FRUGAL & FUN FAMILY FRIDAY

FRUGAL & FAMILY FUN FRIDAY

Coupon Savvy Sarah and some of my other favorite fellow bloggers have teamed up to provide some fun ideas this summer to beat the boredom with your kids!

My favorite FREE activities (all year round) are:

Lowes Build & Grow Workshops provide a bi-monthly free wood project for kids to build and normally they get an apron upon their first visit and with each project completed your child will get a certificate of completion and iron on patch!! Sign ups are available online and I recommend you sign up in advance to guarantee your spot - sign up HERE

Home Depot's Kid's Clinics run the first Saturday of every month from 9-12pm - no pre-registration needed. The kids get an apron upon their first visit and a pin upon completion of each project. You can find out more information HERE

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This summer you can find a few different bowling programs where your kids bowl free!

Brunswick Bowling ~ Students who are 18 and under receive one free game of bowling every day through June, July and August. Kids 13+ can join the Bonus Zone, Kids 12 and under please have your parents join for you! They will mail the coupons to your inbox! Register HERE

Kids Bowl Free ~ Completely new this year, Kids Bowl Free has you select your state and you can see all the different alleys in your area that are participating! The age limit depends on the center so call ahead to make sure your older ones can play for free too. Kids Bowl Free offers 2 free games of bowling every day all summer long! Get started HERE

AMF Bowling ~ Kids 15 and under can bowl for free from May 14th-September 3rd. Just register and you'll get a weekly email containing your vouchers for 2 free games per child per day! Register HERE

Thanks Clair's Freebies

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1. Kite Flying - I noticed at the beginning of the Spring season that they had kites (2 for only $1) at our Dollar Tree store. Other dollar stores and even Wal-Mart sell kites for next to nothing and they make for a fun day!
2. Vacation Bible School - I've started seeing signs pop up at all of our local churches (some have already had theirs!). These are always free and a great way to inspire the kids through their faith!
3. Visit a Nursing Home - I work for a State program and sadly, I hear about so many people being placed in the nursing home due to illnesses and other health conditions. Some families move their family members in and are never seen again! Grab a coloring book or some blank paper and have your kiddos draw some pictures. Then deliver them to your local nursing home patients who have little to no visitors. The act of kindness is sure to brighten their day! I can remember doing this when I was younger and I got to hear some of the greatest stories I've ever heard in my life from the patients there.
4. Local Tourist Hot Spots/Museums - Many places offer FREE admission. Check your local Chamber of Commerce for a list of local places and I'm betting you'll find several fun and educational events to take your children to!
5. Scavenger Hunts - This is a really fun and cheap way to keep the kids entertained for a few hours. Pick a theme for your hunt (i.e. Pirate, Under the Sea, Princess, etc.) then gather up items that relate to your theme. Hide them and create a map or a list of clues to follow to get to a special prize. The "special prize" could be anything such as ice cream, popsicles, candy, toys, money, etc.!
6. Water Fun - Of course, this is my favorite summertime activity with the kids! 2 years ago, we purchased a Slip N' Slide on sale for $5.00. That was probably our smartest $5.00 investment because the kids had such a good time - plus a bonus was that they went to bed without a fight because they were exhausted!
7. Family Game Night - Gather up all of your favorite games and play each family member's favorite game!
8. Family Cooking Night - Create a menu and let each family member pick one item to be included. For example, if mom loves to create desserts and dad loves to grill, those will be the items that he/she fixes. Let the kids pick easy dishes that they can fix on their own (depending on age) or at least help you with!
9. Library - Our local library always has a list of events for the summer that is fun for kids and families too! Check out yours to see what fun you can have!
10. Volunteer - Find a local pet shelter, nursing home, homeless shelter, etc. and volunteer as a family! Not only are you doing something as a family but you are also contributing to some amazing causes by volunteering your time. Lots of great life lessons can be learned!

Thanks Lynchburg Coupon Mama! 

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Worried about what you are going to do with the kids this summer? Here’s a cure for that. Make this summer activities box and fill it with ideas. I purchased the supplies for the box at my local Michaels store. I was able to get all of my supplies from the clearance shelf. You will need a box or basket, 4 small totes, fabric paint, ribbon or pipe cleaner, glue, 2 pieces of scrapbook paper, a single hole punch and a marker.

Use the fabric paint to write the category names on the tote bags. The categories are: outside play, inside play, food and places to go. Allow the paint to dry per manufacturer’s instructions. Cut 2 sizes of rectangles out of the scrapbook paper and glue them together. Using the marker, write “Summer Activities Box” on the paper and punch out two holes at the top. Using the ribbon or pipe cleaner, fasten the paper to the basket. If you are using a box, glue the paper to the box.

Print out the list of summer activities and cut them into strips. Place the strips into the corresponding categories. When you don’t know what to do this summer, have your child choose a category and pick out a strip of paper.  Boredom is prevented.

Thanks My Kids Cool Mom ~ Print out the list contains over 200 activities (and room for you to add your own) ~ some for rainy days as well as hot, sunny days!