Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Super Simple {and really fun} Nature Craft

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Leaf for nature craft

curtesy of FreeFoto.com

Yes, it’s me again — the reluctant crafter. If you have been reading this blog for awhile, then you know I have publicly admitted that I am not one of those wonderfully crafty mommies. I do my best — and my kids seem okay with my limited ability, in this area of Mommy-hood. However, they really do love crafts (even the really simple kind), so I often peruse crafting websites trying to find easy – and not terribly messy – things to do with the kids.

One Saturday morning, I was watching TV and there was a craft show on. It was all centered around fun things to do with the kids. The host of the show, is like the Macgyver of making toys for kids, by re-purposing just about anything (milk cartons, egg cartons, cans, butter containers, broken wooden handles, etc.). Some of the things she made — the boys would have broken faster than it took to actually make. However, she also had some annoyingly creative ideas as well. There was one thing she made that stuck with me and I just tried it the other day.

Nature Walk Craft

I am always looking for fun things to do with the kids — and ways to provide opportunities, to help them learn about the world around them. Admittedly, some days I am better at this than others. On this particular day, I was running out of things to do with the kids, they were wanting to do a craft (I couldn’t talk them into doing watercolors again) and we all really needed to get out for a walk. It was almost lunch/nap time though, so I didn’t have a lot of time to put anything together but I knew I had to think of something — and fast.

That is when this craft came to mind. It’s simple:

What you need:

  • Sandwich bags
  • Yarn
  • A hole punch
  • Construction paper
  • Glue
  1. Take the sandwich bag and punch a hole at the top on either side
  2. Cut a piece of yarn and tie each end into a hole — this makes a collection bag. (The boys wore their collection bags during the walk)
  3. Go on a nature walk. This can be as simple as walking through your own backyard, neighborhood, local park, or taking a hike.
  4. Let the kids look at discover all the things they see. They will stop and examine items and put things their bags. I honestly thought the boys would stuff anything they could see in their bags, but they were pretty selective.
  5. After you are done with your walk — get the construction paper out. You can either let the kids glue their items on their paper, or (this is my favorite method) squeeze out a bunch of Elmer’s glue onto the paper and let the kids glue their items on. They did this while I was making lunch.
  6. Let Dry the picture dry.

This was such an easy thing to do, and I really had no idea how much the kids would love it. The whole time we were on our walk A. was singing “We are going on a nature walk. We’re going on a nature walk.” It was so cute. It was also, the first thing the boys told their Dad about when he got home. They had a blast, got some fresh air, good exercise, and made a craft like they wanted to.

It’s the simple things that make life so sweet. My kids have definitely taught me that! 🙂

Do you use crafts to make everyday experiences memorable? What other nature crafts can you recommend?

Seeing Spring Through Children’s Eyes

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Spring Flowers

Picture from: B. Monginoux / Landscape-Photo.net (cc by-nc-nd)

As much as I want the warm weather my kids want it more. I love to see how excited they get when the bikes are being pulled out and they want to be off and riding. My kids have always been the outside type and the older they get the more they love the outdoors.

I was brought up the same way. Living in the country on a farm I had to be outside whether I wanted to be or not when the animals needed to be taken care of. In the summer there was no such thing as hanging out on the couch and watching television unless it was really raining.

The joys of spring

Nature has a way of having us see things differently. Being outside and watching how fast the trees are budding and the grass actually turns green and grows is amazing. Doing yard work can be exhausting but at the end of the day just seeing what has been accomplished gives us a good feeling.

Spending time outside in the warm weather with our kids doesn’t even cost anything. Just sitting and talking or if the kids are younger blowing bubbles or drawing with chalk costs next to nothing. Being able to see the little bugs like the bees out and about boosts our spirits and makes us smile and tired all at the same time. I find it breathtaking at times how my kids see things that we adults seem to overlook. That one little blade of grass growing in the pavement..seriously? How many of us adults would have noticed? The sun warms us just about as much as our kid’s smiles and enthusiasm.

At the end of the day when it begins to cool we all go inside and clean up. We have dinner and everyone is full and happy. The thing is we all had a great stress free day and we are all content and happy. Total cost? The yard had to give up some dirt for my kids.

Are you and your children ready for spring?

Fun and Inexpensive Outings with the Kids

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Enjoying the outdoors is a great free family activity

Found on Pixabay

Fun and inexpensive outings with the kids are not hard to find if you know where to look. With the prices of pretty much everything on the rise an outing can become very expensive if we are not careful. Of course doing new things with the kids that will not break the bank can be just as fun.

Using your imagination and being creative can find a lot of fun. Many times at the end of the most inexpensive outings the family will have spent quality time together and probably learned a few new things along the way.

Enjoy the Outdoors

Enjoying the outdoors is one of the things that many families enjoy and the wonders that can be found by a child’s eyes are endless. Nature walks can be a very rewarding outing. Enjoying the trails with the family and actually getting away from the rush of everyday life can be relaxing. Watching the little ones marvel at things they find along the trail can sometimes make us adults see things like they are new again. A child picking up a leaves and actually studying it is amazing. As adults we are often so busy that we miss a lot.

Visit the Library

The local library is also a great place to bring our children. Many libraries hold classes for the kids that are free of charge. Although the class may be once a week and only last an hour it is worth it. If your child is older the class is done without the parent. Again, it may only be an hour but an hour of free time at the library can be worth it for Mom and Dad!

To the Beach!

For those families that live near beaches but do not want to pay the parking or costs to enter the best time to go is at dusk. The beach is nearly empty and there is no charge to get in. Pack sandwiches and snacks and you are ready for a beach almost all to yourself.

Bus Station

Little boys (and some girls) love buses and trucks or pretty much any type of transportation for that matter. Imagine the little ones face when you roll into a bus station and go to see the buses. Pure delight, cost free.

Build Something Fun

Anyone have a builder on his or her hands? Many of the home improvement stores have free classes for the tikes and for the parents too (hate to have Dad feel left out). The classes may be held mainly on the weekends but again the cost can’t be beat.

Quality time with our families does not have to be expensive. The things that cost the least can be the best and smiles are flowing freely. How we spend our time with our children is not how much money we spend to have fun with them. Childhood memories are not made of how much money parents spent occupying us. Childhood memories consist of loving moments that were spent together knowing we were and are cherished.

What free and cheap family activities do you do with your family?

Year-round Money Saving and Fun Activites for Parents and Kids

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Arts & crafts are just one money saving family activityMore and more parents are having to work harder to make that extra buck so not only is saving money a concern but also making sure the time you have to spend with your family is maximized. As a parent, I am constantly challenged to find interesting and cost-effective ways to have fun with the kids. This can be tough considering how technology makes it tempting to spend and use expensive outlets for fun. All is not lost though as there are still lots of ways to spend qulity time with the kids and save at the same time

Here are some year-round activities you can engage in that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

For the indoors:

1. You can build your kids’ creativity and imagination by creating an art wall that can display artwork made all times of the year. First, allocate a part of the wall in your kids room for this. Mark it off by sticking letter cut-outs of thier names. You can make this from old magazines or use stencils to cut out handy art paper. Have your kids join the fun by having them sitck their names themselves. This can be educational too! Next, have them draw anything they want to display on the wall. It can be a drawing of your family, a cartoon character, a lesson in school, the ideas are limitless. And you can recycle these works of art to keep it fresh.

2. Have a rewards chart that you can make a household activity fun and a lesson at the same time. You can use old cardboard and markers to create a billboard that you can prop on the side, hang on the wall, or stick near your art center. Take a photo of each child and place it on the top and bottom or left and right side of the chart. Decorate the chart sides to match the personalities of each child. You can again use handy art material or old magazines. Every day, set aside times where you have them do easy chores like fixing their toys, or cleaning their room. Activities done successfully can be rewarded by a star or a picture tacked to the chart. At the end of the week you will have collected a number of markers. Set a limit and make this limit rewardable with a favorite snack or a favorite show or a favorite outdoor activity. Your kids learn how to be responsible, you have fun with them while doing chores, and you save money.

For the outdoors:

You can extend the rewards to the outside and make these money saving activities as well by choosing the places you visit.

1. You can have a picnic in the park on nice, sunny days. You have full control over what food you bring and the kids have access to a free playground.

2. You can visit the bookstore and take advantage of the kids section which allows free reading of kids books.

3. You can go to the local indoor pool for cold and overcast days and have a small swimming party.

4. And, if you really want to keep it simple, and multi-purpose, you can go grocery shopping and make it an adventure by having your kids help choose your grocery items. They will learn all about “good” food and how to budget as well. My kids love our Saturday afternoon grocery trips.

Remember that kids don’t mind simple activities as long as they are able to spend fun, quality-time with you. So saving and being with your kids need not be opposing activities.

Make the most of the simple things offered out there and you can’t go wrong!

What cheap and fun activities do you do with your kids?