Fun and Recession-Friendly Family Activities

Our favorite outing is always the park, we go and have picnics and let the kids play and get outdoors. Another thing we like to do in the winter is take them ice skating, we are lucky to have a small, free outdoor rink right down the street so we go down there when it gets cold out.

As a work-at-home mom, I agree with going to the local park. We try to go to the local college park at least every other day. This saves us from having to find affordable playing equipment for home and it aids in social interactions with other children of all backgrounds. Most cities have at least one park, and sometimes these are hidden off of the main roads. Think about local schools and colleges that may have public sports fields and tracks for soccer and other games. If you are traveling, rest area stops often have the best and nicest park areas. For those who haven't considered them in a while because of safety concerns, most rest areas now have up-to-date surveillance or staff on site. - mirandayb 3/17/2010 2:22:37 PM | Flag

I think the park is the best answer of all. We frequently go to the local park or play at our elementary school. With a ball, bubbles, jump rope, or frisbee and you have an afternoon of fun! A picnic lunch is a big hit too. We have found that many other families are doing the same, which makes it even more fun. - momtastic3 3/22/2010 10:50:59 PM | Flag

Answered by DirtyMonkey {108}
3/17/2010 2:31:04 AM

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We float the river. We have a few large rivers near that we take a few blow up boats and some life jackets (they are mostly smooth sailing, but always be safe.) and we pack a lunch and lot of water and juice. Every one from my daughter @ 9 months to my girlfriends mother in-law (50ish) have tons of fun! :) The most it costs us is the gas to get up the river and then back home and then end of the day.

Lately we have been park hopping. We'll head out to one end of town and then work our way closer to home spending about an hour at each one. Once again, the most we spend is the gas and maybe if we are feeling rich we'll eat out for lunch and take our burger and fries to the next park with us.

As soon as my little one (19 mon. now) is a little older I am really looking forward to taking her on hikes to teach her stuff. (I'm a big outdoors freak. I was in girl scouts and all! lol)

Answered by mirandayb {105}
http://www.gafosterteens.com
3/17/2010 2:13:29 PM

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Something I have looked into is geocaching. The only requirement is you must have a GPS unit, so if you have one of these you are in luck. You can go to www.geocaching.com to get started and learn everything you ever wanted to know about this new activity. Geocaching is essentially modern-day treasure hunting. You look up map coordinates of geocaches online and then use your GPS to find the location. At the location you will find a notebook and occasionally a small toy or prize. This sounds like it could be a very fun and spontaneous activity for a family, especially those with kids who love pirates!

Answered by mirandayb {105}
http://www.gafosterteens.com
3/17/2010 4:35:20 PM

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I have written a letter to each President of the United States since I was in grammar school and received a special autographed copy photo as well as a personalized letter from the President. I have kept up with them in my baby book, and to me, this is my own personal piece of American history. I want to continue this tradition with my own son as he becomes old enough to write. If you have school-age children, get them to sit down and write a letter, something that doesn't happen too often these days, to the President with a question or comment and mail it off. He or she will receive a photo and letter in return personalized just for them for free, minus postage and mail supplies. This is a cheap way to gain a personal memento and do the child's own part in advising the Chief while teaching them how mail works, how to write a formal letter, and critical thinking as they think of problems or concerns and express them through words.

Answered by danielle128 {106}
3/19/2010 8:28:28 PM

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At the risk of sounding like a nerd, we like the local library. There's a lot of storytelling times for the pre and school aged children as well as special event days, movie nights, family fun nights, scrapbooking, and even some classes. Usually there is little to no charge for most everything they offer. Then of course, there are all the books, magazines, movies, and games. Oh! and speaking of games, they also offer games on the library computers for kids. I remember my mom taking my brother and me to the library when we were kids, and they had the most fun games (of course this was before everyone had a computer and the internet and gaming consoles galore!) It's one of those resources most people probably never think about, but they have a lot to offer if you ask.

Answered by SeptemberGray {155}
4/17/2010 11:31:16 PM

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We are fortunate to live near the beach. All that water is absolutely free. Still, other times we stay home and play board games or rent family movies. I find we actually have more fun with less money because we can't afford to go our seperate ways, one person to the mall, the other person to the theater. We are broke but together and happy.