Summer Break is upon us. I'm sure you're wondering "What can I do this summer with the kids that won't break the bank?" No worries we can help you with fun ideas to keep your kids busy this summer. Best of all, most of these ideas are FREE or CHEAP.
Normally we have more options to choose from when it comes to indoor activities but because of Covoid-19 many things have been cancelled or postponed.
FREE INDOOR ACTIVITIES
Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust Cardholders a free museum ticket on the first full weekend of every month at over 225 participating museums. Just present your Bank of America credit or debit card and photo ID.
Get 2 free games of bowling every summer day when you register HERE!
Get passes for free roller skating with KidsSkateFree.com. If your local roller rink doesn’t participate in this program, you can send them this letter encouraging them to join.
SUMMER READING
Visit your Local Library.
Public libraries across the country offer summer programs for kids and teens. Although many might be doing it online this summer. Contact your local library to see what they’re doing.
Camp BOOK IT! from Pizza Hut
Track and reward your kids' reading for June, July and August in our digital dashboard. When they meet their monthly reading goal, they'll receive a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut! We'll also share fun activities and book recommendations each week to keep the fun going throughout the summer!
This summer, earn one free book through the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program for kids in grades 1–6.
Follow these 3 steps:
1. Read any eight books this summer and record them in this Summer Reading Journal. Tell us which part of the book is your favorite, and why.
2. Bring your completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between July1st and August 31st, 2020.
3. Choose your free reading adventure from the books listed here.
READING AT HOME
Check out Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. These books are great for kids in 4th grade to middle school. My son is 10 and loves them. Also some other fun graphic novels to read over the summer are Captain Underpants, and the Dog Man books.
OUTDOOR FUN
Get the kids moving outdoors. Go for a walk, or go for a bike ride. Help your kids stay active and get more exercise by getting outside every day. It will also improve their mood.
Open a door to our national parks—where learning and discovery come alive! Help more kids experience our country’s beauty, history and culture through the national parks.
Fourth graders and their families can visit national parks for free. Get free access to national historical sites, parks, forests, and waters.
Complete a series of activities during a park visit, or download special interest books to do at home. Junior Rangers are typically between ages 5-13, but park lovers of all ages can participate.
Connecting kids to their national parks through introductory fishing activities.
Make hikes at nature reserves and parks in your area even more fun with REI's free Kids' Adventure Journal, where young hikers (ages 6-12) can log notes and draw pictures about their experiences.
Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS enabled devices and then share experiences online. Go on the world’s largest treasure hunt HERE!
Use Trail Link to find local trails to go hiking, biking, etc.
LOW COST OR FREE CAMPS
Opens June 22nd. The content will be available all summer long, so you can access the sessions at any time that works best for you! All the content (videos, printable DIY activities) for Camp KiwiCo will be FREE and available to anyone starting June 22!
If you’d like to add more to your camper’s day, you can order the crates to go with each day’s theme.
Koala Camp (Ages 3-4)
Kiwi Camp (Ages 5-8)
Atlas Camp (Ages 6-11)
Tinker Camp (Ages 9+)
Virtual only!
Kids can learn about game coding and design.Your kids get to learn about programming and coding from Microsoft employees.
Girl Scout summer camp right at home! Each week will give girls the opportunity to earn a badge around topics like journalism, outdoors, art, photography, theater, computer programming, STEM and more.
PBS KIDS articles, videos and activities on topics like dinosaurs, space, art and animals.
Free online summer-learning that's full of fun, interactive STEM and literacy-building topics boosted by Maker experiments!
Build vocabulary, background knowledge in science, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and other literacy skills.
Week-long sessions. Fully interactive, starting at $0, ages 5-18, June - August.
Camp topics include: science, recycled art, improv, dinosaurs, Minecraft, creating slideshows, video editing 101, drawing anime, chess and beginner’s, Spanish and more.
Offline and online summer activities that’ll keep kids active and curious, with new themes every week. This week we’re learning about: Animals, Plants, and the Planet.
Free Daily Online Classes for Kids & Adults
Weekly options such as foundations in singing, intro to violin, American Sign Language, Intro photography, piano for beginners and much more.
*Double check ensure these retailer's are offering these activities at a location near you.
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Check out Kiwi Crate. Kiwi Crates goal is to inspire kids to see themselves as scientists, artists, creators, and makers. You can see our review HERE!
Toys are hands-on and engineered for fun to get kids excited about exploring scientific wonders at any age. Each month, Amazon’s toy experts handpick STEM toys from the leading STEM toy brands.
Kids Puzzle Books Subscription: Ages 4-7. Books provide brain-building activities for both kids and grown-ups.Three Sticker Puzzles in Each Book strengthen hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
A monthly cooking kit for kids ages 4-14+. A culinary experiences to nurture your child's confidence in the kitchen encouraging them to: to explore and experience new foods while they learn to chop, sauté, whisk, and measure!
Story time just got better with Prime Book Box, a subscription that delivers hand-picked children’s books every 1, 2, or 3 months. Discover new favorites that inspire a love of reading new adventures await in every box!
Offers a variety of fun, action-packed subscription lines for kids of all ages. In the USA Edition, your child will learn about two states each month through fun and educational puzzles, crafts, and games.
SUMMER CRAFTS
You can use supplies you already have around the house or purchase some crafts online. You can also get out paper and crayons, markers, paint and let your child's imagination run wild.
Mini-Aquariums check out how to make one step by step from alittleclaireification.com
You can find some fun tips on Sea Shell painting on this blog: pinkandgreenmama.com
Crafts from Amazon:
Here are a few ideas from my: Pinterest boards.
STEM FUN Glowing & Exploding Art Materials: Glow-in-the-dark vinegar Zip-seal bags Baking soda Toilet paper Poster board Follow the rest of the directions here.  How to Make Foaming Snow From: Growing a Jeweled Rose Recipe 4 cups of frozen baking Soda 2-4 cups of shaving Cream You can find the rest of the directions here.  From: Left brain craft brain Make this awesome color changing slime that changes color with temperature! Thermochromic slime makes STEM learning fun. Heat Sensitive Color Changing Slime Recipe: 1/4 cup white school glue 1 Tablespoons water 3 teaspoons Thermochromic pigment 1/4 cup liquid starch Food coloring Full directions can be found here: STEM FUN IDEAS FROM AMAZON  |
Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kit
20 piece kit allows your young scientist to explore and learn the basics of science from chemical reactions to the use of science tools.
20 piece kit allows your young scientist to explore and learn the basics of science from chemical reactions to the use of science tools.
Spero Robot
With Sphero Mini a little coding robot you can: drive play games to get the ball rolling just by using your face. Face Drive is a crazy, first-of-its-kind feature that uses facial recognition technology to drive the ball.
With Sphero Mini a little coding robot you can: drive play games to get the ball rolling just by using your face. Face Drive is a crazy, first-of-its-kind feature that uses facial recognition technology to drive the ball.
STAYING COOL
From: One Crazy House.
Make your own with an empty soda bottle and some hose adapters. The kids will have so much fun with this.
From: Inner Child Fun
All you need are some paper cups, and a water pistol or spray bottle!
From: The Clumsy Crafter
How do you make one? All you need is one big roll of plastic sheeting and duct tape. Check out this tutorial on how to make a leakproof water blob.
Check out these ideas from Amazon:
PLAY BOARD GAMES
| Play board or card games. You probably have some laying around or you can buy one on amazon. We love junior monopoly. Here are some great games to check out: Monopoly Junior Clue Junior Jenga Classic Game Clue Game Monopoly Classic Game |
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