Cheap (free) Summer Activities...

[ChristyJ]

I thought we could start a thread for cheap and/or FREE summer activities, helping us all to save money while having a great time with our children over the summer! We're not headed to Disney until 12/06, but every penny I save counts (for a longer vacation ).

Anyway, I thought I'd start with some links that have already been posted so we can complile everything (thanks to the OP of these! )...

1. Free books at Barnes & Noble when child reads 8 books...
http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/ou...y_4_English.pdf

2. Free movies
http://www.regalcinemas.com/freefamilyflicks/index.jsp

http://www.moviewatcher.com/promos/summercamp/

http://www.enjoytheshow.com/promoti...eries/index.cfm

3. Check your local library for summer reading clubs-ours gives away all sorts of goodies as children read books and complete a "book report."

4. Concert in the parks-this will be local-we have all sorts of concerts in the park series in our area-all free with various types of music-look in your newspapers for times/dates.

 

[PrincessCyann]

Some local libraries have free summer programs in addition to the reading program (where kids earn prizes for reading). I just picked up a list of the ones our small library offers, and there are a lot, ranging from nature presentations (interactive to make it fun for the kids), different crafts, magic shows.

The local movie theatre also has some summer programs that they offer for free (via grants). If our small town offers them, I would venture a guess that bigger places would too.

Not free, but Cinemark theatres has their Summer Movie clubhouse where they show movies for $1 per person Wednesday mornings. It is .50 each if you buy a card in advance -- $5 for 10 movies.

 

[familyfirsttimer]

This is AWESOME! I am so lucky to have found these boards. Keep the activities coming!

 

[CheapMom]

Also lots of rec and parks departments run a 'free friday flicks' (or similar) program where movies are shown outdoors at state parks. Check with your local Dept of Rec and Parks for movies and other summer activities.

 

[shakespeare]

Great ideas! I bought a cheap little blow up pool ( $8.99 ) for my 2 1/2 year old and we use it everyday. At the end of my son swimming, my 13 year old son, 2 1/2 year old son and I have a huge water fight. This lasts for at least an hour.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

www.familyfun.com has summer camp type crafts that would be great rainy day activities. Also, don't forget board games, puzzles, you could even get a head start on homemade Christmas cards and wrapping paper.

 

[ChristyJ]

We also got one of the free lemonade stands via Sunkist, so my daughters will be selling lemonade (with all profits going to To Life!- it's a local organization that helps individuals and their families who have been effected by breast cancer). They will keep busy from time to time with this.
We'll also have a garage sale that I'm going to let them help out with. Any $ made from toys they take from their rooms will be for them to be put into their Disney savings!

 

[Sumac]

Our favorite freebie is going to the beach. We just pack a lunch and drive over.

 

[calie_j]

A few yrs ago I started asking around and found a bunch of state/county parks within about an hour's drive from home. I now have my choice of 3 state parks and 2 county parks that have great beaches on the lake there, there's also hiking at some and the state parks have ranger activities that you can get a schedule for. All for the price of a sticker for your car $5 for state and $3 for county per day (annual is also available).

My favorite discovery was the new aquatic centers that are becoming popular all over now. Their like very small water parks with zero entry children's area and 2-4 waterslides. The one closest to us is less then $20 for a family of 4 ($4 for adults/$3 for kids) and I've never seen it crowded like the expensive water parks.

Another favorite is to go to another town to the park, we have 2 different towns within an hour that built a community playground that is huge.

We also have a very small zoo an hour away that is free all the time and a nice size zoo 2 hours away also free (funded by donations and sponsors).

Our children's museum is very cheap, I think it's $3 for adults and $2 for children.

Check out the local parks & rec or school programs. Ours has softball for all ages for free during the summer. Two weeks of swim lessons is $15 and the school provides bus transportation. Boys and girls clubs have activities too if you have one near you, ours does special events too (back to school night for teens, etc).

If you're in a rural area like we are look for the small town celebrations. We have 3 towns plus our own within 15 miles that hold a summer celebration during different weekends with activities and fireworks.

For those very hot days there's always Mcdonald's playland, for the price of an icecream cone for the adults the kids can play for free.

That's all I can think of for now, Calie

 

[malibuconlee]

Wanna take the kids to a ball game, but don't want to pay the prices for the MLB games? Take them to a minor league game. MiLB.com has info/links to find a team close to you. Check out their websites and the promotions pages on them. You can find great deals.

EX: Our local team has two-fer Tuesdays with a coupon in the paper. Also Dollar Mondays where general admission tickets, hot dogs, pop, pizza slices, and popcorn are all only $1 each.

 

[2kidsnutsfordisney]

Don't forget your local farmer's market. At a local market near us they play live music twice a week and there are always lots of free samples of fruit and vegetables! We could easily spend a couple of hours just exploring all the vendors and listening to the music. Have a great summer!

 

[ceecee]

Host your own summer camp instead of paying the huge amounts for the Y's, etc. Have some of your neighbor's kids come or friends of your child...do treasure hunts and cheap crafts. Have a different parent donate the snacks. Camps are a big thing around here. DD had to choose 2 out of 7! Girl Scout (which was only $20) horse camp, basketball, volleyball, bowling, YMCA (which is very expensive...it's like daycare) and a summer program at a Rec ctr.
Don't forget Bible Schools, they do neat crafts and have a ton of fun. DD is going with her friend this week and they will go to our church's next month.

 

[CheapMom]

Yo- Baltimore people- free upper reserve ticket to any Wednesday Oriole home game when you show a receipt from a Wendy's combo meal (it may have to be from the same day but I am not sure.)

 

[hdecker]

Not necessarily cheap but a money saver in the long run. Several years ago we decided to go to our local zoo for the day. Admission for the 5 of us was 35.00; the same cost of an annual pass that also allowed us entry into almost all the zoos in the U.S. We planned our summer trips around zoos within a few hours driving distance and spent a cheap weekend. Even planned our vacation route around zoos on the way. We totaled over 22 zoos that year and it was alot of fun. Another thought if you are planning on going to an amusement park (not disney) is to find out if season passes would be cheaper than a 2 day admission. We are going to Cedar Point this summer and admission is about 45.00 a day or 100.00 for a season pass. Our local Cedar Fair owned parks season pass is 69.00 and works at cedar point and all other cedar fair parks. So we save 30.00 per person buying them locally.

 

[luv2vacation]

Thanks to everyone for the info!! Keep it coming!!

 

[spoon full of sugar]

Thank you so much for posting the free movie info. I read it last night, and took my son to see The Polar Express this morning. We missed this when it came out last Christmas, that time of year is so hectic. I can never get all the little "Martha Stewart" type things done that I want. Which gave me the idea for this freebie. On one of those days when it's to hot to go to the park or the zoo, why not stay home (with the a/c on of course) and make winter crafts. You can go to www.papersnowflakes.com or www.daves-snowflakes.com for free paper snowflake patterns. Create a blizzard in your living room! Just the thought of all that snow should cool everyone down. Then when the kids are over it, pack up the snowflakes to use as decorations, or glue to cards or wrapping paper come Christmas time.The kids will have a neat memory ( if a bit out of synch ) and you"ll be ahead of the game with your Christmas projects without all the stress.