shirts. You can either buy kits that have designed already printed on the shirt, or you can just let the kids make their own designs. You’ll need special fabric paint for this project, so do keep that in mind.

3. Paint Purses or Totes
Another craft that requires fabric paint and similar to the shirts. You can either make your own designs or use stencils. Kits are also available if you are looking for something specific. Don’t stop at the paint though - you can really get crafty with items like this!

4. Paint Glasses or Jars
To paint glass items you probably want to have paint that works for glass. It’s not very expensive and you can get some pretty cool looking paint as well (check for paint that gives a stained glass appearance).

5. Picture Frames
Have some popsicle sticks? Make some picture frames! One of the easiest crafts for little hands to make and get creative with.

6. Decorated Toy Boxes
If you have a few spare boxes, get the paint out and let them decorate them for toy boxes. This one is pretty popular since it’s not only useful, but fun as well.

These are just a few craft painting ideas for kids. Look around the house and see what else can be painted to entertain them!

Alright, so Free Kids Crafts is not a “new” site, but it’s got a new layout and focus. We decided keeping up with the newsletter was just too much, so now the site focuses just on free crafts (just like the name says, imagine that!).

You’ll notice on the navigation the crafts are broken down into types of crafts, seasons, and holidays. We’re also adding a list of places online to buy supplies (and a few tips for offline shopping), plus an easy way to submit your own crafts.

Over the next few weeks you might not find exactly what you are looking for, but we are doing our best to get the site redesigned so that it becomes an nice resource for those looking for free kids crafts.

If you have a minute, stop on by and let us know what you think!

Growing up I never cared to be in after school activities. Aside from a few choir-related things, I just never got into sports or anything else. The only thing I wanted to do when the bell rang at 3pm was get HOME.

Because it never interested me, I tend to not push my own kids into things. In the summer they take swimming lessons, and my daughter is in dance (enjoying it much more than I did, but then again she’s quite a girly-girl where as I was not). My son has also taken Tae Kwan Do in the past and wants to take it again (we’ll be getting him in that again in a few weeks). But aside from that, they really aren’t involved in much.

So the question here is, what’s too little? Most parents worry about getting their kids into too many activities, but here I am worrying I don’t have them in enough. My son I especially worry about, since I’ll most likely be homeschooling him this fall. I hear about all these clubs and sports homeschooled kids are involved in, and think maybe I *should* be getting them involved in more stuff. Maybe I’m projecting my own dislikes on my kids and preventing them from getting involved in activities they’d really like. But if they really don’t express interested in wanting to get involved, maybe I shouldn’t push it?

What’s your thoughts?