More Kid Stuff

The kids were still with us today so off we went to play mini golf.  By Googling I found three discounts for the local mini golf course, each better than the last, so we ended up only paying $6.95. $5 off the regular price.  Even the girl who took our money said she had never seen a coupon for such a low price!  The rest of the day we spent at home at the kids' request.  Hubby and I are both baffled that the kids actually prefer to sit at home all day with their phones and tablets instead of going out and doing things!  It seems really abnormal but maybe that is the new normal for kids?  When we were kids we couldn't wait to get outside each day and spent the entire day doing things with our friends these days...it's just the opposite?  Color me confused!

Stuff for the Kids to Do

The SIL is here with her grandkids and we got to babysit today--it was supposed to be for two hours but looks like it will be closer to 10 hours!  Yikes!  I don't even know what to do with kids to keep them entertained so I scrambled for things to do, first looking at this list I created a while back then looking at what coupons and discounts I could find.

We ended up watching fish at a nearby aquarium (free), watching a rodeo event (free), having ice cream (I had a coupon), then going ice skating (I found a discount online).  We had a quick lunch at home (to save money) then this evening we may do mini golf (Groupon has a half-off deal for this).  Whew! 

We are fortunate that there are a lot of free and cheap activities here for people of all ages--a great way to entertain visitors without breaking the bank!

100 Summer Activities for Kids

Looking for (often free or inexpensive) things for the kids to do this summer?  Consider these ideas:

1. Swimming.
2. Reading challenge.
3. Play at the park.
4. Library activities.
5. State/county fairs.
6. Camping.
7. Stargazing.
8. Roller skating.
9. Ice skating.
10. Life guard class.
11. Babysitting class.
12. CPR/first aid class.
13. Summer camp program.
14. Scouting/4H program.
15. Grow a garden.
16. Make an American Ninja course in the backyard.
17. Have a bonfire/roast marshmallows or hot dogs.
18. Go on a picnic.
19. Cook together.
20. Bake together.
21. Go fishing.
22. Put together a jigsaw puzzle.
23. Paint rocks.
24. Go to the zoo.
25. Go to the water park.
26. Play a game (Monopoly, cards, etc).
27. Put on a play.
28. Create a video and post it on YouTube.
29. Visit farmers markets.
30. Go to the beach.
31. Take a family trip (to visit family, to Disneyland, etc).
32. Learn a new skill (knitting, building project, play piano, etc).
33. Have a sleep over.
34. Visit museums.
35. Take a day hike.
36. Set up a lemonade stand.
37. Go to the movies.
38. Take a road trip.
39. Go for a bicycle ride.
40. Build a fort.
41. Play mini golf.
42. Play a group game (basketball, baseball, dodge ball, etc).
43. Do an art project (painting, ceramics, make candles, etc).
44. Fly a kite.
45. Have a garage sale.
46. Go boating (sailing, kayaking, etc).
47. Visit a dude ranch.
48. Join a local club (science club, tennis club, etc).
49. Go to the playground.
50. Volunteer.
51. Visit a nursing home/veteran's home.
52. Have a water fight (squirt guns, water balloons, etc).
53. Make a pinata.
54. Feed the ducks/make a bird feeder.
55. Take a factory tour.
56. See a play.
57. Go to a summer music concert.
58. Go to a u-pick farm or pick wild berries.
59. Do age-appropriate science experiments.
60. Make tie-dyed shirts.
61. Celebrate the 4th of July.
62. Visit a fire station/police department open house.
63. Have a tea party.
64. Go to an escape room.
65. Visit a kid's gym/trampoline park.
66. Do a community fun run.
67. Go bowling.
68. Make a summer bucket list and check off activities as you do them.
69. Go to summer school/summer college program.
70. Play dress up.
71. Make slime/play dough to play with.
72. Make a slip-n-slide/run through the sprinkler.
73. Build something.
74. Play an old-fashioned game (hop scotch, jump rope, hide n seek, baton twirling, etc).
75. Play disc golf.
76. Go geocaching/Pokemon Go.
77. Make puppets and put on a show.
78. Attend a local baseball game.
79. Make homemade ice cream.
80. Go on a train ride.
81. Visit an aquarium.
82. Make bubbles.
83. Learn coding.
84. Learn a foreign language.
85. Do yard work for an elderly neighbor/friend/relative.
86. Collect things to donate (food for a food pantry, toys for a homeless shelter, etc).
87. Make a 'little free library'.
88. Pick up litter in a public area.
89. Create a family genealogy chart.
90. Visit a circus/carnival.
91. Visit a petting farm/u-pick farm.
92. Write a book/comic book/journal.
93. Go window shopping.
94. Participate in a YMCA program.
95. Participate in a Home Depot kid's workshop.
96. Start a business (walking dogs, mowing lawns, etc).
97. Make a time capsule and hide it somewhere.
98. Build sand castle.
99. Make a scrap book.
100. Read a book together as a family.

10 Things About Little Kids (Money Saving Tips Included!)

We are a month into our adventure in babysitting for the hubby's sister's grandkids. They are two and four year old little girls who are generally pretty good--as good as two and four year olds can be--but it has been quite the re-learning experience. Here's what I have learned so far:

1. It doesn't take much to entertain them and certainly doesn't require a room full of toys to do so. We have made tents out of blankets, played cook with real pots and pans, been to the local park numerous times, read numerous books (from the library), and the older one has helped me make cookies (she likes to stir stuff) and clean (I put dry rags on her feet and she "skates" behind me to dry the floor as I mop).


2. Grandma has a strict no TV policy. They never watch TV but do watch little kid videos from the library. Occasionally I'll let them watch 'Arthur' which is a really good cartoon on PBS (no violence, lots of information on good values, etc). That's probably why I haven't heard them ask for a single kiddie consumer item yet--because they don't get to see the commercials for these things so aren't brainwashed into begging for them.


3. They aren't picky eaters. Both mom and grandma tell them that if they don't eat what's on the table, they can go hungry. As a result, they are really good eaters. This saves money, time, and aggravation (another kid I know will eat exactly three items total--chicken nuggets, Gogurt, and cheese pizza--if these things aren't in the house, the mom will literally run out to the store to get it). This makes for an annoying, picky kid who gets to control the parents. Not good.


4. I have to control myself at the Dollar Store. It would be so easy to fill my basket with things they would like--there's so much cute stuff and it's ONLY A DOLLAR! However, I would eventually be broke and end up with a house full of junk. So I try to restrain myself and buy them each one small thing every other week.


5. I have to control them at the Dollar Store. Note to self, leave kids home when going shopping. Eventually they will need to learn how to shop but taking kids by rack after rack of toys is enough to make anyone (me and them) crazy. With four adults in the house, there is usually someone around to watch them when someone else goes shopping.


6. Some things are worth their weight in gold. The little one is usually pretty good (except for the fearlessness part where she will fling herself off of anything--slide, sofa, pool--whether or not someone is there to catch her) but the other day she was a total maniac, like call-the-exorcist kind of maniac. I went through the usual list--not hungry, not thirsty, not tired, and then figured out she had a couple of new teeth coming in. While I usually look for cheaper alternatives to whatever I need to buy, I had no qualms about buying teething gel at the local grocery store. It was something that couldn't wait and made both of us happy.


7. A potty trained kid is a good thing. The little one has been potty trained since she was about a year and a half old. This is kind of a luck of the draw thing as some kids potty train very young and others make you wonder if they will ever get out of diapers, but the sooner the better (it saves the cost of diapers and the ick factor of changing them).


8. Enrichment activities are also a good thing. I usually hesitate to buy toys, figuring they will be discarded and forgotten pretty quickly, however I don't have any qualms about paying for enrichment activities for kids. The older girl takes gymnastic and karate when she is home with her parents and has been enrolled in a local karate school since she came here. Lessons give kids things they can't just discard, namely, skills, the ability to set and reach goals, the opportunity to work with others, and many other things that they will carry with them into adulthood.


9. If you give something to one, you need an identical item to give to the other. I know they need to learn how to share but at this age, they want exactly what the other has. If one gets something the other doesn't get, lots of crying and hitting ensues. Eek.


10. Everyone gets to be on a schedule. For the hubby and I, who have basically thrown our schedules to the wind, this took a bit of adjustment, but it works much better when there is a clear schedule each day and everyone knows what comes next. They get their naps on time which means they don't get cranky, everyone knows when to come home for dinner which makes for a fun way to share a meal and encourages good eating habits, and we know exactly when to take them to the park for optimal burning of energy (and optimal response to nap time!).

Over all it's been a wonderful experience. All of our grandkids live far away from us so it is nice to have little ones around for a change. It is also our first foray into doing something so totally out of the ordinary for us--namely trading work for room and board which makes it even more adventurous.