How to Have Fun with Your Kids on a Budget

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Show your kids a skyscraper

   Anything, whether is is man-made or of nature, can be entertaining. , Dandelions are a delight for small kids.
   
   Get a book about plants at the library. , Or find a pilot that will let them sit in the cockpit.
   
   Small airports are best for that. , That way you teach them about the value of things and avoid high priced goodies. , Watch for discount days. , Any animated holiday display is always fun to see. , They can learn about helping things grow. ,, The older kids can help squeeze the lemons or use a citrus juicer.
   
   It does not have to come out of a can! , Things like peeling potatoes and stirring things in a bowl can keep them interested (and out from underfoot) for at least 10 to 20 minutes.
   
   Let them bang wooden spoons on plastic bowls. , Read the freeway and street signs out loud to children learning to read. , Talk about why it's important to spay/neuter our pets. ,,,,,,,, (You step on their shadow and then they step on yours.
   
   Great anytime of year when there's a full moon.) ,,, Make a half hour appointment with a local rancher and let your kids ask him questions about what ranching life is like.
   
   Or go to a harbor master. , Or race with them. , Do the same for creeks, rivers and the sea. , Pick up bits of paper and trash in the immediate area even if it’s not yours. , Practice. , Pick apples at an orchard. ,,, (Hint: do this outside.) Chocolate pudding makes a fine finger paint! ,,,, You can’t think of a better sport to save your life.
   
   Get in the water with them. ,,, Or play board games. ,,, Choose high schools and junior colleges with teams made up from kids in your neighborhood. , Take turns telling what happens in each scene.
   
   For more fun, use stuffed animals as the characters. , Almost any age appropriate music can be danced to, and kids will love seeing you get silly with them. , a brick, a soft leaf or flower, a metal pole, the texture of a wall, fabrics, wood, the smoothness of glass, the bristles of a brush.
   
   Find things that are smooth and soft, hard and rough, and let them feel the differences. , Show them what you looked like at their age. ,, Find the North Star and Saturn. ,, Teach them where east and west are located in relationship to the sun.
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   Step 2: a train trestle

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   Step 3: a breakwater

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   Step 4: a barbed wire fence

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   Step 5: a cyclone fence

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   Step 6: an old fashioned picket fence

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   Step 7: concrete and asphalt surfaces.

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   Step 8: Walk along a creek or trail path and point out the different kinds of trees and weeds.

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   Step 9: Take them to the airport and let them watch planes take off and land.

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    Step 10: Tell them to look for things with 2 numbers in the price while at the store on the veggie mission.

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    Step 11: Take them to the zoo or a wild animal park - it's always a hit.

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    Step 12: Go to a model train display during the holidays.

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    Step 13: Take a trip into a local plant nursery for a purchase of an inexpensive plant they can help plant and water.

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    Step 14: Rent a small paddle boat or sailboat on a local lake.

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    Step 15: Have a backyard picnic

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    Step 16: complete with a blanket and lots of great finger food like PB and J’s and homemade lemonade made with fresh lemons.

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    Step 17: Pull toddlers up in their high chairs so they can watch you cook.

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    Step 18: Point out the difference between and underpass and overpass

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    Step 19: an off ramp and on ramp.

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    Step 20: Take a trip to the local animal shelter and show them the animals that need homes.

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    Step 21: Check out a farm/ranch supply store.

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    Step 22: Watch soap bubbles make beautiful rainbows and it's fun to blow the bubbles.

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    Step 23: Play dress up.

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    Step 24: Chalk drawing on the sidewalk is fun and they can make their own hopscotch grid.

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    Step 25: Draw stick figures in the dirt with real sticks.

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    Step 26: Fly a kite.

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    Step 27: Feed the ducks or pigeons at a park or local lake.

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    Step 28: Play moon shadow tag.

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    Step 29: Show your child how to make a smooth rock “skip” across the water.

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    Step 30: Build a rope swing with a big knot at the end and hang it from a sturdy tree then show them how to swing

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    Step 31: single and double.

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    Step 32: Visit a local rancher.

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    Step 33: Take a walk or a bike ride and have your youngsters race each other to a distant point and back to you ( like a tree within sight).

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    Step 34: Show kids a local dam and reservoir and explain why it’s important to keep them clean.

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    Step 35: Teach your kids to leave nothing but their footprints when leaving a park or camp-site.

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    Step 36: Demonstrate to them how to walk softly

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    Step 37: especially up and down stairs.

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    Step 38: Go to a pumpkin patch for your pumpkin and to a tree farm for your holiday tree.

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    Step 39: Find a place to place to pick wild blackberries or a farm where you can pick your own fruit and vegetables.

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    Step 40: Build a fort in the house when it's raining

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    Step 41: using bed sheets or blankets spread over the couch and chairs or where ever it works.

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    Step 42: Finger paint.

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    Step 43: Run through sprinklers.

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    Step 44: Take a trip to the local library and pick out books to read aloud at home.

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    Step 45: Play hide and seek in the house or in the neighborhood – it’s always fun at night.

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    Step 46: Give your children swimming lessons.

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    Step 47: Volunteer with your children to help clean up the neighborhood

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    Step 48: beaches and creeks.

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    Step 49: Wash the car together on a warm day.

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    Step 50: Play “Simon Says”.

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    Step 51: Jump rope.

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    Step 52: Go roller skating

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    Step 53: roller blading

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    Step 54: sledding on a local hill or ice skating.

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    Step 55: Go to a local baseball or football game.

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    Step 56: Make up a story together.

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    Step 57: Sing and dance together.

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    Step 58: Introduce small children to the feel of things

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    Step 59: Tell them something about your childhood.

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    Step 60: Teach them literally and figuratively how to “smell the flowers”.

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    Step 61: Find the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in the night sky.

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    Step 62: Share a banana split at an old fashioned ice cream parlor.

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    Step 63: Watch a sunrise and watch the sun set.

Detailed Guide

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