Frugal and Educational Summer Fun

By: Amy Hannold

24/7 MOMS Frugal Living Editor

Summer break can be both entertaining and educational.? A great first step is to put together a calendar of fun that everyone can look forward to.? A desk or wall calendar illustrates what your kids can look forward to.? You?ll also have an idea of the time you need to fill between anticipated events.

Research what goes on in your community during the summer months.? A local MacaroniKid.com community website or your chamber of commerce can help you plan for the events you want to attend.

Ask your kid what they would like to do this summer.? A trip to the library will help with researching projects, day trips, and fun things to do.? Together as a family, make a list (and a budget) to be sure everyone?s wishes for summer are included.

Smart moms have a corner in their closet with some books, activity books, and fun tools for those ?I?m bored? moments.? I find my boredom buster goods at local thrift stores, garage sales, and clearance aisles.? An assortment of paper, cardboard tubes, stickers and magazines are a good, frugal start to seeing the inventor in your kids come alive.

Homeschooling websites offer great projects at an affordable price.? Learning and journaling will be made much easier ? you can enjoy a great variety of subjects of interest to all.

CurrClick.com:

For summer, they offer several free and almost free resources for all ages.? Most are in e-book format, there are some audio and online products as well.? Once you?ve purchased the items, you can download the product, selecting the pages you wish to use.? Summer activity books and titles include:

?Simple Schooling 4^th of July Freebie?

?Nature Journal Pages?

?An Activity a Day Keeps the Boredom Away Summer Packet?

?Father?s Day Notebooking Pages? (Great for Dad?s Day cards and homemade momentos)

?Fireworks Minibook: We Love the USA!?

?All About My Family Notebook? (one of my favorites!)

?Take Me Home: Fathers Day? (complete with printable coupons for hugs!)

Other topics include animals (our favorite is the ?All About Horses Notebooking Pages?), cooking, nature, and more.? You can find these by typing the title into the ?search? box.

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DonnaYoung.org

Drawing lessons, home and school planners, crafts, handwriting lessons, story paper (decorated border with handwriting lines), chore list makers, grocery lists, and more await you.

Shared Experiences and Expenses:

Enlist the help of friends, neighbors, grandparents and play group pals in entertaining the kids.? Pool your talents and resources to create activities the kids will enjoy.? Trade activity time with the crafty, culinary, and other talented person in your life ? everyone will benefit from the new experiences.

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Other Affordable Summer Fun Resources:

MacaroniKid:

http://www.national.macaronikid.com/

Find your community at the national Macaroni Kid website.? You?ll be connected to the publisher of the weekly list, sent by email.? Each list includes local activities and at-home fun ideas.

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Find a Farmer?s Market or Family Farm to Visit:

LocalHarvest.org features a map and contact information for your community.

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Grandparents.com:

http://www.grandparents.com/gp/events/index.html?clktrk=home_subnav-6

Printable and creative activities for all ages of children ? and their grandparents (or family).? Don?t miss the ?101 Things to Do in Your City? ? ideas for fun across the country.

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Best Books with Ideas for Summer Fun:

Find these at your local library, Paperbackswap.com or other bookseller.

?Family Manager Guide to Summer Survival?, by Kathy Peel, is the complete summer handbook for families with kids.? Activities, organization, and boredom busters suitable for a wide range of ages.

?Super Baby Food Book?, by Ruth Yaron, is more than just for meals.? Included are many recipes for homemade snacks and fun things to do.

?101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up?, by Alecia Devantier

Kids want entertainment, and there?s a site where parents can be clued-in on what their kids are craving.? If you?ve heard from your kids about the ?must have? game, music, movie or tv program, get the insight on elements you might be concerned about from http://www.pluggedin.com/.

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