I need help finding family activities

[Shakyshaky]

Ok so here is the deal. Dh was just put on salary, with no overtime and at his base pay ( which was supposed to be only temp. and his company has said no raises or anything for at least a year) So like a lot of other people our income has gone down by a lot. To make matters even worse that other house now has renters, but we had to lower the rent so that is even more that we have to come up with. Needless to say the stress is getting to us. Dh has been very upset that we can't do anything and thinks the kids are going to suffer. ( I know they won't but he had a very though child hood and does not want that for them) Part of his stress is that we can't do anything, but sit and watch movies we have seen a million times ( no tv service). So this is where I am hoping you guys can help me. I need ideas of things we can do that are basically free. ( there are 6 of us so even the movies are basically out) I thought of going to the park, but haven't found one around here for kids. ( to make matters even harder we live in a very small town so there is not much going on) How does a person go about finding activities? Where we used to live they had a paper that listed things going on but they don't have that here.

[Margaret]

Fill up 10 pop bottles with sand or water.Line them up like bowling pins.Take a large ball and bowl away.Organize a scavenger hunt.

aNY OTHER IDEAS

[Esther]

Museums in nearby cities? Since you're in Florida, how about going to the beach and collecting sea shells? A Library trip? Board games?

When I was growing up, there were seven of us kids, and very little money. We invented our own games, spent a lot of time outside building cities in dirt and sand using little matchbox cars, etc, and took a lot of trips to the museum. I never ate at a fast food restaurant until I was about 12.

[heidiiiii]

If you can borrow, get at yard sale, freecycle or pay a little bit at like Target or Walmart..Get a badminton set (if you have the room). That is always fun! So is setting up a horseshoe field in your yard.

Museums have free Sundays in most places.

Nature walks

Collecting stuff at the beach

Find a place that offers mini golf for cheap (they sometimes have cheap days of the week)

Matinee at the movies..$5 a piece..just do not buy at concession stand.

Redbox at grocery stores offer free movie mondays. Sign up to get a text message to get the code..Or I can tell you what it is and you get it for free for Monday.

[Cricket]

Oh there's LOTS you can do with kids if you just put a little thought into it! When Hubby & I were first married he was working 2nd shift, and it was just me and 4 kids in the evenings. (2 his, 2 mine, we don't work *that* fast! LOL) We had very little, so to keep the kids entertained I came up with a different activity each night:

One night would be Game night...get out a board game or deck of cards and play with the kids.

Friday night was always "Pajama Party", we'd all get into our jammies early, make a ton of popcorn, pop in a movie (try your library, you can rent for FREE) and we'd camp out in the living room all night.

My favorite (hehe) was Dinner night.. I gave each kid a job (age appropriate, of course, and supervised) and THEY made dinner that night. I think that might have been their favorite too, they all still talk about it.

When the weather is nice, we'll still set up a tent in the backyard and go camping. Another thing we do for fun, I was given a karaoke machine and we all have a blast with that! If you're family is musical at all (and even if they're not LOL), put on some music the kids like and let them sing along & dance and let them entertain.

Outside, get a field guide or gardening book from the library and let the kids see what they can find right in their own back yard, or along a trail if there's anything like that near you. (You'd be amazed what kids will see just on the side of a country road).

I'll even get them all cleaning and having FUN while they're at it. (That one's gotten tougher as they got older.. they're ON TO me! )

Whatever you do with them, make it FUN even if it seems boring.

[chesterfieldzoo]

Build puzzles. You can trade for them on freecycle.

Make seashell furniture? Build a false wall and collect 'treasures' from the beach and glue them on it until it is covered.

How about a running game of monopoly? Leave it set up and you just walk past and play your turn.

Fairy houses from outside stuff (twigs, bark, moss) to put in the garden.

Perennial flower exchanges for plants. If there isn't one - get with the local library and set one up. The kids could make and hang flyers.

Ask on freecycle for dvd exchange or borrowing?

What does the local library have to offer?

How about the kids putting on a play every other week? They can take turns directing and choosing the play or puppet show.

[miniwendy]

Go camping, even just in the backyard. Go for family bike/scooter rides or walks. Art projects- get crayons, paper etc. Check to see if there are any city/town activities- our town for example, just had a free easter egg hunt. Walmart and Target had some inexpensive outdoor sets last year with a badminton net and various types of balls, raquets etc. Croquet is good, or set up your own mini golf in the backyard. Also simple things like sidewalk chalk. Another fun thing we did last year in hot weather was to give each kid a paintbrush and small bucket of water and they 'painted' the fence. Check the local thrift stores or garage sales for outdoor toys.

Any neighbors nearby with kids that are also looking for stuff to do? You could have a neighborhood get together.

My husband says the same kind of thing sometimes. He grew up quite poor and the things we "don't" do really impact him. He worries that we are depriving our kids. I don't see it the same way, but my family was always middle of the road comfortable (at least when I was older), and we did get to go on a few vacations. He always saw other kids going places or buying things he couldn't, and wants to make sure his own kids don't experience that.

[miniwendy]

Oh, just thought of this- does your local library have movie nights? Ours has had some in the past. Also, craft programs etc. Don't know how old your kids are.

[Shakyshaky]

Those are all great ideas, but I need something that DH will participate in. lol The library is smaller than my living room ( I wish I was kidding) We don't have redboxes. I guess it's not the kids so much I need to entertain it's him. Is there an easier way to find museums or mini golf than page by page through the phone book?

[KathieB]

Is there an easier way to find museums or mini golf than page by page through the phone book?

Does your county chamber of commerce have a website? Google it and the surrounding counties for links to museums, parks, etc.

[Shakyshaky]

Ok I think I found some options. There is a Tampa aquarium and the Tampa zoo. They have $175 and $180 a year family memberships. So my question is would it be wrong to use some of the kids money ( from b-days and such ) to pay for it ( plus some of ours)? They have plenty of toys so they don't use it. I think we might be able to do one if we did. We could start putting some aside for next year so we wouldn't have to use the kids money again. If we brought our own food and did a picnic it wouldn't cost very much ( just gas) to go.

[Starfire]

There is a treasure hunt that folks all over the world do using maps and GPS to locate or search for stashed "treasures" then leave a piece added to the treasure for others to find. (Geo Cashing?)

I am not suggesting this but rather a home grown version whereby someone puts/hides a "treasure" and then provides a "map" or a list of clues for the hunters to search for the treasure. The successful finder then adds a bit to the treasure and leaves it for others. It is not a scavenger hunt. We did this as kids usually in conjunction with a special event. It can be based on historical events, movie verse, myths, books, geography or anything. It can be age appropriate, involve as many or as few as needed and cover as much area as you wish. It can use math, map reading skills, deductive reasoning, problem solving, learning to work in teams, etc. Since some sort of award is usually a good incentive, perhaps"passes" that forgive or relieve one of a chore or something simular or the choice of something or king/queen for a day? The possibilities or purmutations are endless and be as complicated or simple or cost as little or as much as one wishes..

[katethesape]

If we had kids right now, DH would be saying the same thing - as it is, he grew up dirt poor and he just got laid off (got bronchitis) so now we can't afford to get Star Trek tickets (he's the hugest Star Trek nerd I've ever met and my uncle is quite the Trekkie) - he fell to pieces the other day when I told him we didn't have any money even for food next week [though I think we'll be ok since I've filled out a food stamp application]!!! So I've had to entertain him with movies/tv shows at home...he won't go walk/go on a picnic, he's too much of an inside person.

My dad used to play this game with us - you need to be careful, we've had a few little mishaps - mostly when we got a little too carried away with pillows...

Our version of Blind Man's Bluff:

Blindfold the one who will be looking for the rest of you. Have them spin around and count to 100 or 50 or whatever. Then, you all go hide throughout the house. Once they've announced they're done counting and they're coming to get you, MOVE AROUND - slip past them, duck into another room...it's a really fun game if you've got a small to medium sized house (if it's too big, limit it to one floor b/c of the danger of stairs) - people run past, gasp for breath, the blindfolded one lunges...it's usually pretty hilarious.

Other things to do with dad: pillowfights and ticklefests are always fun (especially if he won't get up on Saturday morning when breakfast is ready...), and if you buy a cheap plastic ball and bat you can usually get a good number of baseball games in before the bat busts.

Breakfast in bed/Slumber party - no matter who you are, it's always fun to have breakfast in bed...provided you don't get crumbs on it.

You can play this game at a mall or in a neighborhood:

Everybody gets a penny - then you split up and canvas people in the neighborhood/mall. Do not ask the same people! When you knock on the door, present the penny and ask if they have something bigger or better they're willing to let you have (everyone has junk they need to get rid of) - then go on to the next person w/ what you got and ask the same thing...continue until time is up [so set up a time beforehand to meet] and compare! Who has the biggest? Who has the best? [debates are sometimes necessary] My friends have played this and gotten everything from a mannequin to an ancient pick-up truck!!!

There are websites w/ free coloring pages too, for the kids, as well as game ideas, craft ideas, etc.

Oh! Also - go to totallyfreecrap.com and order samples - it takes a few weeks but it's so fun getting your own sample in the mail, and you don't have to sign up for offers or anything - I don't get junk mail - just the samples!!!

If DH likes contests, there are thousands of ways to make things into contests - egg-in-spoon races, dish-washing races (LOL), bed-making races...

Checkers and Chess are also good games that you can probably find for free/online...

And, if DH likes the computer...there are a MILLION free games out there - bored.com has a huge list. Also try icanhascheezburger.com and ihasahotdog.com for funny pictures of animals w/ captions.

Have fun!

[pixiedrea]

So my question is would it be wrong to use some of the kids money ( from b-days and such ) to pay for it ( plus some of ours)? They have plenty of toys so they don't use it. I think we might be able to do one if we did. We could start putting some aside for next year so we wouldn't have to use the kids money again. If we brought our own food and did a picnic it wouldn't cost very much ( just gas) to go.

Depending on their ages, ask them, it is, after all, their money. They get to participate in the 'adult' stuff, plus have a say in what the entire family does. If they don't want to use their cash, perhaps you could raise money in a garage sale for the "family fund". This would require the help of the whole family, it would help do some 'spring cleaning', and the money raised would be done together, so there wouldn't be guilt about using the kid's money to do it!

You could take it one step further and get with several of your neighbors and do a community garage sale, those are the ones that make the MOST money. The kids could set up a little drink stand for money that's "theirs", mom could sale some of her craftier items for money that's "hers", plus whatever the family as a whole decides to sell goes to the fund. My last garage sale raked in over $500! If you don't have much to sell, consider looking in the paper/craigslist for "garage sale leftovers" that people are giving away. Add it to yours and it's instant fullness and cash!

I have a yearly membership to the museum, and it's an easy, fun thing for the kids to do (ages 6,5,4). They love to go, we're paid up for the whole year so the only expense is the lunch we pack. We also go to the used bookstore a whole lot, so if there's any of those nearby, that's another indoor cheapie activity.

Also, have you considered looking into doing secret shopping? My mom lives in a semi-rural area and does TONS of secret shops. Some months she only gets $50, some months it's more, depending on how much shopping she wants to do. That could be a boon to a family that needs some extra cash. Not to mention the shopping companies pay you to go shopping. PM me if you need some companies/websites to go to, I'd hate for you to get scammed!

[New Day]

My two recommendations are the library (my FAVORITE resource ever!) and museums. Around here, museums don't have free Sundays, but one museum used to have free Mondays. Also, some museum memberships are reciprocal, so you can buy one membership (the least expensive one ) and visit other museums for free. Usually they have to be a certain number of miles apart, though. I would really think about which museum your family would get the most from. Many museums don't have a lot of changing exhibits, and honestly, it can get boring if you've seen the same things each time.

I would ask the kids before using their money, as it sounds like there are lots of free/inexpensive things that they might like, and if DH is the holdout, maybe it shouldn't come from their money? That's just how I would do it, each family is different. And, one last thought on museums, my kids volunteer at a local museum, and we get a free family membership if they work at least 100 hours a year. They do lots more than 100 hours, because they LOVE it, but maybe you could volunteer and earn the membership if that option is available?

Our library has a summer reading club, videos, books, puzzles, games, movie nights, craft nights, concerts, etc. If your library is too small for these activities, maybe you could go to the librarian with suggestions of inexpensive activities and you and your family could volunteer your time and manpower to help make them happen? I imagine many other families are looking for fun things to do, too.

Volunteering for a cause that is important to your family is a great way to spend time together. And, it's hard to feel poor when you are giving to others who are less fortunate.

Also, love the idea of nature walks. Do you have a digital camera? They could try their hand at photography while on walks. My kids love to do that and have gotten really good!

Best of luck and sorry to hear about the cut in pay your family has had. That is rough, esp. right now.

Oh, and just thought to add - maybe your DH has some ideas of fun things to do with the kids? I know my DH comes up with things I would have NEVER thought of, and the kids love his ideas! Plus, that way you know your DH will enjoy it too!

[Muriel]

With the treasure hunt style thing, you could always see if hubby will maybe hide/do the map for them. Or the kids could do a hunt for the grownups. How old are your children?

[Shakyshaky]

My kids are 4,6, 8, and 9. There are only 2 museums close to me ( within an hours drive) and one is a tribute to a baseball guy ( we don't do baseball) and a history building. I can't see us visiting the history one more than once. I know that the kids would love to get a membership to either the zoo or the aquarium. ( we used to have one at the zoo where we used to live and they loved it) They keep asking to get fish at the pet store so I think they would like the aquarium as well. I believe that when we had the zoo one before, if we went to any other zoo or aquarium ( in FL) we got a discount.

I've asked DH about things he would like to do with the kids and he just gives me a blank look. I'll have to ask him about the nature walks. We live across the street from a state forest, but I need to find out when hunting seasons are cause there is hunting allowed.

[havanaholly]

Melanie, there is a forestry service office nearby, you can get ALL sorts of info from them.

Do y'all have bicycles? For pity sakes, one of the state's best railtrails goes from Tarpon Springs right through Clearwater & Tampa!

The power plant at Apollo Beach has manatee viewing during the winter months, but I think by now the manatees have moved to the rivers. Y'all can go fishing, and you don't need a license to saltwater fish.

Contact your local Florida Trail Association chapter for meeting times & hikes; annual dues are not expensive, and hiking is a wonderful family activity!

There's Hillsborough River State Park, you can buy a state park pass (good at ANY state park in FL) for less than US&180. We have found there are museums and collections that don't charge, or charge a very nominal amount, that don't do a lot of advertising; let your fingers do the walking. Watch for cultural events and activities put on by colleges & universities, or local religious congregations. We attended a Hindu Diwali service once and they fed us wonderful Indian food afterwards! The Tallahassee Greek Orthodox church has a food festival every year along with vendors and the ladies' auxiliary cooks and sells wonderful ethnic dinners for a nominal amount, and the kids have a ball joining in the dances. You may have to drag the hubs along at first, but eventually he'll get the hint & come up with more things than y'all will have time for!

[champagne]

My son and I always had a membership to our local zoo in columbia south carolina and it was well worth it every year. We did it till he was almost in his teens and I would save every year to make sure I could buy it. We would take a picnic lunch and I promise he never seemed to get tired of it. To this day, everytime I visit a new city, if they have a zoo, I go.

[Peggi]

When I was young we loved to play in the woods, we would build huts or forts, play anything from hide and seek to cowboys and indians. Some of my fondest memories include nature walks with Mama who would point out the different plants and even dig in the ground for certain kinds of roots. A creek ran through the woods and that provided lots of pleasure.

the main way we vacationed was with books, most any kind of book whether a mystery, romance, historical can let you escape your immediate environment.

[NotKateHepburn]

I have 7 kids and one of their Christmas gifts is a year long membership to the zoo. They all love it and we can go as often as we like.

There is a Sunset Cinema in Tampa, they will be doing summer classics soon. To Kill A Mockingbird, Wizard Of Oz and the like. It's free. It's located at River Tower Park.

Sundays at 3pm May 31- August 23

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD -- Sunday, June 4

CASABLANCA -- Sunday, June 28

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN -- Sunday, July 5

THE BAND WAGON -- Sunday, July 12

BLAZING SADDLES -- Sunday, July 19

CITIZEN KANE -- Sunday, July 26

Plus bonus screenings (Saturdays at 3pm) of CASABLANCA, GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ

A list of free places I found in Tampa.

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, Pinellas County Heritage Village, Gulf Beaches Museum, the beach, Veterans Memorial Museum and Park, Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, University South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Lettuce Lake Park, Weedon Island Preserve and Nature History Center, Big Talbot Island State Park...and I'm sure there are art galleries and the like as well. Just depends on what you like to see.

My kids love chalk and the driveway, water gun fights, weenie roasts and marshmallows by the fire pit, making home made pizza, bike riding, hiking trails and sometimes my dh takes the big tv outside in the back yard and we sit around it like we are at the drive in lol. We also do the tents in the backyard and my kids have built their own fort out of limbs and my sheets. We all love game night.

[havanaholly]

There are wonderful museums and bike trails in & near St Pete, too.

[Sherry]

All good ideas. There are also generally county fairs, parades, festivals, etc in the summer you can go to. Down here in the bible belt, you'd be surprised how many parents sign their kids up for every single Vacation Bible school in town. It's a few hours in the morning, usually. Crafts, lessons, games, etc. Kids will go to the Baptist camp one week and the Methodist camp the next! At least it's a clean, healthy way to keep them occupied!

[pixiedrea]

Down here in the bible belt, you'd be surprised how many parents sign their kids up for every single Vacation Bible school in town.

I was one of those kids! We went to three or four every summer!

[heidiiiii]

It is not just in the bible belt. When I was young, my Mom would sign me up for the Vacation bible school at the local Baptist Church. It was within short walking distance and our Catholic church did not offer one.

It was fun.