Saturday, June 23, 2012

Summer Fun!!!

Now that summer is upon us in full swing, I decided I would share my tricks and tips that I use with my kids to make the best of the warm weather and extra time!


First, on days that it's just too scorching hot to go outside, my kids go stir-crazy!  Once chores are done and "electronic box" time is exhausted, I break out this fun little recipe!  Enjoy!


Edible Play Dough
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
Mix well.  Play with it like regular play dough, and enjoy eating your creations!  To store, just put it in a zip-lock bag!  SO quick, so easy, so fun!!!


On my days off (weekends---YAY!!!), I always try to find something fun to do outside the house for the kids.  Just playing outside, like running through the sprinklers, is reserved for weekdays.  So here are my tricks to finding fun things to do that won't break the family budget!


* Find out if your community has any free events, discount programs, etc.  My county has a list of free activities every Saturday!  I have taken my kids to an aquatic center and the dinosaur park for free so far!  My old community offered scholarships to children who qualified financially, and I was able to use these for swimming lessons, baseball, and dance lessons!  


* Do some research on places in your community that are fun and cost little to nothing.  We have an air force museum here that is free and always a lot of fun, and a historical fort located in a park where admission is only $1, and you can add canoeing for not much more!  This will always provide you with a quick "I'm bored" solution.


*  Do not discount your local park!  A picnic lunch with playing on the equipment for an hour afterwards is always a sure kid-pleaser!  As a bonus, many parks host activities for kids in the summer afternoons!


One of my favorite things to do is also to just look in my son's Boy Scouts handbook to see what he needs to pass off.  Often, there are ideas in there that the whole family can enjoy, and it carries the added bonus of counting towards his requirements!


I hope these ideas help other parents who are facing that age-old cry of summer, "I'm bored!"  If you have any other ideas, please feel free to share them in your comments!  Best of luck with your imps in the heat!!!  



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