what are some cheap to free Fun summer activites

[dogsleash]

Summer is almost over for the kids and I am trying to keep them entertained. I was wondering how everyone else keeps there kids entertained?

[CharmedPhoenix]

I don't have kids, but I like that commercial where all the kids are driving their toy cars to one house on the street where a movie is shown outside, like a kiddy version of a drive-in.  That looks so fun.

[camellia0]

Usually the library has stuff to do.

[plennis]

We signed up for bowling through Brunswick, they can bowl 5 days a week every day all summer.  In my area a lot of the museums are free, or free for the kids.    We have a membership to the zoo, so we can go often and it is free, we take a picnic lunch and go to the kids play area...for these days of 100 plus they also have an area with a mister that the kids love.  We swim every single day.  We go to the beach once a week, a park a couple of times a week.    Some of the really hot days we have lunch at McDonald's and play in that indoor playground.  They have a program around our area where you can go to childrens movies for a dollar during the day.    I try to have one activity every day.

[sherryinutah]

I remember telling my children that I wouldn't be able to "tap dance" for them in the summer.  I believe if we always have to be spending money and doing fun things with our kids.....

we do them a serious dis-service. 

I encourage my children to find constructive ways to keep their selves busy.  Cleaning their rooms and keeping them organized was at the top of the list.  Playing outside and experiencing healthy social interaction was a free project for them.  Learning something new by reading or watching TV was an option.

The point was that I needed to take care of my responsibilities while they found ways to make life productive and interesting for their selves.

Children who learn how to entertain their selves (for free) become adults who know how to entertain their selves (for free) later in life.
 

[Penwoir]

We went floating down the river in town for the first time last weekend, it was so much fun. We used float tubes but some were using rafts. In places it was quite rough and we were rather flung around, occasionally we got split up but the river was not so deep and so it was fairly easy to just stand up and reconnect the tubes. I was worried about how much rough seas these floats could take but in spite of going over sharp rocks and in between fallen branches, not one of 8 tubes got punctured. Well worth the money!