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A cheap but great summer - Page 2

post #21 of 42
6/11/08 at 9:05pm
This is an awesome thread! Thanks for all the great ideas!

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post #22 of 42
6/11/08 at 10:43pm
These are such nice ideas! They make me think of my own childhood summers.
post #23 of 42
6/11/08 at 10:52pm
Swim lessons at local pond or pool. Here they are pretty cheap. Rec Dept offers them for $45/twice a week for 6 or 7 weeks!

Camping and bonfires and s'mores right in the backyard.

Take public transportation to someplace you haven't been to before.

Any musuems have "free" days or nights? Take advantage.

Local libraries have lots of free events for kids including summer bookclubs, etc.

Playing with OOBLECK - cookie sheets filled with corn starch and water. Amazing consistency.
post #24 of 42
6/12/08 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
Bumping for even more ideas for my dd and I and to inspire others..this is the BEST thread ever!!!
post #25 of 42
6/12/08 at 4:09pm
all of the above ideas are wonderful! I know that I had the best summers growing up b/c my parents just let us outside and allowed us to explore and be creative. My best memories as a child are of me and my sister camping in the back yard for days at a time, and of me sitting under shade trees with a huge stack of library books and a picnic lunch! Oh, and btw, I still love to do half of the above mentioned activities!
post #26 of 42
6/12/08 at 5:11pm
Library summer reading programs often have extra story times, puppet shows, etc. that are fun free entertainment.

Check around for free concerts and shakespeare in the park.

Many museums have a weekly or monthly free admission day. Find out when they are and go!

Turn her loose in the backyard (if you have one) daily.

Here the heat makes summer fun either indoor or water oriented. We know where several parks with water features for splash play are located. Find out how much a summer pool pass at your city pool is. Or Get a wading pool and sprinkler if you have a yard, for water play on the cheap.
post #27 of 42
6/12/08 at 10:57pm
Maybe you could teach her to play jacks. that is one of my favorite memories as a kid, we played for hours. Also that game ( 7-up?) where you take a playground ball and bounce it off the side of the house 7 times, then 6 times you throw it off the house and let it bounce once, etc.
Make puppets with some simple sewing/felt.
Tye dye some t-shirts.
Sleep in the backyard or on the porch.
Discover adventures in your home town that you never take the time to do, like visiting a new bakery once a week or traveling to a different playground.
Play cards. There are so many games, and I have such happy memories of our family playing together ever since I can remember.
Start a baking day once a week. Peanut butter cookies or coffee cake, it doesn't matter what it is but the time together will be precious.
And okay- I have to say this because it is my new favorite thing.....consider investing in a Flip Video camera. It is without a doubt, the best investment we have ever made for our family and I plan to record our whole summer! We have an expensive video camera that we never really used, and the flip is used constantly. Your daughter could do it easily, and for a little over a hundred dollars you would have your awesome summer for always. Record your baking, local travels, and everyday joys. I know this is a little ( ok, a lot) ot but these are great ideas, and it seems like a perfect time to capture your daughter's childhood.
post #28 of 42
6/13/08 at 3:06am
These suggestions are so great.....I'm adding a couple from our summer fun list. Make homemade ice-cream (without electric ice cream maker) and butter. My four year old also wants to make watermelon rind pickles - we just read Farmer Boy!
post #29 of 42
6/13/08 at 9:31pm
great ideas!
post #30 of 42
6/13/08 at 9:45pm
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post #31 of 42
6/13/08 at 10:02pm
We're lucky enough to have two theaters in town that offer free matinees of kids' movies every day all summer. A couple days ago we spent a hot Arkansas afternoon snuggled in the frigid dark, eating smuggled M & Ms. Pretty decadent.

We also have a couple of giant churches who have fabulous kids' play areas . . . think McDonald's Playland on steroids. They want to encourage heathens to come in, so they let us play free any old time we want. Check and see if your big churches have something like this.

We also love to go creek exploring . . . see where it leads and what we can find along the way. A great way to keep cool on the hottest part of the day.

Invite friends over for a play date, then swap locations next week. Kids just love OPT (other people's toys).
post #32 of 42
6/14/08 at 7:14am
Check out construction sites and play "Name that Truck."
post #33 of 42
6/14/08 at 9:28pm
Amazing what an ounce of inspiration can do. Last night I purposely postponed our evening walk until after dark. I suggested DS (4 1/2) bring a flashlight and a lidded cup with holes poked so we could hunt fireflies. He got instantly excited and said, "Mommy! That's a great idea!" And it was indeed.

We walked the same route we do every night, but it was an entirely different experience. Thanks for the inspiration.
post #34 of 42
6/14/08 at 9:44pm
Sidewalk chalk
Sprinkler
sand box
having friends over for
homemade pizza night
ice cream sundae night
taco night
game night
movie night
etc.
Have already set-aside rainy day activities like board games, craft kits, painting, playing cards, a giant puzzle, etc.


When threads like this come up, I am always reminded of a heartwrenching scrapbooking page I saw once. It was by a single mom and about her relationship with her now-grown daughter. She one day asked her daughter about her favorite childhood memories. The daughter said "I remember one time we had a picnic, on the living room floor, for dinner. We used the fancy china. I felt so special, and loved."

The mom's recollection: She was so poor she couldn't put food on the table for dinner. She put out what little she had. She figured her daughter would always remember this as the lowest of the low days, the worst of the worst poverty, etc. So she made it fun, putting a picnic blanket on the floor instead of eating at the kitchen table. She made it as fancy as she could with the nice plates. All she had to offer for dinner that night was one measly can of sardines they had to share.

To her, it was one of her worst days as a parent. To her daughter, it was one of Mom's best.


Having a ton of money isn't what makes childhood great.
post #35 of 42
6/15/08 at 9:40pm
gotta sub
post #36 of 42
6/15/08 at 9:48pm
subbing here too!
post #37 of 42
6/16/08 at 8:54am
Taking pictures can be great fun. If you have a digital camera, you could work at both improving your skills as photographers. You could do photo scavenger hunts. Pose for each other, take lots of pictures of friends. Bring the camera on walks and see what new things you can notice. Take close-ups, finding details, textures, colours.
post #38 of 42
6/17/08 at 1:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by _betsy_ View Post
When threads like this come up, I am always reminded of a heartwrenching scrapbooking page I saw once. It was by a single mom and about her relationship with her now-grown daughter. She one day asked her daughter about her favorite childhood memories. The daughter said "I remember one time we had a picnic, on the living room floor, for dinner. We used the fancy china. I felt so special, and loved."

The mom's recollection: She was so poor she couldn't put food on the table for dinner. She put out what little she had. She figured her daughter would always remember this as the lowest of the low days, the worst of the worst poverty, etc. So she made it fun, putting a picnic blanket on the floor instead of eating at the kitchen table. She made it as fancy as she could with the nice plates. All she had to offer for dinner that night was one measly can of sardines they had to share.

To her, it was one of her worst days as a parent. To her daughter, it was one of Mom's best.


Having a ton of money isn't what makes childhood great.



Thanks for the reminder that it is our relationship that matters above all.
post #39 of 42
6/17/08 at 8:56am
Card games. I remember one summer I played cards a lot. I learned blackjack and all kinds of games. I learned to shuffle. Great math skills, and it's cheap!

Board games. Puzzles. Our family really loves playing a game called Settlers of Catan.
post #40 of 42
6/17/08 at 10:58am
The library program in our town, combined with story hour is wonderful! And there is story hour for older kids--school aged--how great is that?? An air conditioned library on a hot day with gazillions of books is heaven for my family.

Local naturalist type organizations (think Audabon) offer programs. Our favorite is the Owl Prowl, which involves a guided walk AT NIGHT with FLASHLIGHTS! So much fun, and interesting too.

Can you plant a garden or container garden? This provides every day fun and a cool learning experience for the kids. Your dd could grow a "pizza garden" for instance-tomato's, oregano and basil.

The local parents papers, if you have them, will often have listings of events around town. Do you have access to any summertime agricultural fairs? These aren't free, but are a lot of fun.

We're building a tree fort, so that's going to be our big summer project, along with the garden.

Have fun!

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby