Fun Family Activities
Budget-conscious consumers can find fun family activities right in their own backyard! Gone are the days when almost everyone traveled out of state for fun and frolicking at seaside resorts. Escalating gas prices, skyrocketing hotel costs, and rising unemployment are causing consumers to stay close to home and still have fun. Instead of taking a budget-busting two-week trek to an out-of-state resort or campground, take advantage of entertainment at local venues. Parents can plan a series of day trips to local sites for a fraction of the cost of long distance sightseeing. Museums, aquariums, planetariums, and aviaries usually charge low- to no-cost admission, especially for kids. Local museums display everything from ancient Egyptian artifacts to modern art; and many provide tour guides to share amazing facts about each venue. World War II museums house uniforms, artillery, weapons, airplanes, and historic accounts of famous battles-- some digitally narrated. Aquariums offer hours of entertainment, including viewing miles of glass enclosed sea animals in assimilated environs. Children young and old can get an up close and personal look at exotic fish from faraway places, gnarly crustaceans, and slippery eels and snakes. Discover faraway galaxies and constellations at a local planetarium; and exotic birds galore at the aviary. Pack a light lunch and go sightseeing-- right in your own neighborhood!
Simple ideas to enjoy are as close as your kitchen sink! "Make Your Own Pizza Night" is a great idea for fun family activities that are not only low-cost but also educational. Moms and dads can share some simple cooking tips with teens while teaching tots how to recognize colors, shapes and textures-- and homemade pizzas are a low-cost alternative to takeout! Simply purchase cans of ready-to-bake pizza crust, tomato sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Raid the fridge for everyone's favorite toppings and let the older kids chop pieces of ham, sausage, green pepper, or bacon. Even tiny hands can help spread each pizza with sauce and cheese-- the messier the better! Pop the pies in the oven until the cheese is hot and bubbly. To avoid burns, let cool slightly, and serve.
Household chores like gardening can also become a part of fun family activities. A trip to the hardware store for new seeds can become the start of an adventure! Let the children help pick out their own seedlings for vegetables, fruit or flowers; and give them the responsibility for tending their own part of a backyard garden plot. Tilling the soil, watering and weeding are great object lessons about home-based sustainable agriculture. The "fruit" of the family's labor is a harvest of fresh veggies, a basket of summer delectables, or a nosegay of flowers cultivated by big and little hands. Harvesting produce can also provide an awesome "green" opportunity to teach children about canning fresh vegetables at home. Imagine how excited kids will be to actually enjoy a summer harvest of fresh corn, tomatoes, or beans at the dinner table? The rewards of fun family activities like gardening are priceless. "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:3-5).
Other ideas for fun family activities include a talent night, backyard "special" Olympics, and a city-wide scavenger hunt. For talent night, enlist the aid of budding actors and actresses, poets and poetesses, fledgling singers, and musicians to produce one-act living room plays and backyard concerts. Dust off musical instruments tucked away in the attic, or make your own from household items. A 5-gallon bucket becomes a nifty drum, while a gallon milk jug filled with bottle tops makes a great tambourine. Spend the evening singing, laughing and having loads of clean wholesome fun. The experience of writing and performing poems, songs or skits enables children of all ages to develop public speaking and social development skills. The huge plus is that the entire family can participate; and talent night can be as simple or elaborate as you make it. Construct costumes from old curtains or visit a local thrift shop for used clothing and other props. Invite friends and family for special productions, record performances on a digital video camera and post on a favorite social networking site.
Transform your own backyard into a super sports arena for fun family activities with an Olympic theme. In one corner, construct a small skateboard ramp, and in another build a six-foot sandbox for long jumpers. Save some room for tumbling and a water slide, and you've got loads of fun family activities to keep the little ones occupied for hours! Teens and young adults will love a city-wide scavenger hunt complete with clues hidden in out-of-the-way and familiar places. Appoint an adult driver to transport kids from place to place to locate clues. Pick a scavenger hunt theme to coincide with a holiday or a child's birthday. The first team to find every clue and complete every challenge gets a prize: a weekend without household chores, movie tickets, or a gift certificate from their favorite store in the mall.
Today's savvy parents don't have to miss out on fun family activities because of a shortage of cash. A little resourcefulness and creativity can go a long way in providing entertainment, while enabling families the opportunity to grow closer. Budget-conscious parents can take advantage of these low-cost ideas--right in their own backyard--and help build some happy memories for the whole family!
Simple ideas to enjoy are as close as your kitchen sink! "Make Your Own Pizza Night" is a great idea for fun family activities that are not only low-cost but also educational. Moms and dads can share some simple cooking tips with teens while teaching tots how to recognize colors, shapes and textures-- and homemade pizzas are a low-cost alternative to takeout! Simply purchase cans of ready-to-bake pizza crust, tomato sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Raid the fridge for everyone's favorite toppings and let the older kids chop pieces of ham, sausage, green pepper, or bacon. Even tiny hands can help spread each pizza with sauce and cheese-- the messier the better! Pop the pies in the oven until the cheese is hot and bubbly. To avoid burns, let cool slightly, and serve.
Household chores like gardening can also become a part of fun family activities. A trip to the hardware store for new seeds can become the start of an adventure! Let the children help pick out their own seedlings for vegetables, fruit or flowers; and give them the responsibility for tending their own part of a backyard garden plot. Tilling the soil, watering and weeding are great object lessons about home-based sustainable agriculture. The "fruit" of the family's labor is a harvest of fresh veggies, a basket of summer delectables, or a nosegay of flowers cultivated by big and little hands. Harvesting produce can also provide an awesome "green" opportunity to teach children about canning fresh vegetables at home. Imagine how excited kids will be to actually enjoy a summer harvest of fresh corn, tomatoes, or beans at the dinner table? The rewards of fun family activities like gardening are priceless. "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:3-5).
Other ideas for fun family activities include a talent night, backyard "special" Olympics, and a city-wide scavenger hunt. For talent night, enlist the aid of budding actors and actresses, poets and poetesses, fledgling singers, and musicians to produce one-act living room plays and backyard concerts. Dust off musical instruments tucked away in the attic, or make your own from household items. A 5-gallon bucket becomes a nifty drum, while a gallon milk jug filled with bottle tops makes a great tambourine. Spend the evening singing, laughing and having loads of clean wholesome fun. The experience of writing and performing poems, songs or skits enables children of all ages to develop public speaking and social development skills. The huge plus is that the entire family can participate; and talent night can be as simple or elaborate as you make it. Construct costumes from old curtains or visit a local thrift shop for used clothing and other props. Invite friends and family for special productions, record performances on a digital video camera and post on a favorite social networking site.
Transform your own backyard into a super sports arena for fun family activities with an Olympic theme. In one corner, construct a small skateboard ramp, and in another build a six-foot sandbox for long jumpers. Save some room for tumbling and a water slide, and you've got loads of fun family activities to keep the little ones occupied for hours! Teens and young adults will love a city-wide scavenger hunt complete with clues hidden in out-of-the-way and familiar places. Appoint an adult driver to transport kids from place to place to locate clues. Pick a scavenger hunt theme to coincide with a holiday or a child's birthday. The first team to find every clue and complete every challenge gets a prize: a weekend without household chores, movie tickets, or a gift certificate from their favorite store in the mall.
Today's savvy parents don't have to miss out on fun family activities because of a shortage of cash. A little resourcefulness and creativity can go a long way in providing entertainment, while enabling families the opportunity to grow closer. Budget-conscious parents can take advantage of these low-cost ideas--right in their own backyard--and help build some happy memories for the whole family!
Fun Family Activities
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