Six real-life, real cheap ways
to keep the kids busy this year.
By Paula Sirois
Don’t ask me how I managed to forget about spring break. I
must have blocked it out, like a bad memory or tragic event. Once again, I was without
a plan, without a list of camps on speed-dial and without a clue as to what to
do with the kids for a week. Same boat?
Don’t fret - you are now covered with real-life solutions. All of them are for real people (read: those
who are broke and work full time).
Be a tourist: So many of us just never get around to
visiting nearby attractions. If you can take a day off, consider this break an
opportunity to act like a tourist and check out local sites. Hit the parks,
zoo, aquarium, museums, and other unique points of interest. Call or visit the
Chamber of Commerce or AAA for some ideas and maps and hit the road!
Action it up: Do
your kids like sports? Instead of letting them just veg out on the couch
watching game after game, get them active and involved. The folks at OneUp have come up with a pretty
smart solution that makes the entire family happy. Log on to www.1up.me and prepare to be on the edge of your seat. This is a
first-of-its-kind mobile app connecting sports fans to the live event through a
bingo-type game, and yes the whole family can play. The
app is free and the days of passively watching games are over. Now you can play in real time with your
favorite sports team. Your team scores,
your iPad lights up and you win! The
entire family gets involved and what was once a couple of hours of
non-interaction with your kids becomes a live-action family game night.
Have them volunteer:
Candi Wingate, president of Nannies4Hire, suggests having your children “adopt” a senior citizen from
a local assisted-living home. “Visit that senior citizen often and nurture the
relationship. It will teach your kids about giving as well as receiving
nurturing. Simultaneously, your children will likely have priceless
opportunities to learn about history from people who observed it firsthand.” Similarly
themed ideas include signing up the family to help volunteer for a charity in
your town or setting up a backyard/neighborhood co-op garden.
Pool your resources: If you can’t afford to take the time off to
hang with your kids, consider enlisting your friends who are stay-at-home moms.
They’re probably in the same situation, wondering what to do with the kids
every day. They might jump at the chance to get the kids together. Ask if you
could drop yours off for the day and be sure to offer to pay for the pizza
delivery and/or trip to the ice cream store. While this will buy you one or two
days, you’ll still need to fill the rest of the week.
Call on family: Phone your relatives (and Facebook your
friends too) and see if any teenagers would be interested in a babysitting job.
Offer to pick them up and drive them home and toss in a few bucks and maybe a
gift certificate or two to Amazon and you’ll be set for the week.
Camp it: Many schools and churches offer low-cost day camp options for the kids.
They can spend the day with arts and crafts, playing sports, and maybe even
catching a much-needed nap. Make sure to call soon since they book up quickly.
Spring break comes
every year, and like clockwork, I forget every year. But between a day of
volunteering, a few days at a friend’s house, and a couple at home with some
live-action games and some teenage cousins, my kids will have a fun and
creative spring break—and yours can too.
Paula Sirois is a Florida-based writer who
specializes in all things online, frugal living and family life and can be
reached at paulapla@gmail.com
