• Cheap & Fun Summer Activities for you and your kids

  • Summer is here! It should be filled with fun, sun, and relaxation, right? The first couple of days might be all about staying up late and sleeping in, but then what? Where’s the fun? How about the sun? Too much relaxation can lead to bad habits and laziness. So we’ve put together some ideas for cheap summer activities at home and locally.

    Sweet strawberries and fresh air always make a day to remember

    Have your little one pack up a sandwich and some snacks and head on over to your local park. It’s so nice to lie under a shady spot and feel the nice crisp grass between your fingers. See if you can make out shapes in the cloud and try to develop a story- this will help engage in deep thinking. What are even more amusing and probably something you haven’t done in awhile is fly a kite. It’s getting pretty windy outside, perfect kite weather! There are tons online for as little as $1, pack a soccer ball and see if you can squeeze in some fun exercise while you’re at it! And for those who like to go downtown, riding the Swan Boats and getting to feed the swans at Lake Eola is a must.

    Visit Disney for FREE?

    Although its not one of the normal theme parks, Disney Springs is a fun and FREE place to go with your kids. They have a Lego store where you can make Lego homes, Lego people, and even Lego cars to race against other fellow Lego makers! Step on too many Legos and can’t stand to see another? Try out the potato head assembly tower where you can gather up accessories to make your very own potato head. Then head on over to the T-Rex Dig Site where your children can look for fossils! After your hands get a little dirty you can visit the Basin Scrub Station where you can wash your hands will all different kinds of scrubs for a smooth after feeling; and take a nice whiff of all the colorful bath bombs. What Disney does not mention on their website is the fact that you can even get a free Ghirardelli square when you visit their shop (located right next to the Basin Scrub Station). After all the fun, you can top it off with some outside entertainment and a nice relaxing boat ride to end the day. Oh and did I mention, FREE parking!

    Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)

    Nothing beats a nice day at the beach. Building the biggest sand castles to knock down, playing with a big colorful beach ball, and of course burying each other in the sand always makes for great memories! The beach is also a perfect place to test out your new kite, wink wink. Remember, the beach is free but it’s also hot. So enjoy yourself with this mini vacation and remember to pack sunscreen.

    Who says you can’t have fun in your own backyard?

    If you’re more of an at-home dweller take it to the backyard for some summer fun. Slip-n-slides can be pretty pricy, but if you have an old tarp lying around (preferably white so it doesn’t get as hot from the sun) then just load up on some soap and boom, you have your very own slip-n-slide. The tarps are big enough to allow multiple children to go at once and race to the finish line. And if you’re feeling extra lively, water balloons always bring a big splash along with lots of laughs.

    The rain has ruined your sunny plans, now what?

    Time to bring out the games! It’s okay to stay indoors because sometimes it can get extraordinarily hot out (and we don’t want you roasting). So bring on the trivia, take out all the board games, and shuffle those cards, it’s time for a family game day. Kids absolutely love games, so they’ll be excited to play. But after a little while, they tend to get bored. The trick is to stop playing and switch to a new game while they’re still having fun. This way their energy will still be up and they won’t ever want to stop playing. Try to throw in little prizes or a bucket of candy to pick from when someone wins to keep the enthusiasm going.

    Out with the old, in with the new

    This summer, teach your kid a couple of new skills, some delicious ones in fact. Cooking is fairly easy, you just follow the recipe! Try making homemade ice cream. With only four ingredients its something you just can’t mess up. Here’s a recipe: https://www.hamiltonbeach.com/easy-vanilla-ice-cream-for-15-quart-ice-cream-maker. Have an ice tray? Why not make some delicious and healthy popsicles? All you need is some juice, fruit, and Popsicle sticks. Add all the ingredients and in an hour or so you’ll have some seriously sweet treats. Pancakes and muffins are also easy to make. And if you’re feeling a little lazy, its okay to get the box kind because the decorating part is just as fun as making it.

    Time to get a little crazy

    Who needs to go to the science center when you have so many experiments in reach? Ever made flubber? How about a balloon rocket? These fun little experiments are inexpensive and the best part is your child will play with them over and over. A trip to the science center is nice, but when you do experiments at home, you get to keep what you make forever. Check out this fun site with tons of experiments to try and actually teach you about science. Pick one to try each day and I promise you’ll never be bored again: https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/

    You don’t have to go out and spend a bunch of money to have fun. It’s the simple things, and yes the free things in life that make us appreciate what we have and allow the memories to last. Buying a candy apple will bring joy for the amount of time it takes to eat. But learning how to make one and creating the toppings yourself will bring memories that last a lifetime. Enjoy your summer with these fun ideas and make it the best one yet.