Free & Cheap Things to Do This Summer

[Claire&TheBoys]

I'm trying to copy an idea from Family Fun magazine, making a list of fun things to do with the kids this summer to keep us from getting on each other's nerves too badly, watching too much TV, and in general, just piddling away the summer and not really doing much.

Of course, I don't want to go to the movies every day, play mini-golf every day, or go to the beach every day. Give me some ideas of fun things you like to do with your kids. Free is good, cheap is good.

Thanks!

 

[mrudman]

We do a lot of camping.. not real cheap, but fun to get away from it all for a couple days...

Other activities we've done in past summers is hiking, fishing, go to zoo (have membership), do messy crafts outside (sand art, painting, etc) that I normally don't let them do, etc.

And one thing we love to do is our local railroad has a "bike aboard" program where you ride your bike as far as you want on the bike and hike trail, then hop on the train (with bike stored in separate car), and ride back to where you started from.. love doing that.. and very cheap at only $2/person.... we have days where we'll see how far we can ride, and have done 15-mile trips some days.

 

[happybratpack]

Not sure if I'm qualified since I'm kidless but I'll try.

Lowes/Home Depot Kid Programs
Camping
Geocaching
Local Rec Center sometimes has cheap programs/classes
Tons of kids craft ideas on Pinterest
"Treasure" hunting at garage sales/thrift stores...kids have small amount of $ to spend
Picnic somewhere fun around town
Local museums and zoos sometimes have free/cheap family days

Still thinking.

 

[worm761]

We go hiking. There are ton of places to go hiking at but most people don't take the time to find out the places near them. We pack a lunch and carry it in a backpack cooler we got at Target for $30.
We pack a lunch and go to the park too. There are bunch of parks around here so we try not to keep going to the same one.
You could buy some waterballoons ($5 @ Walmart) and have a water balloon toss.
Buy some cheapie prizes at the Dollar Tree and organise a "field day" at home with the neighborhood kids. Those games are usually pretty cheap to organise.
Try googling your city with free or cheap things to do. You might be shocked at what you can find out there.

 

[ban26ana]

We're also doing a ton of camping. I go to the beach at least once a week. I signed up for the kids bowl free program. We see free summer movies. Our county park has lots of nature trails, along with a nature center with free classes. It also has 2 playgrounds and bikes yo borrow for free. We have a free air show over the Atlantic City beach. It's actually insanely busy, so I take the kids the day before when the planes are practicing.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Kidsbowlfree.com

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

We're also doing a ton of camping. I go to the beach at least once a week. I signed up for the kids bowl free program. We see free summer movies. Our county park has lots of nature trails, along with a nature center with free classes. It also has 2 playgrounds and bikes yo borrow for free. We have a free air show over the Atlantic City beach. It's actually insanely busy, so I take the kids the day before when the planes are practicing.

Check out jerseyfamilyfun.com they have calendars by county of stuff to do.

 

[tina.tina]

Thanks for starting this thread! I've made my own list and am hoping to get some inspiration here, too.

School is out on Thursday and we're planning a marshmallow/hotdog roast for this weekend.

Some of the things we're hoping to do this Summer:
National/state parks
playground parks around town
berry picking
museums
plant some seeds Even a small container garden teaches so much.
stargazing
farmers' markets
local library family programs
nearby minor league baseball team has promotions & lots of free nights

I think it's a good idea to look at your hometown from a fresh perspective. Do touristy things in your area- like a mini "staycation."

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Thanks for the good ideas and keep them coming!

So far my list has:
morning at the beach
playground
bowling
farmers' market
public pool that has a water-play area
summer library program
family movies are $3 every Tues/Wed at one theater with popcorn/drink
nature walk at local museum

The geocaching is a good suggestion. Friends of mine used to do that and enjoy it.

I'll have to do some searching to see if there are any walking trails nearby. We don't really have "hiking" since Florida is very flat!

 

[ctinct]

Not sure if many other places do this, but our library has free/cheap passes to various museums and attractions that you can check out and use for the day.

 

[worm761]

I'll have to do some searching to see if there are any walking trails nearby. We don't really have "hiking" since Florida is very flat!

You should take another look at your area. We are in Florida and there is a ton of trails to hike around here. It isn't the pack the camping gear, going up a mountain type of hiking. But we have national parks and other trails to walk all over the area.

Where in Florida are you, if you don't mind telling?

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

You should take another look at your area. We are in Florida and there is a ton of trails to hike around here. It isn't the pack the camping gear, going up a mountain type of hiking. But we have national parks and other trails to walk all over the area.

Where in Florida are you, if you don't mind telling?

Northwest Florida, in the Panhandle, in a coastal county. I'm sure there probably are some, but I was really aiming more for things to do in the immediate, local area. I don't want to drive an hour to do something. I'm really thinking of things to do just for a few hours in the morning, not day-long events.

 

[luvmy3]

These are things I have already done or planning to do when the kids are out of school.
Camping
Hiking. We are lucky enough to have great State Park trails all around our area.
Signed them up for free bowling
Ride on the bike trail
Family pass to town park with a lake
Concerts in the park
Set up a volleyball/badminton net
Scavenger hunt (in our yard and woods)
Nerf war course (made with cardboard boxes)
Super soaker war
Make garden stones (use pie tins and concrete)

 

[disneydeal]

Kidsbowlfree.com

yes we do the kids bowl free ... the kid bowls for free 2 games each day thru mid august and you can buy a family pass for $25.... so you can bowl with them 2 games per day....

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Play board games.
Play charades.
Play Pictionary.
Set up an obstacle course in your backyard (or indoors if it's raining) and time how long it takes each kid to get through it.
Scavenger hunt (give each kid a list of items to find in the neighbourhood or park)
Horseback riding.
Celebrate different countries - make crafts/decorations based on that country, prepare food from that country, find music, etc.
Bake cookies, muffins, etc.
Volunteer to help out at a local food bank, seniors' home, animal shelter, etc.

TP

 

[RMAMom]

Purchase or check out of your local library a book called Weird Florida, there are all sorts of fun, silly, weird things to check out.

 

[AntePrincess]

Thanks to gas prices...

1. Go to Costco for their hot dogs and a frozen yogurt "sundae" then play baseball in the park. (The hot dog meal is much cheaper and better than the park vendors!)
2. Picnics in parks and public gardens. Five Below has collapsible market baskets and melamine dishware that's perfect for this.
3. Go playground hopping. There are a bunch nearby, some are really incredible, and all within walking distance.
4. Free weekly movies with popcorn at the library and the senior/youth center.
5. Lawn games. Besides homemade lawn bowling (playground ball + water filled soda bottles) we've found horseshoe and bocci ball courts ready to use in local parks and senior centers.
6. I second farmer's markets. One by us is practically a mellow carnival with kettlecorn, ice pops, roasted nuts, lemonade and more.
7. Lots and lots of barbecues. It gets everyone out of doors.
8. Coin collecting for rainy days. We bought coin folders for pennies, nickles, and dimes for $2-4 each, picked up rolls of coins at the bank, and printed out free information sheets and coloring pages from the mint websites.
9. Scouts or 4-H, in addition to "troop time" there are often activities for the kids to do in their own time and, all told, it is cheap.
10. Learn to make friendship bracelets. They're cheap, easy, and they're becoming a fad again.
11. Make ice cream. There are recipes online for doing it without a machine.

 

[bstarprincess37]

I second the library, I don't have kids, but I have done quite a bit of babysitting and I used to spend a great deal of time at the library with the twins I babysat. We would spend some time reading together in the children's area and before I let each of them pick out a dvd to watch later in the week.

I also know a lot of public places, here where we live have times during the week where things are free. For example, the botanical garden is free her on saturdays and the zoo although free all the time, has days when the exhibits are also free for a few hours. You could look into free days or hours at places like these.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

as a PP stated volunteering at a pet shelter is a great idea. They need people to walk dogs and this is a very rewarding experience. Sign up to to it once a week for a few hours and you won't be sorry.

 

[mom2cookies]

invite another family over for a cookout ( if they offere to bring something - food -, let 'em) and play minute to win it games. They are usually too difficult to set up and mix the family members up into 2teams. ( i used to different color marbles and everyone just reached into a paper bag and grabbed one to decide teams).
we just had burgers, chips, pasta salad, and later on ice cream or something like that.