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When it's nice outside, we go to the public pool. It's cheap and keeps everyone cool on the hottest of days. Luckily ours is never very busy, even at the height of summer. Any other ideas that don't cost too much? Our summer's going to be spent mostly in the back yard or around town.
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Get the hosepipe out and buy the kids a cheap version of a super soaker each. We have great fun with them over summer and even the neighbors get in on the act now. When they see the kids playing with theirs, they squirt them through the fence with their own guns. This is adults we're talking about, not kids! LOL.
LOL! The children must love them shooting at them. :) So many grown ups I know are old before their time and wouldn't bother doing a fun thing like that.
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Tell me about it. Half the fun of having kids is getting to do crazy things you can get away with only because they're playing too. ;) We love water fights!! Filling up a paddling pool to make refills easier works great. Everyone can dash over and dip their own gun in it instead of needing one person to man the hosepipe constantly if you're short on adults or turn the faucet on and off all the time. Of course you need to watch the pool very carefully if you have little ones in the yard and be there to help them fill their guns.
Whoever gets the hosepipe gets the best sprayer of all! Ask my neighbors how high I can get it over their fence hehe.
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Ha! Remind me if I ever visit to bring a wetsuit and flippers Savannah. :)
Zoey, would the kids like a mini vegetable spot? Simple things like onions and radishes grow quick and are easy. You might like this article on backyard games too.
http://kids-outdoor-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/backyard_games_t...
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We enjoy badminton on the cool evenings. I think we paid $3 each for the racquets and shuttlecock sets. We bought two sets. A friend gave us an old volleyball net when they were clearing their garage out so we use that for matches. It's a nice gentle game compared to some that get the kids going wild.
I can't believe I said that. I must be getting old LOL. Somebody get me my walking frame.
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Ha! Remind me if I ever visit to bring a wetsuit and flippers Savannah. :)
Zoey, would the kids like a mini vegetable spot? Simple things like onions and radishes grow quick and are easy. You might like this article on backyard games too.
http://kids-outdoor-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/backyard_games_t...
Yes, I think they would! Thanks for the idea purplerain and the link. :)
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We enjoy badminton on the cool evenings. I think we paid $3 each for the racquets and shuttlecock sets. We bought two sets. A friend gave us an old volleyball net when they were clearing their garage out so we use that for matches. It's a nice gentle game compared to some that get the kids going wild.
I can't believe I said that. I must be getting old LOL. Somebody get me my walking frame.
Somebody around here needs to buy a Super Soaker or two. ;) No need for the fountain of youth. They'll do the trick.
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Somebody around here needs to buy a Super Soaker or two. ;) No need for the fountain of youth. They'll do the trick.
You buy and we'll arrange a play date. Anytime, anywhere. I warn you, I'm quick on the draw. :P
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Somebody around here needs to buy a Super Soaker or two. ;) No need for the fountain of youth. They'll do the trick.
You buy and we'll arrange a play date. Anytime, anywhere. I warn you, I'm quick on the draw. :P
LOL, that's fighting talk. You girls need to meet my hosepipe.
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Would they enjoy beachcombing Zoey? It can be interesting to see who can find the most unusual shell, most colorful pebble and so on. When they come home, you can all go online and find out what the shell belongs to. We used to draw around them then fill in the rest of the picture to try copy what it looked like.
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They do enjoy the beach for about half an hour. After that, they're bored. It's hardly worth the trip and packing everything up we need.
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They do enjoy the beach for about half an hour. After that, they're bored. It's hardly worth the trip and packing everything up we need.
Try something different then. Fossils of shellfish are amazingly common in rocks. Have a beach treasure hunt to see who can find one. Show the kids online or in a book what a fossil looks like embedded in rock before you go so they know what they should be looking for roughly. It's funny how their imaginations see things that aren't there too. It's entertaining for the adults too to hear them explain what it is. ;)
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They do enjoy the beach for about half an hour. After that, they're bored. It's hardly worth the trip and packing everything up we need.
Try something different then. Fossils of shellfish are amazingly common in rocks. Have a beach treasure hunt to see who can find one. Show the kids online or in a book what a fossil looks like embedded in rock before you go so they know what they should be looking for roughly. It's funny how their imaginations see things that aren't there too. It's entertaining for the adults too to hear them explain what it is. ;)
Hey, I like that idea! We usually just paddle and look for crabs in the small pools. I think they would enjoy that. Showing them what to look for could get them a little excited before we get there. I'm warming to that idea. I enjoy the beach myself but not when they're whining to get back in front of the TV.
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I enjoy the beach myself but not when they're whining to get back in front of the TV.
Gee, what would kids do without electricity to entertain them! Mine are the same. There's so many outdoor games that are forgotten nearly now. I played hopscotch for hours when I was a kid and could still draw out the chalkboard like it was yesterday. It's years since I saw a child playing hopscotch.
Perhaps they don't let them draw with chalk on the sidewalks anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if it was dying out because of a dumb reason like that too.
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Do day trips count as outdoor activities? I say they do! :)
This is a great resource. Museums listed by state that have no admission charges. Free entry for everybody! And if you know of any more, give them a hand and add to the wiki.
Free Museums List - Wiki.
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Many state parks offer programs or trips that are either free or low cost - depnding on where you live. These are often educational, they get the kids out of the house, and gives them some exercise (parents, too). Some parks have pools, too.
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Many state parks offer programs or trips that are either free or low cost - depnding on where you live. These are often educational, they get the kids out of the house, and gives them some exercise (parents, too). Some parks have pools, too.
Some have pools? I didn't know that. At the National Parks Service website you can click on a park name in the Events section and it gives you a calendar. Green days mean there's an event. You can also search between certain dates.
http://www.nps.gov/events
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Do day trips count as outdoor activities? I say they do! :)
This is a great resource. Museums listed by state that have no admission charges. Free entry for everybody! And if you know of any more, give them a hand and add to the wiki.
Free Museums List - Wiki.
Thanks Kay, that's a great list. I enjoy museums and art galleries the way other people like the mall LOL. I usually buy a trinket in the shop to support them. :)
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Do day trips count as outdoor activities? I say they do! :)
This is a great resource. Museums listed by state that have no admission charges. Free entry for everybody! And if you know of any more, give them a hand and add to the wiki.
Free Museums List - Wiki.
Thanks Kay, that's a cool idea too.
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Many state parks offer programs or trips that are either free or low cost - depnding on where you live. These are often educational, they get the kids out of the house, and gives them some exercise (parents, too). Some parks have pools, too.
Some have pools? I didn't know that. At the National Parks Service website you can click on a park name in the Events section and it gives you a calendar. Green days mean there's an event. You can also search between certain dates.
http://www.nps.gov/events
Thanks Mike and greenmachine. I didn't know some were that fancy either! The events calendar is excellent. :)
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San Francisco Bay Area has a free theater festival next weekend.
Sunday, July 19, 2009-
The San Francisco Theater Festival operates more on the notion that a free sample is the best advertising. Information tables and mailing lists are usually readily available. Truly wary buyers have another option as well: If a sample makes you think you might like a group's work, you can probably check out one of its full productions through the annual Free Night of Theater sponsored by Theatre Bay Area in October.
San Francisco Theater Festival takes place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Sun. on 17 stages in and around Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, including Zeum, the Metreon and Contemporary Jewish Museum. Free. www.sftheaterfestival.org.
Read the rest of the article - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/19/PKQ418K5GV.DTL&type=entertainment#ixzz0M16XY9S4
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Can't forget the old slip n' slide (around $20 for a summer's worth of fun)
or just the hose/sprinkler set up entertains toddlers and preschoolers.
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Can't forget the old slip n' slide (around $20 for a summer's worth of fun)
or just the hose/sprinkler set up entertains toddlers and preschoolers.
The old ideas are the best! Sprinklers are great fun on a scorching day. Remember the Water Wiggle?
©2009
Get the hosepipe out and buy the kids a cheap version of a super soaker each. We have great fun with them over summer and even the neighbors get in on the act now. When they see the kids playing with theirs, they squirt them through the fence with their own guns. This is adults we're talking about, not kids! LOL.