Does anyone have free/low cost activities or fun ideas to do with kids for summer?

Question

I am a stay at home mom of 5 kids that are out of school for the next 2 months, and need some ideas since we are on a tight budget. Especially with gas prices the way they are right now!!! My oldest is 10 1/2 and my youngest 4 1/2, 3 boys and 2 girls. They love the outdoors, but we live in a complex of duplexes, so there is not a lot of room or privacy like I want. I love to cook, and do crafts, but I usually just run out of the cash flow to make or finish fun projects. Any and all ideas welcome!!

Answer 1

See if your library has "The American Boy's Handy Book" by Daniel Beard or "How to Do Nothing With Nobody All Alone By Yourself" by Robert Smith. These books are full of wonderful, imaginative, amazing, and entertaining things that your kids can do themselves for very little or no money. The second book is probably better suited to your needs if you have limited access to nature.

It begins, "If things were as they should be, another kid would be telling you how to do these things, or you'd be telling another kid. But since I'm the only kid left around who knows how to do these things (I'm forty-two years old, but about these things I'm still a kid), I guess it's up to me.

These are things you can do by yourself. There are no kits to build these things. There are no classes to learn these things, no teachers to teach them, you don't need any help from your mother or your father or anybody. "

Answer 2

Hi,
If you are a self starter you could start a "play/park day" for the people who live in the complex or a day for "art and the park" once a month.
Participating parents can swap taking over what the project would be each month. A flyer throughout your complex would be easy to make and the kids could help with that as well.
Hint: it is always better to have a couple of the parents go ahead of the others and have things set up at the park if you are doing art. So the kids don't have to wait.
Fun ideas are pillow case painting,face painting, one really fun thing to do is if you know a parent that works with wood is too get scrap wood of all sizes and provide nails and hammers. This is such a good skills to learn too.
Meeting don't always have to be at the park either, you could schedule a museum.

Answer 3

It's hard as I've no idea where you live, but on sunny days walks along the canal with squash and sandwiches take friend for safety take the dog, hr .each way usually does it. For those out in the country there is the strawberry season, if you can get to a place where you can pick your own, you go on the scrounge for jam jars ,down the library for recipes for jam making and the most fun is selling the stuff to the friends neighbours ,family you got the jars off in the first place.

For those in the city there's the museums parks or even a day out to the airport, they have observation platforms at most airports go early to start with in case you get lost more trips means you take the whole st. and friends ,sandwiches squash and some extra adults welcome and a great time was had by all.

Even if you got the kids to make a list of things to take so they get involved, save a lot on gas elec. Shoes a usually replaced in September day out gets your monies worth from the shes and ready for next term.

Answer 4

Public Libraries often have reading events for kids of various ages - I used to love those!

Libraries have books on plants, birds etc. Get a couple for your area and take walks in parks, near streams or lakes, etc and bring a little notebook with you to log what you see!

Are there any seniors facilities in the area where you could "adopt" a grandparent? They enjoy visits, talking about news, someone reading to them, etc.

Volunteer at a good animal shelter -kids and adults are always learning a lot there. I have helped wash the dogs - its a stinky messy job - but I love the dogs and it helps socialize them!

I can't tell if you are in a rural or urban area, but a lot of movie theaters have a Mom & Kid morning show that is low or no cost once a week - not necessarily first run...but who cares?

Do you have a bus system in your area? When I first moved to the area I live in I did not have a car - I had a monthly bus pass - I would hop a bus to the end of its line - find out when the next two pick ups were and explore. Once I got my car, I rarely got lost - but I found some awesome neighborhoods, parks and areas I ended up visiting over and over.

Answer 5

ooohhhh have a scavenger hunt! kids love them(at least we did) and save all your old news paper and make dinosaur eggs an fill with little trinkets and hide them(even bury some) in your yard.
i am not sure if you can use this link or not?
i not www.familyfun.go.com they have the best stuff for kids/family's...games, crafts, recipes...and its FREE!!
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40948&CMP=NL_Recipe

i use this for ideas to do with disabled Veterans at the VA hospital. Since most are very childlike, it works Great! so i am sure it will be a hit with your childern too.

my scout troop collected "junk" and then we made something out of it! it was a group effort, fun and very creative. My son, now makes sculputers and very art-sy things. He has sold some of his works, they are all unique ,one of a kinds. He also donates for Veterans charity(he is a really kind hearted younge man, and not just saying cause i'm his mom)
have a fun safe summer. i would love to come craft with you! family scrapbook/memory pages, have each child do a page a day, glue a leaf, write a poem, draw a picture.

Answer 6

If you're ever stuck inside you can just put up a tent for them wherever you have enough space. You could use a blanket over chairs or a real camping tent, then fill it with sleeping bags, books, flash-lights, and their favorite toys. That kept me entertained for hours when I was a kid.

A craft that is really fun is making candle-holders. You buy small mason jars, candles, and colored sand. Place the candles in the jars and fill them up with layer upon layer of different colors of sand. It keeps the candle in place and makes a cool design. If you can't find colored sand use sidewalk chalk. Just grind it into powder, either with a cheese grater or across an abrasive surface, then scoop it into containers. It works just as well as the sand. This is something else that I did quite often as a kid.

Answer 7

Try some simple "science" experiments with things in your kitchen.

Some thoughts...mixing cornstarch and water to make goop. It is a soilid when you touch it, a liquid when you stop.

The "volcano" trick with baking soda and vinegar.

Or go outside with a bottle of Diet Coke and throw in 4 or 5 mentoes into the bottle. It will shoot out the soda just like you probably saw on the internet.

You could make ormaments. (http://www.centralcoastkids.com/arts/crafts/ornaments.cfm)

Or try this site, http://childparenting.about.com/cs/summer/a/summerart.htm

Good luck. You're a great mom to want to keep them using their creative minds this summer.

Answer 8

Have them write and put on a play~ I did day care for years and this is one of the things that will keep them busy each and every day. Set a time limit on the time that they can spend on it each day so that they don't get board with it. You want to continue to make it exciting for them. Set rules on what items that they will be allowed to use for costumes and props. Another way to do this is to take 5 -10 items and tell them this is what you have to work with. Either way this will make the creative juices flow. You will be so suprised at the end of the summer. You can have them do the play at the end of the summer for the last family picnic~!

Answer 9

Here's a great site that provides kits for teaching children about nature. It's designed for teachers, but I've purchased items from them for personal use.

http://www.nature-watch.com/cgi-bin/naturewatch/index.html

Or visit you local craft stores! The have lots of ideas for children! There are beads, wood, foam, paper and paints, crayons, clay, books, craft kits and even classes! Hook up with the classroom coordinator for help with ideas and supplies.

Answer 10

If you have used all the other answers, (and they are good!) and you still run out of ideas but not out of time with your children, try a scouting site.
For a big part of the time the scouts have to be inside (winter, rain...... ) and often in a small group.
And many of the games that are still in use with the scouts are the ones that we used to do by ourselves.
http://www.scoutingweb.com/ScoutingWeb/index.htm
http://www.scouts.org.uk/aboutus/6-25.htm

And have fun!!!