Now that summer is in full swing, you may already be wanting some new ideas for how to keep the kids entertained throughout the summer.  However, the trick is to finding activities that won’t break the bank.  So, here are some tips for frugal summertime fun with your kids.

Head Outdoors &  Enjoy the Sunshine:

-U-Pick Farms –Such a fun activity for kids to be involved in picking raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches & more ; Pickyourown.org is a great resource to find U-pick farms; prices should be lower when you pick them yourselves, too. So, it’s a win-win-fun for the kids & cheaper, fresh berries & produce.

-Visit a local Farmer’s Market -They offer more than just fresh produce to buy – you could find free entertainment/music, little craft activities for the kids & more; Visit LocalHarvest.org & search “Farmers Markets” on the right  side to find a Farmer’s Market near you

-Free Concerts & Movies in the Parks - Check with your local city or town (or surrounding areas) to see their schedule of free concerts & movies in the parks; bring along chairs or a blanket and a picnic lunch/dinner for some great frugal family fun

-Festivals or Small County Fairs –  They are often free or offer inexpensive admission with fun entertainment, kids activities & play areas, variety of food options (or bring a picnic lunch or dinner & drinks to make it more frugal)

-City or county parks - Check out the local parks in your area to find those which offer free wading pools or splash parks;  also, make sure to check the list of events as many Parks & Recreation departments will offer free (or inexpensive) activities for kids in the summer-gardening ideas, crafts, nature walks, etc.

-State or National Parks – These also may offer free guided nature walks (or other kid-friendly activities) - check out the list of events on their website before your visit the park.  Also, check out the Fee-Free weekends this summer at all National Parks.  The dates are: August 14, 15; September 25, 2010

-Minor League Baseball Games - Get a Buy 1 Get 1 Free ticket when you bring a Kraft singles cheese wrapper to the box office; this is valid on Tuesdays thru the summer at select Minor League locations across the country; also check the individual Minor League Team websites to see if there are any special events or family specials going on thru the summer at the ballpark.

–REI’s Passport to Adventure Program – An incentive program for kids ages 5-12 to encourage them to get out with their families on bike rides, hikes, nature walks & more.  They can earn a free prize by documenting their activities for the summer. You can also find out some great information about local hikes, walks, bike trails & more on their website.  Find out more HERE.

Indoor Fun:

-Museum / Science Center Time - Check out your local museums or science centers’ websites to see if they have any free (or discounted) admission days during the month & put those on your calendar. Your local library may also have free family passes to museums or cultural centers.

-Free admission for Military to Museums – Active-duty military members & up to 5 members of their family (spouses, sibling & children) can have unlimited visits to over 600 museums nationwide as part of the Blue Star Museum Program. This started Memorial Day, 2010 and runs thru the summer, ending on Labor Day, 2010.

-Free bowling for Kids - Check out Kids Bowl Free where kids can get 2 FREE bowling games every day during the summer (shoe rental not included). There’s also a Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon for AMF bowling alleys available right now.

-Free (or Cheap) Family Films in the Movie Theaters - Check out your local movie theater to see if they’re participating in free or inexpensive (often $1/ticket)  family films on select days during the summer.  Here are a few of the participating movie theaters: Regal Cinemas, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark,  & Great Escape Theaters.

-Free library programs – Your local library is a great resource for free kids activities throughout the summer.  They may have free puppet shows, movies, kids concerts, craft days, etc. Also, make sure to check out their Summer Reading programs for great incentives to keep your kids reading.

-Vacation Bible School – Enroll your kids in a Vacation Bible School program at a local church. They typically last a week and are several hours a day, filled with songs, crafts & more to keep your kids entertained & meeting some new kids. They are usually free or inexpensively priced for children to attend.

Fun around the House:

-Shaving Cream Fun – Get a cheap can of shaving cream (if you coupon, you might have a stash you got for free); Spread it out on an outdoor table  & let your kids go at it, making fun designs & being silly. When they’re done, just spray down the table {and them, for that matter!}

-Outdoor water fun – Invite friends or family over for some fun on a hot day – get out the sprinklers, slip & slide, water balloons, squirt guns

-Movie time at home - Rent a movie from the library or a $1/day rental from Redbox for a marathon movie morning or a family movie night

-Make homemade ice cream- a yummy  treat for a hot summer day; check out these how-to’s & recipes at Allrecipes.com

Summer Frugal Family Fun is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Are you trying to think of some cute ideas for Father’s Day crafts for your kids to make this year? Make sure to download this FREE Craft E-Book filled with 10 great Father’s Day crafts from bloggers.

So, what are your best ideas of homemade gifts or crafts that your kids can make for Father’s Day – either for dads or grandpas?

FREE Father’s Day Craft E-Book is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Here’s a FREE E-Book for Recycled Crafts which may give you some great ideas for repurposing & reusing items you have around your house! We frequently do this in our house – I’m always saving plastic containers, egg cartons, & more so that we can use them for crafts, arts/crafts storage

Free E-Book for Recycled Crafts is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Are you looking for some fun Easter crafts to do with your kids this week and weekend before Easter Sunday? Here’s a great resource – FREE E-Book filled with Easter & Spring Craft Ideas!

This e-book is filled with fun crafts such as homemade Easter cards, home decor ideas for Easter, crafts for kids & even a few Easter recipes!

Easter Crafts – Free E-Book is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Are you looking for some inspiration for St Patrick’s Day coming up on Wednesday? My daughter is really into celebrating all of the holidays now and loves to decorate the house, do fun crafts, and have fun things to eat along with the day. {We just finally took down our foam snowflakes hanging from the entry light and our string of Valentine hearts that she had put  up with her daddy to surprise me for Valentine’s Day. It was about time – it is only the middle of March!!} We’ll be switching to more Easter decorations now – but I’m still looking for a few fun St Patrick’s Day items to have up for a few days.

I was excited to see a new, FREE E-book filled with all sorts of fun St Patrick’s Day crafts, decorations, and recipes! {Check out the cute hat decoration above which seems pretty easy to make!}

Here are a few more fun ideas you’ll find in the FREE E-book:

-Felt Shamrock Garland
-Happy St Patrick’s Day Card
-Irish Shamrock Plate
-Homemade Bailey’s Irish & Cream
-Lucky Clover Pendant Necklace

St Patrick’s Day Recipes & Crafts is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? That’s news to me! It looks like Michael’s is holding FREE craft workshops all month long (see my post HERE with the events for this weekend).  See all the details HERE.

Here are the upcoming workshops:

• Saturday, March 20 (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.): T-shirt decorating with fashion paint and Michaels Birthday Bash celebrating the “It’s My Birthday” kids’ party program. Cost: FREE workshop with purchase of t-shirt.
• Sunday, March 21 (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.): Easter decor workshop for customers to learn to make an egg-stravagant Easter chick inside a craft egg. Cost: FREE workshop with purchase of craft egg.
• Saturday, March 27 (10 a.m. – 1 p.m.): Kids can create spring projects like flowers with new Crayola(R) Model Magic(R) Presto Dots. Cost: FREE
• Sunday, March 28 (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.): Wilton(R) cookie decorating demonstration. Cost: FREE

I’ll be reminding you about these – but  make sure to put them on your calendar now!

Upcoming Michael’s Craft Classes is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Are you looking for some fun, craft ideas for Valentine’s Day – can you believe it’s only a week away now–next Sunday is Valentine’s Day!! Oh boy, I’ve got to get moving!!  Well, you’re in luck as there are 2 NEW Valentine’s Day Craft E-books which you can download for FREE!

Check them out HERE:

Cupid’s Handmade Craft E-Book: This e-book has over 30 Valentine’s Crafts such as Valentine’s Day decor ideas (unique Valentine’s vase, candy bouquet), ideas for creating Valentine cards, & kids crafts!

Valentine’s Day Crafts from Famous Bloggers: E-Book with decorating & gift-giving ideas for Valentine’s Day

You can also check out a FREE E-book for 24 simple scrapbook layouts HERE.

2 Free Valentine Craft E-Books & Free Scrapbooking E-Book is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Step One: Binding the Book
First, decide how many pages you want.  I will be using 2 bags and have 8 pages counting the front and back.  Make sure the bags are lined up and fold them in half.

Then I weaved ribbon & tied large knots to create the binding. I designed my scrabook with parts of the paper bag showing because I like the rustic paper bag look.  If you don’t want to see the paper bag when you are done, cover the bag with a base color of paper, then bind it.

Step 2: Add Character

The paper bag provides more than a backing for the scrapbook- it gives you several easy ways to add character.  I left the top of one bag open- so I have a pocket. I am not sure what I will put in the pocket yet… maybe a paper snowflake, more pictures, a note- use your imagination!

The top of the bag gives you a pocket, the bottom of the bag makes a flip out page!

I used the bottom of the bag as a half page.  As you can see, the bottom of the bag can fold part way open already.  To make a half page, I cut the bottom flap of the bag so that the flap opens all the way.

I then covered it with paper.  The paper serves a double purpose here.  It covers up the messy, cut up bag, and it reinforces the book.

Step 3: Scrapbook It

You can decorate it any way you like from there. Here is how I did mine:

I only had a few pictures I wanted to use- so I used mostly paper & thoughts about winter & snow.

This is the flip out page.  I used it to hide a picture of Daniel about to through a snowball.

That was definately my favorite page of the book!

I only made one flip out page.  I covered up the bottom of the other bag.

Success!  We now have a cute little book documenting our fun in the snowy Rexburg winters.

I had so much fun making this book, I have already planned another one!  My plan is to make a Valentines Day book for my husband instead of a card.

Guest Post: Paper Bag Scrapbook is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom