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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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! Read More →
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...
There’s a new game on BigFish I’m addicted to. It may seem a little cheesy, but I absolutely love games like this. You really have to use your head to make the right moves. If you haven’t played the first Westward, I suggest you download that one first. Trust me, you’ll be hooked before the free hour is up. I completed that one quite a few months ago and loved it. Then just the other day they came out with Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier, which I knew I’d be hooked on just as soon as I tried it out. I had some saved credits from my club membership to use, so of course I bought a full copy. It’s SO much fun figuring things out and doing all the mini-quests within the game while building up a town. When you download games from BigFish, I highly recommend buying a club membership where you are charged...
Need something to do with the kids online? How about a few Lego game downloads? These come from BigFish games, which is a safe download site. They are each free downloads and you have one hour to play before you decide to buy. Several options are available for buying the full games, so be sure to check them all out. Lego Chic Boutique Isn’t this one cute? A Lego game download for the girls! It’s a match 3 type game, which means you have to match three of the same color to clear them. Several fun additions to this basic type of game make it very fun to play. LEGO Builder Bots Build your own creations with falling LEGOs in this awesome game. Two different settings for play, with lots of cool features. Free play for one hour. LEGO Fever Turn a boring gray world back to a world full of color in this awesome adventure game! Solve...
