1. Colour. Get out the paper and crayons and try to come up with some creative things. We recently traced all of our hands and made pictures form those. I kept one that has all of our hands traced on one sheet and dated it. The picture is a real keeper, as it shows the kids’ hand sizes right along with mine.
2. Go to the Library. There are often activities for kids at the library, especially on Saturday or Sunday mornings (at least in my city). Check it out! And the kids loved picking out books for me to read to them.
3. Play Board Games. Even with my kids, who are really young (2 and 4) this is a blast! We play snakes and ladders as well as some other kids games that were given to us that the kids enjoy, and I have fun with them.
4. Bake. We bake something at least every other week. I bake all my own bread at home, so this is a big money saver! The cost of a loaf of bread, baked at home, is about 25 cents for the ingredients. And it costs me about $3 for the same loaf of bread in the store. And the kids love mixing the dough and pouring the ingredients. And when it’s warm out of the oven, then we all get a slice smothered in margarine. Mmmmm! We also bake banana bread, cake, and sometimes cookies.
5. Take some digital pictures. Even my kids get a turn with the camera! They love it and we get to look at the pictures on the computer afterwards and laugh, especially at the ones my son takes of his face really close up!
6. Go to the playground. I know it may sound basic and silly, but it really is a lot of fun! I play “catch me” with the kids, where they get to run around and I have to pretend to try and catch them. We sometimes get other kids in the playground who want to play, too. And I find I’m the only adult in the playground (most times) who is actually playing with his kids. It also gives me a great workout! you’d be surprised at how much energy it takes to keep up to a four year old kid. Go down the slide, swing on the swings, help your kids to climb, even play in the sand. It’s great for your spirit, too!
7. Learn something new. You went to the library already, so learn about the things in those books you grabbed. Or find something on the Internet that is fun for everyone to learn about. It’s great to teach your kids and get them discussing things that they are interested in. I had my son teach my all about Bakugan toys and how they work, for example. And my daughter introduced me to all the Little Ponies that her grandma bought her and I had to learn all their names. It was surprisingly fun! And my kids got very engaged with me. And then I read them a kids’ story about a Viking boy and they learned some history and talked about all the neat things that were in the story, like the ship and the swords and the funny clothes they wore…
8. Make some origami. All you need is some paper. Do a search on the Internet and you will find many sites instructing on this. Or maybe you got a book from the library already?
9. Play catch. Kids love to play catch or soccer and just move the ball around in interaction with each other and their parents. And everybody gets a little exercise as a bonus!
10. Go for a bike ride. Explore your neighbourhood! Just be safe and follow local traffic and helmet laws.
11. Build a blanket tent city. Take some blankets and build tents or forts out of them and have a maze and fun place to play. The kids love this, and we sometimes play tag through the tents all over the living room, as it’s easy for the kids to hide from me and more fun to chase from place to place. They can also pretend their adventurers on a camp out and exploring the world.
12. Do some gardening. Really! The kids love planting and taking care of the garden and have learned to see the results of their work. They are happy to pull the weeds with me, as they enjoy playing in the dirt and understand that it helps to make their plants grow better. They’re really looking forward to strawberries and peas this year!
13. Make some cards. Have a birthday or other special event coming up? It’s great to make some cards and cost practically nothing, just the cost of paper/card stock. Have the kids draw special pictures and decorate the cards in a special way for the occasion. We tend to have a stock of craft supplies from the dollar store, so making a card probably costs less than 10 cents. That’s close enough to free!
14. Do some puzzles. Yes, jigsaw puzzles! The kids love putting these together and enjoy my input, even if they can do it themselves.
15. Go swimming. Most cities have free swim parks or there is a lake nearby that you can enjoy. All it costs is the gas to get there. Or if you’re lucky you live close enough to bike or walk, then it really is free! Our neighbourhood has a free water park that the kids love to play in. While it’s not really swimming, it’s close. And that makes me think of the next one…
16. Have a water fight! The kids love getting me all wet and spraying me with water. A couple of weeks ago I bought three little squirt guns for $1, which added to the fun. so we each have a squirt gun and love the added dimension. Of course the kids love it if they get control of the hose or sprinkler… and another water related one…
17. Blow bubbles. Mix one part liquid dish detergent with 15 parts water – one quick way to do this is to just mix 1/4 cup detergent with 3-3/4 cups of water. Use filtered and fairly soft water if you can. Then, take a wire coat hanger, bend and twist it into a small loop or two, and you’re ready to go. Any round object will work – I’ve used plastic lids from coffee whitener and just cut the centre out. Be inventive! Blowing bubbles works really great if you have small children who love to chase them or are just learning to blow them. With the bigger things, like the lids you have to wave it in the air to make the bubbles. Don’t wave too hard.
18. Play some music. I have tin whistles and a guitar, but you can learn pretty much any instrument that interests you. When we visit Grandma we play on the piano, even though none of us really know how. It’s just for fun and the kids really enjoy it. And we actually learn a little about music. And the more I do it, the better my skills get!
19. Explore the outdoors. My city has a great river valley to walk in, but there are also nearby parks and reserves that we can go visit. Travelling to those costs the gas money, so we usually stay close. The kids get to show me their discoveries, such as the butterfly my son saw coming out of it’s cocoon, spiders building webs or eating a bug, something floating along in the river, squirrels, and a huge variety of plants.
20. Build a Castle or Fort. In the winter time we build snow forts out in our yard, which the kids love. Another idea for when there is no snow is to go by the local appliance or hardware store and ask if they have any huge boxes they are getting rid of. They will usually let you just take it (sometimes 2 or three), and you can then build a castle from it in your yard or living room. Cut out the windows, make a door, the limit is your imagination (and how much cardboard you have).

I could add more, but think I’ll save that for another day and another list. If anyone reading this has things to add, please comment and let me know!

When we enjoy the outdoors there are so many options available that it is sometimes confusing. On a long weekend there are certain to be crowds in the popular areas and finding camping sites and space may become difficult. However, there are ways to enjoy the times outside camping and still keep costs fairly low.

The biggest cost for many people camping is likely to be the fuel costs for travelling, and the food. At least that’s for those who are frugal campers. The whole intent of being outside in a true camping environment is to enjoy the new scenery and the great outdoors, not to spend money on attractions. That is something else entirely.

Choosing a Camping Spot

Private camping grounds and the most popular government campgrounds tend to be more expensive. This is often because the have the best amenities (showers, hook-ups for trailers, and so-forth), and there is often a convenience store on site and sometimes even a place to buy gifts and souvenirs. These are all costly temptations that one doesn’t necessarily need.

If one chooses a more secluded camping site, even if it is a government ran site, there is a good chance that it will be less expensive. Often these sites are just as beautiful (and many tomes more so) as any of the popular spots. Sometimes they are even closer to the good site-seeing spots. So why would they be less popular? They don’t have the conveniences. It’s often as simple as that. They are often tent only or tent trailer sites. There is no running water. There is no shower. And while there is often firewood available that isn’t always the case. And they are not monitored as closely. But they are usually much cheaper, often as little as 25% of what one would pay for the more popular areas.

Choose a spot that will make everyone reasonably comfortable. Don’t choose anything you really don’t’ need. And try to avoid any shops that may be nearby, as this will limit the temptations associated with these.

Saving on Food during Your Trip

When travelling and camping it is easy to just pop into the roadside restaurant and buy whatever is there in order to have an easy meal. This can get expensive quickly! Instead of eating in restaurants (and yes, McDonald’s counts as a restaurant) or picking up convenience foods at a gas station while travelling pack your meals ahead of time. This means that you will have to do some planning. Each meal will have to be decided, as will snacks and drinks.

Get out your pad of paper and write out your plan (here’s a model, as I use):

Now, of course everyone isn’t going to eat this way. Fresh food is, however, much less expensive than buying premade meals and from convenience stores and restaurants. And it is likely to be a lot healthier, as well.

Some meals can be planned to be eaten while driving, if necessary. This is when fresh fruit, granola, and even breads are good! I usually make heavy whole-wheat bread sweetened with honey for such trips, as then it doesn’t need to have anything put on it and the kids love it. I’ve also made other types of breads that are tasty and pack easy – always something heavy so it doesn’t get squished easily. You can use he recipe I have here for that and adapt as necessary.

Entertainment While Camping

Kids get bored easily, but so do adults. While watching a rainstorm might be fun for some people, it won’t be for others. Of course, everyone hopes that isn’t their real entertainment during a camping trip! So, again you will have to plan everything ahead of time.

Plan each of your hiking outings and sight-seeing excursions. But don’t be afraid to be spontaneous either! One never knows when a great opportunity for a side excursion will come along. There are some great things to see that often get driven right past by the majority of people. Keep your eyes open as well as your mind.

Also plan to bring things along to help with entertainment, including bringing a couple of games, cards, Frisbee and/or balls to play with. And if you plan on being on or near water, bring something for that, too! It’s amazing how much fun can be had with a simple inner tube.

Sometimes bringing a small amount of art supplies can be a great distraction and a lot of fun. Kids can then use these to catalogue or record the different things they see on the trip. Or even a journal to do a little bit of writing in can help. Yes, old fashioned pencil and paper style of journals! It’s pretty hard to pack up your laptop and expect the battery to work. And you won’t have electricity for a lot of the time anyhow. Sometime people can learn to have fun without gadgets and modern conveniences. Try it! You might be surprised.

Saturday morning is pancake day… And it’s much cheaper to make from scratch than it is to buy a mix. Here’s my personal recipe, based on one that I got out of a book from the early 20th Century.

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups flour
1-1/2 cups skimmed milk
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add milk and egg. Stir until relatively smooth. Let sit for 5-10 minutes for fluffier pancakes.

Cook on med-low heat, flipping when bubbles are mostly gone. Eat with syrup or other favourite topping (jam, jelly, fruit…)

Of course we make the rest of the morning fun, with the kids helping clean and put the dishes away. I am always on the lookout for free or inexpensive things to do. Today we are going to watch The Knights of the Northern Realm perform their staged fighting and let the kids do some crafts, which I know they will enjoy. We’ll eat lunch there, which I will pack. It’ll be a simple lunch, with a couple of sandwiches and some fruit for snacks, with watered juice (50% water, 50% juice), which the Doctor recommends as being healthier anyhow, to drink.

Afterwards we’ll head over to The Edmonton Street Performers Festival. The kids haven’t really experienced this kind of thing before, so I think they will love this. Sunday we will also go and see the performances during the afternoon when it is set to be especially for kids.

After the Street Performance event we’ll head home and we have making some homemade bread. This is the recipe I use for most of the bread we love to eat. I do vary it a bit at times, adding things like tomatoes into it. My son doesn’t like tomatoes, so when I do that, I make two loaves. This is a yeast free bread, so it’s really easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups water (or milk or other liquid, except oil. I’ve also used tomato juice, which is really good)
• 1/4 cup canola oil (or other liquid fat, such as melted margarine, olive oil, etc.) [I use canola because it's the least expensive, being a local crop.]

1. Mix the dry ingredients (don’t sift the flour!).
2. Mix the liquid and add to dry
3. Stir until they are mixed thoroughly
   (Dough should be moist, but not sticky)
4. Shape dough into oval or circle, as desired.
5. Place on clean baking sheet
6. Score top with line, diamond, or “X” to prevent splitting of crust
7. Bake for ~40 minutes at 400 F

I sometimes also add salt and oregano on top for a nice Italian style bread (Foccacia). Be inventive and enjoy!

After dinner and bread baking we will play a couple of games – right now my four-year-old loves snakes and ladders. Then it will be bedtime. And Sunday will begin with a wonderful, fun day, too! Mostly it will be yard work, though… Which we actually do enjoy.

Having a fun, romantic time together doesn’t always have to be expensive. So many people tend to think of a date as dinner and a movie, or dancing, drinks and food, which can be very costly. Yet, there are other things that can be fun and frugal, too!

Firstly, think of the fun things that you would do with someone who wasn’t a romantic interest. What kinds of things would be fun there? Then look at all of those and think of what things might be interesting to the person you’re interested in. You immediately have a list of common, fun interests. These are some things that you can do!

Here are some suggestions, as well:

1. Anything outdoors. Yes, the classic walking can be good. But why not have a destination?
• Is there a park or playground that you could be walking to?
• Take along a snack and blanket, make it into a picnic.
• Or take a Frisbee or ball and play catch.
• Go by a river and skip some rocks.
• Take a sketch book and draw each other or the scenery.
• Use bicycles and explore a new area or have a far off book store or library as a destination and just browse.
2. Stay at home. Really! There are several fun things you can do together at home.
• Rent a movie and cuddle under a blanket. Popcorn is cheap and easy to make at home, too!
• Play some games. If you like cards, pick a couple of games. There are also several board games that can be fun for two. Or how about backgammon? Or chess? If that’s too serious, there are ways to make even a simple game of “fish” a little more adventurous, as long as you two are into some risqué fun! Use your imagination…
• Washable crayons and felts are inexpensive, much less so than fancy body paints (and since they’re made for kids, they draw very well on skin). Try drawing pictures on each other for a little intimate fun.
• Read stories to each other. Pick something romantic, such as poetry or another topic you would both enjoy.
3. Go window shopping. Yes, this can be fun for guys, too. Instead of making it about what she wants, pick a topic and imagine that have to pick only items from that topic and see how many each of you can find. The more wild and outlandish the topic, the better.
4. Pretend you’re rich. This is something I’ve seen several times and places before, but can be fun. Go to a high-end car dealership and test drive a couple of cars. Be serious, as if you really are going to buy the car. Make sure you dress in reasonable clothes for the occasion, but not too fancy. Go look at some million dollar homes and talk about how you would decorate the place if it were really going to be yours.
5. Make a “treasure” hunt. Take 2 digital cameras to collect the treasure. Each of you is to go window shopping and photograph 12 to 15 items that you dream about, but are currently out of your price range. Then go home and share the “treasures” with each other and why it’s a treasure to you.

There are several other things that you could do, too. But I’ll leave those for another time! Any ideas you want to add? Have you tried any of these? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

Canada Day 2009 - Papa & Kids

Okay, I took a couple of days off from posting for the Canada Day holiday. It was a lot of fun! The kids loved it, and there were tonnes of things that we did – all cost free! (Not including the gas to get there.) What we did:

• Went to the neighbourhood celebration in the park – there was face-painting (the kids didn’t like that), crafts (they loved that), air-filled jumping tents (they couldn’t get enough), and a petting zoo. There was also concerts performed by several different bands. All cost us nothing!
• Bought some ice cream – okay that wasn’t free, but it was nice.
• Played in the local water park. The kids got wet and had fun there!
• Went to the fireworks display, which the kids loved! We’ll see if I can keep them awake again for next year’s display. My son was fascinated with these, although he was afraid the fire would come down to where we were.

Next year I think I’ll get an earlier start and maybe we’ll enjoy more stuff at another location, too. The provincial legislature grounds had a big celebration as well that might be a lot of fun. I just worry that that was a little more oriented towards older kids. We’ll see what next year has to offer!