[Giabrina]

Help! Does anyone have any good ideas for summer activities for a 10 & 8 year old. My kids spend most of the day watching television and playing video games and I hate it! I don't have the money for summer camps or even a pool membership. I find it hard enough to structure my own day with my bipolar issues so their day is waaayyy out of structure. I find it horribly depressing that my kids have nothing to do and just waste their time indoors. Any suggestions?

[Travelinglady]

Can you afford some outdoor games, such as a soccer ball or water guns? How about taking them to a public park?

How about a trip to the local library a couple of times a week.

Check local theaters for summer movie camps (usually like a buck or so a ticket).

Still indoors I realize, but at least away from the house, a little adventuresome, change of pace.

Check out public pools. Even if you only go once every other week, they'll be thrilled. We joined our city's community center for on $50/month for the whole family which I though was an absolute deal (outdoor pool park with slides and lazy river,etc., indoor pool, gyms for basketball, game room, exercise room for adults, indoor track). We had no idea how affordable it was until we really investigated. Daily passes to public pools are usual pretty cheap, depending on how elaborate the facility is.

Since you are in Pennsylvania instead of Texas, outdoor parks might be weather tolerable. Investigate free or half-price museum days, free tours of factories are fascinating.

We're near a city and just discovered a hotel that shows family movies at its pool that anyone can come to for free, and you can swim while you watch (how cool is that for kids).

You have to be a bit of a detective to find things, but there are lots of things available for little to no money to do if you work at it a bit.

You don't have to entertain your kids constantly, but getting them out of the house a few times a week at least will go a long way to keeping them from utterly dying of boredom. It's good for you, too.

[shezbut]

(((Giabrina)))

I agree with the tips from others!

The library has all sorts of activities for children nowadays, and it's free! I applied for scholarships to our YMCA for my girls to attend daycamp & was awarded 2 weeks at half-cost. I could only afford 1 week, because it was $100, but it ought to be a great week for them.

In my area, we do have a couple of movie theaters that show kids movies once/week for free during the day. Something different to do...

Of course, there are lots of parks to take advantage of as well. Lots with beaches for kids to play in and keep cool. Some are free, others cost a few bucks for parking (or you can buy an annual parking permit for county parks & that pays for itself real quick! I think that it's $30).

Play at home games I can think of: water balloon fights, "jump through the hoseline", slip and slide, hide and seek, finding hidden objects with lists to scratch off, arts and crafts, etc.

Hope that you've got some helpful ideas that work for you and your kids. Best wishes to you!