I'm a cheapskate. I admit it. I balk at how much things costs, especially entertainment. So here is an incomplete list of things that we do for free or almost free.
1) go to the park
2) go to the library - she thinks this is a great outing, almost as good as the park
3) go to the mall (it used to be fun in Tucson when they had kiddie play area, here we just ride the escalators)
4) ride the bus ($1.50 for a full day's tour of the city!)
5) go to church and Bible study (ok, that isn't the primary reason we go, but Eirena really likes being able to play with the other kids)
6) ride Dr. Daddy's bicycle (Eirena steers as Dr. Daddy pushes)
7) walk up to the fire station and look cute so the firemen will let Eirena climb up and drive it (Eirena looks cute- just to clarify!)
8) go to Costco on Saturday when they have lots of samples
9) go running (Eirena likes moving at a speed faster than she can walk but still able to absorb all the sights around her)
10) go to the museums etc. on free days
11) go to the thrift store, especially when they are having 50% off!
Now you tell me what you do (or would do) for free (with or without kids)!
Obviously I limited this to things outside the house, and it is Eirena oriented, but I'd like to hear your thoughts for single, married, kids, no-kids free stuff.
7 comments:
(1) Watch the sunset.
(2) Wash the car (OK the water isn't free) but it is sorta fun & productive. (If it is safe, you might be able to squeeze #2 & 3 together.
(3) Make bubbles: find a container (like the ones tomatoes come in) or something with holes, put dish-soap in a bucket & fill it with warm water. Then put it in the drive way, dip the container in, proceed to run around holding the container out and create bubbles. I did this as a kid.
(4) Train your dog & let E help: sit, stay, lay down, etc. (trust me, it is much easier with a puppy)
Thanks Meghan!
yer welcome
we played hide and seek with the boys before Adam left and it was hilarious! Abraham kept "hiding" by laying down on the floor and sticking his head under furniture. He also had trouble seeking so Adam would hide places with feet and legs sticking out for a clue. It was still hard! Ha! But the squeals of delight upon being found or finding was so precious. David ran around just squealing. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.
Before our bath E likes to play hide and seek- she hides in my closet in among the shirts and calls out "oh dear oh dear where could eirena be?" (she got the hiding in the shirts idea from Curious George of course!)she loves it :)
Now that it is getting close to the holidays, you can start thinking about holiday things to do.... I don't really remember when I was that little, but I know that we
- "helped" make wrapping paper (brown paper that we did hand/foot prints on)
- simple ornaments (paint/pasta/cardboard, etc)
- once the tree stands go up, you can go look at trees (and pick one out, if you usually buy one)
- once Christmas lights go up, you can go around the neighborhood (or another neighborhood that is particularly festive) and look at the lights
-play Christmas carols and get Eirena to sing them. This may be more entertaining for you than for her, but I'd appreciate it if she sang to me on the phone ;)
non-holiday ideas:
- find more Curious George books and do whatever he does. ;)
- play dress up (in mommy's closet...or, when you're older, in thrift stores or in stores that are so expensive you can't even afford to buy a headband)
- people-watch at farmers' markets, street fairs, etc
- build forts. Is she too young for this? a blanket stretched over some chairs might be entertaining.
Carrie
Fun ideas Carrie!
I had a dismal failure at building a fort a few months ago when we were in Tucson. Dismal to the point that there was no fort to even play in/around!
I think that may need a bit of Dr. Daddy's input to get done :)
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