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Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Frugal Summer Fun For Your Toddler

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frugal summer activities for kidsIt’s hard to believe that June is here!

The weather is finally starting to warm up (the cold weather was dragging on forever here) and we’re venturing outside. This is the first summer that my daughter could really ”do anything”. She was born in June so last year, being only one, was just learning how to walk and explore.

This year, a full-fledged active two year old, requires strategic planning to keep her entertained. The good thing is that she’s only two so doesn’t really know how or what is out there unless we expose her to it. The bad thing is that she is very busy and requires me to be as creative as I can be to keep her entertained all summer.

After pursing the internet and talking to my mom and teacher friends, I have come up with a list of fun fugal outdoor activities for your toddler:

  • Painting with water. We did this the other day and it’s as easy as it seems. Bucket of plain water and a paintbrush! We painted the driveway and fence. This literally entertained her for over an hour and 100% mess-free!
  • Chalk/bubbles. Another favorite and cost less than $1.
  • Explore your neighbourhood. I like taking walks with kiddo before it gets too hot in the summer mornings. It’s usually not too busy traffic-wise and I can let her out of the stroller to just run ahead of me a little to burn off some energy herself.
  • Parks and playgrounds. When we’re on our walks we will often stop at a local playground to run around. Bonus if there are other kids present for her to play with otherwise mom is getting an added workout playing too 🙂
  • DIY Sandbox or dirtbox. Little fact: Kids love to dig and play in dirt. We plan on buying a cheap kiddy pool (less than $10) and filling it with either sand or dirt. We can hide a few toys within the sand/dirt and let them dig it out. I went to the local dollar store and purchased some little shovels and a toy dump truck for her to play with in said box.
  • Beach days. Great idea of you’re close to one!
  • Picnics. There’s something so fun about eating outside. You don’t even have to go anywhere, you’re own backyard will do. It’s the change in routine that will have them entertained.
  • Treasure hunt. Take objects (ideally kids toys) and hide them outside having them find them based on description such as ”eye spy something that is red”.
  • Garden. Kids love helping. Something like a garden is something they can help with (maybe something as simple as buying them a tiny watering can sort of thing). Have them help pick out flowers and I’m sure the first thing out of their mouths every morning will be ”flowers!”. They will love the added responsibility to help keeping it alive.

Keeping little ones entertained can be exhausting for parents. It’s so easy to run out of ideas especially with very active toddlers. I hope there are a few new ideas for you and your little one. Bring on warm weather!

What other frugal summer fun ideas can you think of?

Enjoy Sporting Events at a Great Price!

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seats at a sporting eventWe are a sports loving family! The boys’ nursery was sports themed — and now, their bedroom is pretty much the same. Once we moved them to their bunk beds, we did away with the baby stuff and gave their room a “little-big kid” update. We purchased their first baseball gloves when they were still infants — and my Aunt and Uncle made sure they had even better quality baseball gloves for their 1st birthday. Once my Uncle found out A. was a lefty, he promptly went out and purchased him a left-handed glove.

We don’t push sports on our kids but they are surrounded by it. They are still too little to play organized sports (they’ve had soccer lessons but nothing competitive). However, N does love to play baseball — and has grand visions of being a catcher one day.

My husband and I love sports. I’m a huge Bears fan and enjoy watching just about any sport live. My husband follows a variety of sports; baseball, football, hockey, basketball and now that Portland has a pro-soccer team — he might be converted to a soccer fan as well. The boys know all the right teams to cheer for. Although, I’m afraid when they go through their rebellious stage — they’ll, also know the teams they can root for, to drive my husband and I crazy!  I am also proud to say that the boys can recognize logos of quite a few sports teams – at least the important ones anyway. And if you are wondering — no, we don’t quiz them with flash cards.

 

Free Sports Events

Attending professional sporting events can be spendy but there are a lot of other options. For instance, our boys love going to any sporting event, especially ones where they can see their “big kid” friends play. These sporting events are usually free – or cost very little – to enjoy. These games may not have all the thrill and excitement of pro games – but for little ones – they will just love the atmosphere and some great bonding time.

We actually took the boys to their first little league game, when they were only about a month old. Of course they slept through the game  — but I could tell they were really happy to be there. They went to their first middle school football game when they were less than a year old. They liked it, until my friend cheered for her son’s team — which scared A. Actually, he cried through the rest of the game. I am happy to report that he had a much better time the following year — and cheered along with the crowd.

 

Low Price Sporting Events

Semi-pro teams are also a fantastic way to take in a game without spending a ton of money. We actually just took the boys to watch our town’s semi-pro basketball team. Total cost for 2 adults, 2 children, 2 bags of chips , and a bottle of water — $13. You can barely get one person into a movie for that amount of cash! The team plays at the local community college, and it’s a great time for the whole family.

They do free face painting, they are always giving away things, and they even had a station set up so people can make signs, to show the team support. The best part is, if the kids are having a tough time sitting still, or get too tired to be there — you don’t feel like you are wasting money if you need to leave early.

Check out your local area. You may discover a team you didn’t even know about (like we did last year–we had no idea our town had a semi-pro basketball team). Tickets to semi-pro baseball, hockey, car racing, etc. won’t break the bank and you’ll make fabulous memories with the kiddos!

Finally, if you want to really surprise your family or spouse, you can put together a sports package and go see a major sports team or sporting event.  For example, you could find a discount sports package through a service like RoadTrips, and you could get into a great event for a good price.  I’ve done this for my husband’s birthday, and we had a blast.

How do you work sporting events into your budget?

5 Family Day Trips to Keep Everyone Smiling

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Cadbury WorldIt can be tough on parents to keep generating family-friendly days out, which everyone can enjoy. It’s unlikely that you can afford half of the options, let alone opt for something democratically. Here are just a few of our suggestions for inexpensive days out that will allow everyone to bond together.

Cadbury World

Who doesn’t love chocolate? If you’re a freak of nature, who has forsaken the more-ish delights of the cocoa bean, move on to the next subheading – nobody wants your healthy diet choices here. Easter has already been and gone, and you won’t get another chocolate haul like that again until Christmas (from well-wishing relatives who really can’t think of anything else to buy you). Well, that is…unless you go to Cadbury World.

Cadbury World is largely a poorly masqueraded opportunity to walk away with a year’s supply of chocolate (okay, a week’s). Yeah, you can learn about the chocolate-making process and even how Cadbury advertises their goodies, but really everyone is here to get sick on Crunchies. Just remember to take a pack of wet wipes with you, or you’ll regret it.

There’s also an African adventure play park, where the kids can work off all that extra energy. Top tip: book online and save 5% off a family ticket price.

Nidderdale Llamas

Walking can be a bit lonely and boring, but at Nidderdale Llamas, you can go for a trek with a llama…just because. Special therapy sessions with the llamas can even be arranged for children with difficulties. You can meet and greet the alpaca, before strapping on your walking boots.

 Don’t worry, these llamas are friendly and gentle souls, who don’t rush slow walkers. There’s no spitting from these furry creatures. According to Trip Advisor, it gets 5/5!

Eureka!

Our nation’s child museum is especially tailored to the kids…and your inner five year old. Eureka is especially designed for young ones, so if you still have under-tens on your hands, this makes learning fun. The new gallery, ‘All About Me,’ explores how the body works, and was built by adults and children working together.

Other attractions include ‘Living and Working Together,’ which means children can role-play as grown-ups. There are many more informative and hands-on galleries.

Chester Zoo

Go wild at Chester Zoo! Not only are there 11,000 fantastic animals to see but there is also Oakfield Manor to explore. The beautiful gardens are excellent for strolling around. Chester Zoo is big on its conservation and can boast some of the most innovative enclosures in the country. Besides, no-one ever grows out of their love for cute and amazing animals, so even Granny can come along and have an enjoyable day out.

Warner Bros Studios

Fans of Harry Potter will be stupefied by this day out. The Harry Potter tour includes real scenery from the films, from the Great Hall to the Gryffindor Common Room. You can even toast to your day out with a glass of refreshing butterbeer!

The fun and furry inhabitants at Knowsley Safari Park have collaborated with Kids Ain’t Cheap to bring you this post today. Click here for information on exciting days out.

Got any ideas for family day trips that we’ve missed? Share your recommendations in the comments below!

Easy DIY Infant Toys

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DIY Infant ToysLast week I wrote a post dismissing the notion that kids were overly expensive and today I’m going to elaborate on this by showing a few DIY toy ideas.

My daughter has many toys, from fancy jumpers to basic blocks. The toys she consistently plays with the most though? Ones that were made for her out of basic household items like pop bottles and baby wipe containers. My sister is an early childhood educator so I have to credit her with these ideas since they’re all ones she makes in the classroom. I don’t know what it is about these particular items but she continues to play with them over her store-bought toys so I thought I would share a few ‘recipes’ for DIY infant toys.

 

Easy DIY Infant Toys

  • Pop Bottle Shakers: Using a small pop (soda) or water bottle (500-750ml size), fill it will whatever you want as long as it makes noise and won’t break! I have one filled with colored pasta noodles, sparkles and sequins and another filled with small wooden alphabet letters (found at the dollar store), sparkles and more sequins of different shapes. If you can fit it in the opening of the bottle, the possibilities are endless!
  • Sensory Containers: Made from baby wipe containers, wash and dry the containers and fill them with things the baby can pull out of the opening and vary in textures. Ours is full of fabric swatches. All different textures, from denim to crinoline to super soft baby fleece. This tutorial took it a step further and stitched numbers and letters on the fabrics. You can again fill with small toys they need to dig to get. Baby wipe containers often, but not always, have a wide opening which is safe for little fingers but make sure there are no sharp edges before making this craft.
  • Taggies: This is the picture featured at the beginning of the post. I don’t know if there is a correct term for these but it’s a basic fabric square with ribbon loops stitched into it. I don’t know what it is about ribbons/tags but kids LOVE them. I’ve seen taggie books, fancy taggie stuffed animals but the basic square with a few ribbon loops seems to do the trick and if you can stitch a straight line you can easily make one at home.

Other things my daughter loves to do is splash water either in the tub or sometimes I’ll just pour a little water on her high-chair tray and allow her to splash and make a little mess, after all it’s only water and she doesn’t need a lot to entertain her, maybe 1/2 cup. Good ‘ol fashion bubbles are often overlooked. Bubbles have entertained her for what seems like hours.

There are many options out there for making your own toys for kids of all ages, more proof that kids don’t have to be as expensive as some will have you believe. You don’t necessarily need fancy store-bought toys, anything that encourages playing and exploration means you’ve succeeded in the making of your own ‘toys’. Happy crafting!

What other DIY infany toys have you made?

Keeping Santa Alive

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With Christmas fast approaching, choosing to introduce Santa is a choice parents will have to make soon! While my husband and I will be partaking in the traditions involving the jolly old man, I have friends who have chosen to forego the Santa tradition entirely. My opinion is that in today’s world of violence and technological advancements, the innocence of things like Santa are needed to keep our children grounded; almost forcing a sense of enchantment and mystery, things that have seemingly been lost entirely.

How a family introduces Santa will vary between families, cultures and across continents. Here are a  few ideas on how to help keep the magic alive in your house:

Santa’s Key

Santa’s Key is something you can make yourself or chose to buy. The story goes that leaving the key will help answer questions about how the big fat man makes it into your house if you don’t have a chimney or just a skeptical kid.

Santa’s Footprints

A large pair of boots, some flour and a little glitter (for magic) is all you need. Leave the flour footprints by the front door or fireplace for kids to find when they wake in the morning to see if he actually came!

A Letter

Writing a letter early on in your child’s life about how you want the memories of Santa to be remembered might be a good idea. You can choose how you want Santa to be perceived in your house; is he a physical man or more of a giving characteristic found in all of us? Does he bring many gifts or just one? Does he have any rules-like being good all year? Write a letter to your child, when they reach an age of understanding, and explain what or who Santa really is.

Cotton Ball Beard?

I’ve heard of friends parents using pulled cotton balls and putting a few ‘Santa beard whisps’ in the tree, where his beard gets caught when bending down to put the gifts under the tree.

NORAD Santa Tracker

In today’s world of computers and i-everything, kids have great fun following Santa second-by-second on NORAD’s Santa Tracker. NORAD goes into great detail about exactly how the Santa tracking works, it’s a lot of fun.

Whatever your chose to do, make sure your kids are excited about it. Let them enjoy the mysteries behind it and indulge in their questions, be creative and do your best to keep Santa alive as long as you can!

Do you have any special tips or tricks you like to use to keep the spirit of Santa alive in your house?

Things to Consider When Traveling with Children

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Disney CruiseIf you’re planning some holiday travels, or even thinking about a trip for next summer, there are some things that you should consider about traveling with children. It can be very expensive…you have to get extra plane tickets, pay for more meals, and spend more to have fun.  However, that doesn’t need to hold you back from your dream vacation.   Here are some things to consider when traveling with children.

Do The Road Trip

One of the first things you should consider is doing the road trip.  This can be a great trip for children because you just take your regular car, and you can set your own agenda.  This means traveling as much or as little as you want each day.  You can also have the kids pick out which sites they want to see on the trip, which will make it a fun experience for them.  Take a look at some of these other tips for traveling with kids.

Ditch the Hotel

One of the worst parts of traveling to a new place can be cramming into a hotel room with the whole family – dealing with roller beds or sleeping on hotel couches is not fun.  Neither is sleeping 2-3 per bed.  Instead of staying in a hotel, consider renting a timeshare in your favorite destination.  Timeshares typically have 1-2 bedrooms and family room, which can be used to sleep the whole family.  Also, timeshares usually have kitchens, which can be used to cut back on costs by preparing small meals and snacks at the room, instead of buying everything.

Go on a Family Friendly Vacation

Finally, you could consider going on a vacation specifically for children.  For example, you could take a Disney cruise, or go to a family resort, that has a lot of activities specifically designed for children and families.  The perks of these types of trips is that they have plenty of activities for kids and adults alike, and that makes the whole experience enjoyable.

What tips do you have for traveling with children?

8 Simple Rainy Day Activities For Kids

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rainy day kid activitiesAs a resident of the beautiful – but often soggy – Pacific NW; I am quite familiar with trying to come up with fun and creative ways to keep my kids busy on rainy days. I am incredibly happy to say that I have found some really wonderful – low cost or no cost – activities that you can do with your kids, when wet weather strikes. Here are eight rainy day activities for kids that are sure to cure the dreary-day doldrums.

1. Channel your inner chef

There is nothing better than comfort food on a blustery day, so why not whip up something delicious with your kids? Cooking is not only fun but very educational as well (shhhh…don’t worry, I won’t tell). Kids love to help out and no matter what age they are, there is always something they can do. For example, little kids can dump pre-measured ingredients into the bowl, stir things around, frost cupcakes, & lick beaters. Just watch your child’s face light up as you pull out their finished masterpiece. I promise that the look you will see makes all the spilled flour and broken eggs so worth it! Check out www.kids-cooking-activities.com to find recipes, cooking videos, and food facts, as well as fun craft and science recipes.

2. Can you build it? Yes you can!

Fort building is a family favorite in our house. We strip off the couch cushions, gather all the pillows and blankets we can carry, and then we start creating. If you use your imagination; you can make a fort out of just about any space in your home. Our boys have bunk beds; so I just put blankets up to enclose the bottom bunk and poof instant fort in no time flat! Forts are a great place for your kids to embark on all kinds of amazing adventures.

3. Lights, Camera, Action

Reading is a fantastic rainy day activity for kids but you can kick it up a notch by reading then acting out your children’s favorite stories. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you would like. It’s fun getting dressed up and using props but even just acting out the story can be quite entertaining as well. This is a great activity and you can really make some fantastic (and many times silly) memories in the process.

4. Let’s play dress-up

Playing dress up is a genuine two thumbs up, kid approved rainy day activity — guaranteed! Not only will your kids have hours of fun becoming princesses, superheroes, pirates, doctors, nurses, ballerinas, and moms, and dads; you’ll be happy that you didn’t have to spend a fortune for them to do it. All you have to do is raid your closets and after that — check out the second hand stores, where you can buy costumes and some really fancy duds at super low prices. Parents should get in on the act too, in fact I encourage it.

5. Take a walk down memory lane

Rainy days are the perfect time to pop some popcorn, snuggle up on the couch and look at old photos and watch old home movies. Kids love seeing old photos of themselves and hearing stories about when they were younger. This can even stir up some memories that you may have forgotten about. This is not only a great rainy day activity; it is also fantastic bonding time for you and your kids.

6. Get Crafty

That’s right parents, get out the glue, markers, paints, pens, and glitter; then let your kids make something craftastic! There are so many wonderful things that your kids can create. Just put some things out for them and let ‘em go. Fall is also a great time to get started on homemade gifts for Christmas. Some of my favorite web sites to glean ideas from are www.amazingmoms.com, www.familyfun.com, and www.freekidcrafts.com. Once you have enough art pieces assembled; you can invite grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends over for dinner and have an art exhibit. Your kids will love it!

7. Get the heck out of dodge

Before you all go stir crazy; pack everyone up and head over to your local library. There is almost always something fun (and free) going on there and if not, you can still find lots of great books to read. Many libraries have story times, craft times, and other fun activities for kids. Trust me when I say, this is a sanity saver on rainy days. If you are looking for something else to do, call some of your friends with kids and take turns hosting play dates. This will get you some nice adult conversation and the kids will enjoy playing with their friends.

8. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em

Go puddle jumping! Slap on your galoshes and rain coat, grab an umbrella and get outside. This is probably – by far – my kids’ favorite rainy day activity! They have a fabulous time getting wet and muddy and when all the fun has been had; you all can head inside, get everyone in warm dry clothes and have some hot chocolate.

Looking for more things to do with your kids? Check out these great articles.

The Importance of Reading to Your Child
The Learning Tower, a Review
7 Screen-Free Activities for Preschoolers

Whatever you decide to do when bad weather strikes — have fun and enjoy your kids.

How do you keep your kids occupied on rainy days?

Dinosaur Summer Camp

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What boy doesn't love dinosaurs?

(via Pixabay)

I am sure you have heard me ramble on about how much my oldest son loves dinosaurs.  He is only 5 years old but he is so passionate about them.  He reminds me a lot of how I was as a kid.  I used to get super passionate about everything I got into and it just took over my world.

At the start of Summer, we saw an ad in our paper for a Summer day camp that we could not pass up.  It’s put on by a company based in New Jersey called Roving Nature Center Day Camp and they offer a few different options.  The one we signed Harrison up for is called Jurassic in the Park.  How perfect is that.  A week long Summer camp (half days) for 4 – 6 year olds that focuses entirely on dinosaur fun.  Today was his first day and he was just so freaking excited to tell us about it at.  I can’t wait to hear about how much fun he has the rest of this week.  Best $100 we spent so far this Summer.

Have your children ever gone to day camp? How did they like it?

Spring is Here, Time for Yard Work

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Child helping with yard workNow that we here in the East have survived a week of nothing but cold and rain the sun is finally out! It was warm at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and everybody was outside. The amazing thing was how much everything had grown during the week of rain! The grass had been cut right before the rain started and it was over the boy’s ankles already. Of course this then makes me nervous because of the ticks. There is always something to be concerned about.

With the grass and mud I have learned that even a 13 yr. old and a 10 yr. old are in their glory. But, it was also time to pull out the yard tools and get to work. There is always some pulling of teeth (so to speak) to get the boys to want to help. The preteen years are a bit of a juggling act. Ask them if they want to help and they would rather climb a mountain. Tell them they HAVE to help and then you get the “eye-rolling silent breathing gasp treatment”. Finding a happy medium takes not only a concentrated effort on the parents’ part but also amazing is the fact that these almost full-blown teens have the answers to EVERYTHING. And finally, the family is working as a team…sigh.

Teaching children to work for what they want

After getting the work done we all sit outside and relax. My 13 yr. old wants a dirt bike. My 10 yr. old wants anything with a motor. Again we have the “talk” about how if you want something you will have to work to earn it. They both answer at the same time that they know. If they KNOW then why do we need to have this discussion at least once a week?

So we are back to discussing how fast everything grows in the rain and the newest toys they now want/need. They are going to work for what they want and have asked for extra chores. This is going to last until the middle of the week when they have to be reminded if they want those things they need to do the chores.

Two things come to mind when I think about the day. My kids are growing and changing as much as nature has shown us today. As with the flowers and grass my kids need to be fed and guided and yes pruned back every once in a awhile.

Teaching my kids they have to work and earn what they want is very important. I want them to learn how it feels to have earned something rather than just have it handed to them.  They will learn that if they really want something it is worth working hard for and in the end it will show them that they can do pretty much anything they want if they put their minds to it.

Do you give your children chores? Do they earn the money for the extra things that they want?

Free Comic Book Day this Saturday

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Free comic book dayI have mentioned in previous posts that I have been a life long comic book fan.  My cousin introduced them to me when I was in 3rd grade or so and it blossomed into I cherish.  It taught me to love reading and worked my imagination to it’s fullest.

Every year, the comic book industry puts on a special event called Free Comic Book Day.  Most comic stores participate.  This one time every year the comic stores can purchase a specific selection of comic books for very cheap (pennies on the dollar) as long as they give them away for free on free comic book day.  Comic stores typically have events surrounding the day with other giveaways going away and comic creators showing up to sign books and meet their fans.   This year, Free Comic Book Day is this coming Saturday (May 7, 2011).

How to find stores participating in Free Comic Book Day

It’s a great event for families looking for something cheap and different.   If you aren’t sure where the closest comic book store is, use the Comic Book Store Locator Service to see if there is one near you that is participating in this event.  If you can find a store close by, take the kids, have some fun, introduce them to the wonderful, creative world of comic books for Free!

You can read more about it at FreeComicBookDay.com

Do you read comic books? Have you gone to a Free Comic Book Day event in the past?