Eastern Carolina Parent - April 2009 - (Page 20) Penny Pincher Twelve Steps to Summer Fun on a Budget The budget might be a little leaner this year, but free summer fun is flowing! With a little planning and a willing family, you can skip expensive camps, swimming clubs, and far off vacations, and still have the summer of your lives. Before the kids get out of school, spend a little time with your summer calendar. Using our 12 Steps to Summer on a Budget, schedule in some of the following ideas. Before you know it, you will have months filled with costfree fun. Be sure to take lots of pictures, because you are going to want to share your amazing summer adventures! following the Collaboarative Summer Library Program, a theme-based summer enrichment program for children. The 2009 theme is Be Creative!, and participating libraries will be offering an assortment of programs and projects that will inspire the imaginations of kids. Take a few minutes to speak with your children’s librarian and learn about the wealth of free family offerings. Look into area parks. Many have local picnic areas, playgrounds, and ball fields. Plan to spend a day at your child’s favorite local playground, and pack a picnic lunch! For a bigger adventure, check out the National Park Service (NPS) website at nps.gov for information on state parks near you. The site lists which parks offer swimming, biking, hiking, fishing, camping, birding and more. You can also check out the park’s calendar of events which many times include demonstrations and children’s programs. 3 2 Load up on kid-friendly summer recipes. Visiting the local ice cream stand can be great, but you can also create your own kitchen fun with the help of some favorite characters. On websites such as nickjr.com, you can find yummy summer recipes for Blue’s Banana Pops, Ziggy’s Juiced Up Fruit Pop, and more. PBS fans will enjoy sproutonline.com where tasty treats include Bob’s Build Me Up Berry Shake, Create-a-Color Smoothie, and Noddy’s Apple Car Delight. Tie on an apron and have fun in the kitchen this summer! 1 Stop by your local library. Libraries aren’t 4 just for reading anymore. Most offer story hours, craft projects and entertainment events. Families can borrow movies, puzzles, music and computer software. Some even offer tickets to local attractions, like museums and aquariums. And many area libraries will be Inspect your bike and hiking shoes. Plan a bike hike with the entire family, or find a trail to hike. You can find online information on walking and biking trails in your area at americantrails.org, railstotrails.org, or nps.gov. Use your time together to go over important safety tips, like wearing a helmet when biking and drinking plenty of water when it’s hot. East Carolina Cheerleading & Tumbling School e be Com rt of a pa test s the fa sport ing a! grow meric in A 5 build ECCA T s Cha S m on th pions Floor e an in Lif d e! Dust off your old board games and a deck of cards. Do your kids know what your favorite card game was when you were little? Can you build a house of cards? When was the last time you played Sorry or invested time in a game of Monopoly? Playing games together teaches children more than just good sportsmanship. Many teach math skills (Yahtzee), reasoning skills (Clue), and cooperation (Pictionary). Have a game day for each member of the family in which that person gets to choose the game. Or, send out an e-vite to all of your friends and neighbors for a game night. Have everyone bring a favorite game and set up tables around your living room for an evening of fun. Call local museums and other family attractions. Ask about any upcoming free family programs or children’s demonstrations. Some local attractions offer free admission at specific times or on holidays. Some have promotional tours in which they might take a few animals and visit area schools or malls. Ask to speak to someone in the promotions department or education department to find out about any free programs that are scheduled in your area. 6 ming Upco ups sign- outs try and 11th May th! 14 out re ab nqui esome I w our a mer Sum s! p Cam 321-0404 www.eccats.com 5162 Corey Road, Winterville 20 Eastern Carolina Parent : April 2009 www.easterncarolinaparent.com http://www.eccats.com http://www.easterncarolinaparent.com
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