Friday, May 31, 2019

15 FREE, Fun Family Summer Activities!





Summer has arrived. The kids are home from school and ready for some fun. If you are looking for ideas for connecting as a family without breaking the bank, I have FIFTEEN of them for you!

1. Friday Night Picnics




I've mentioned our practice of Friday night picnics in previous posts. For many years, I have packed up whatever I made for supper and we have headed up to the local park overlooking the river. My oldest sons have consistently voted "Friday night picnics" as their favorite memory while growing up. 

Tips for a successful picnic: 


  • Keep a picnic basket pre-packed with plates, cups, silverware, a tablecloth, and napkins. 
  • We don't use paper plates. Instead we have special Melamine tableware, which is dedicated to our picnic supplies area. It is nice looking and fairly indestructible. 
  • Remember to take along a container of wet-wipes for quick clean ups for faces or spills.
  • Be sure to pack a couple of plastic grocery bags or a cloth bag (if you don't use plastic) for taking home dirty dishes.
  • A few wooden clothespins can be handy for holding down the edges of the tablecloth in windy weather. 
  • Stick a pack of plastic storage bags in the picnic basket. This is handy for transporting food back home, especially if a child has part of their pizza or sandwich leftover. 
  • If you don't often make dessert (I don't) then this is the perfect time to include  brownies or cookies as a special Friday night treat. 

You can keep nearly anything hot (or cold) for a short time - even in the middle of summer. 

  • Make pizza portable by creating homemade pizza pockets instead of a traditional round crust. Take them out of the oven and wrap in foil to keep warm. 
  • Transport soup in a crock pot. A slow cooker will keep things hot for a mighty long time. And it ensures less spillage in the trunk or back of the vehicle.
  • Wrap cold items in a kitchen towel and then surround them with several layers of newspaper in a cardboard box for transporting. This is a trick I learned from my Mother-in-law years ago! 

2. Gourmet Popcorn and Movie Night

 

Give your kids the "movie experience" without the cost of tickets and snacks! 

Step 1:

Borrow a movie from your local public library. Alternately, you could also find something that everyone would enjoy on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any other streaming service that you are currently paying for. I don't generally encourage paying any money for movies. But, I will admit that my 20 year old recently bought a Netflix subscription and I'm finding it a little addictive. But, then again, I'm not paying for it. 

Step 2: 

Get the snacks ready! For that full movie experience, I recommend freshly popped popcorn. Popcorn is inexpensive when you purchase it in bulk. We get 50# at a time from SAMS for under $50. Air popped popcorn is so easy and fast to make! You'll want to get out some fancy toppings for that bowl of goodness! 

Gourmet Popcorn Ideas!


  • Mexican Fiesta (a mixture of chili, garlic, and onion powders)  
  • French Toast (cinnamon and powdered sugar) 
  • Taco Deluxe (taco seasoning, cheese powder, and lime zest) 
  • Peanut Butter Cup (powdered sugar, PB2 powdered peanut butter, and cocoa) 
  • Spicy Indian (curry powder, a touch of cinnamon, and hot sauce) 
  • Cherry Delight (cherry Kool-aid mix and powdered sugar) 

3. Attend a free or inexpensive concert!



There are a plethora of opportunities to expose your kids to great music at no or low cost throughout the summer. We have listened to everything from Bach to the Blues! 

*For many more ideas and a list of ways and places to find free musical experiences, read this post: "Music Appreciation for Little or No Money" 


4. Have a fight! (with Nerf guns) 




Our oldest two sons sent this photo was sent to my husband and I after we challenged them to a Nerf gun fight.

They included this note: "Challenge accepted! Thursday night at 6pm. We are faster. We are smarter. The adults are goin' down!"

Our response was: "We are more experienced. We are sneakier. Game on!"

I am serious when I tell you that having a family fight has never been more joyful! As a bonus, it won't cost you a penny!

Use the brightly colored Nerf bullets. It's makes it easier to find the "bullets" after the "war" is over. Otherwise, you'll find orange foam pieces scattered all over the yard the next time you mow. *I may, or may not, know this bit of trivia from actual experience. LOL! 

5. Have a "you are the artist" night

Get out watercolors, markers, colored pencils, and art paper. Stream a Youtube art tutorial. Everyone creates their best rendition of the art technique being shown by the artist on the screen. Be sure to have awards to hand out at the end of the evening. 


6. Write a play and then perform it.  

You are the star! Let the kids write a short play and then everyone acts it out. You may choose a theme that you have been discussing with them. You could also begin by giving them a moral dilemma that their play needs to showcase. It helps kids brainstorm how to use drama to depict real life issues like lying, stealing, gossip, jealousy, and more. 



7.  Perform an "act of service" together.  

There are a multitude of opportunities for your family to serve others! From experience I will advise you to call the person or agency whom you'd like to serve and make sure that it's okay to bring along the kids. Many places like food banks have a minimum age to be able to volunteer. Also, new mothers sometimes like you to leave small children at home if they are having a particularly difficult adjustment period. So, be considerate to those whom you wish to bless and call ahead to let them know of your intentions.

Here are a few ideas for your consideration: 


  • stock the shelves at a local food bank
  • purchase inexpensive items for needy children
  • send greeting cards to the sick, elderly, or shut-ins from church
  • Take dinner to a family who has just had a new baby
  • Offer to mow and trim the church lawn
  • Visit a local nursing home 


8.  Go visit a local cemetery




Okay, I know that some people would not find this either exciting or something that they would choose to do in their spare time. But, my family has always been fascinated by history. You can find out a whole lot about history and spend time in a very peaceful place when you hike at cemeteries. In fact, one of our local historic cemeteries is quite the attraction. It's filled with beautiful places of rest and families, joggers, and hikers can be found there year-round. 

9.  Attend a free day at the local zoo or museum


I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: nearly all attractions have free days scattered throughout the year. Find out when they are and mark them on your calendar. That way you won't forget that family fun can be had for FREE on that day! 

No free day on the weekend you have time to explore as a family? Ask at your local library. Sometimes they have free passes that you can check out to go to local zoos or museums for free!



10. Listen to a book on tape together 

This is a nice change from a read-a-loud. In this case, you get to sit while a professional reads the book out loud to you. There is something different about the experience, sort of like listening to old time radio programs together. If you've never tried it, do give it a try. 

11. "Trade" music 

I got this idea because one day I found out that my oldest son had no idea who the Rolling Stones were! How could I have missed this critical element of his education?! Believe me, I quickly remedied that situation! Although, I must admit that I'm not sure he saw the beauty of the Stones in the same way that I did.

Pick and convenient time to play some tunes together as a family. Grab some snacks and some LPs. Well, as close as you can get to LPs anyway! Youtube has all the hits of a few decades ago. All you need to do is Google the title. Let your kids introduce you to their favorite music! Then have them tell you why they like it and what message they believe the music is trying to promote. Then, you get to do the same! Reach waaayyy back! Grab that disco sound and then watch their faces! Bonus points if you once danced to this music together - especially if you actually dated your spouse in high school.


12. Cook dinner together 


13. Let the kids create a "restaurant"  

This is a unique take on cooking together. In this case, the kids do the planning, cooking, and serving. The adults are the "customers" at their restaurant.

 My older boys loved doing this when they were younger. They took over the kitchen and created a menu based on items we already had in the house. They even had a logo for their eating establishment!  They named their restaurant and then used the computer to create a customized menu. The table was set with our nicest dishes and candles were lit. We were then invited to enter the restaurant and have a seat. One son stayed in the kitchen to plate our choices, while the other dressed in an apron and became our chef for the night. 

We always asked the chef to come in so we could compliment him on how amazing the food tasted. We tipped them both liberally and then the adults did the dishes, while the kids relaxed. Please understand that I have never owned a dish washer. So, my boys wash and dry the dishes every single night. Having us take over this task for them for the evening was a tremendous treat for them. 


14. Charades (on the front lawn if you are brave) 

Bonus points if you get the neighbors to join in! 

Charades are so much fun and it is amazing how quickly the little ones catch on! I have been delighted by how creative some of the youngest members of our family can be! 

15. Create a back yard obstacle course 

My older boys and I spent an entire day doing this when we were learning about physics. We decided to use all of our yard equipment to make an obstacle course, which would move a large ball from one end of the yard to the opposite end. We had to use a lot of science and spatial relationships to get it to work. When we were finally successful, I whooped and hollered, only to see the neighbor across the street standing in her front yard and laughing at my obvious enthusiasm. I yelled over that we were having a "ball" and we proceeded to high-five each other and figure out if we could reconfigure the course and get it to work again.

BONUS IDEA! -  Plan a "media free" month

When I mentioned to my oldest son that I was writing this article, he told me that the most impactful thing we ever did was to have a media free month. At one point, we realized that we were not connecting as a family in enough meaningful ways. So, we unplugged for 30 days. No computers, no television, no social media. It was amazing! After about one week, we were coming up with all sorts of interesting and enjoyable ways to be together! We absolutely loved it! So, maybe this summer is just the time for you to deliberately unplug from anything that requires a cord to run it and plug into spending time together! 


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Do all to the glory of God, 

Hope



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