Frugal Summer Fun Options

Today I'm over at Reno Moms Blog talking about 7 frugal fun summer options for the Reno, NV area.  While most of these are area specific, please note that a few of them can be found nationally.  Go check it out here!

Construction Paper Kites

This is such a simple way to have a lot of fun!  All you need to make your own simple kite is a sheet of regular construction paper, a hole punch, a stapler, and some string!  I found this somewhere online last year and it is the greatest.  Seriously easy!  I had my kindergarten class make these today, and they had so much fun running around figuring out the best ways to get their kites high up in the sky.

First, fold your paper in half the fat way.  Next, fold the corners on one side of the kite backwards and staple them to the crease about 2-3 inches back.

Then, just behind your staple spot, punch a hole.  Like this:

Tie a piece of string (we used yarn) through the hole.  Now head outside and run around with that kite!  

We didn't have much wind today, so we really did have to run around a bit to get the kites to catch the wind and go up a bit, but I have done these before in good wind and I was quite impressed at how well they took off!  Enjoy :)

Cloud Dough Recipe

This recipe is so much fun.  It kept my kids occupied for at least 45 minutes.  It is super simple and made of only 2 ingredients: flour and baby oil.  While at the Dollar Store this last week, I picked up a small bottle of baby oil.

We used a small tub to store our dough.  The recipe is just a 1:8 ratio of baby oil to flour.  Any flour should work (we used bread flour because I have a huge bag of it).  We did 1/2 cup baby oil and 4 cups flour.  

It cleans up pretty easily, which is good because Aaron started throwing it everywhere.  Our dog ate up the contents that ended up on the floor (is baby oil bad for dogs? :/ ).  Such a fun sensory activity!  I'm sure they'll be asking me for the cloud dough a lot more often now!  It should store pretty well in an airtight container.  You can even put it in the fridge to make sure it stays fresh longer!

Great Balloon Race

Today was a first.  We woke ourselves up at 3:50am to get our family ready and out the door to go see the Great Reno Balloon Race.  I was awoken several times throughout the night by eager children curious if it was "time to go see the balloons yet".  I think it was around the second or third time of asking when Ellie finally asked if she could just climb in our bed with us.  I told her "yes", as long as she would sleep and stop asking if it was time to go yet.  3:50 came entirely too soon.  

I prepared for the morning by making each child a bucket.  In it was their clothing, shoes, hat, gloves, sweater and jacket.  It made getting them ready in the morning so simple.  We got out the door, headed to a friends house, and then walked a short distance to the park.  

I almost took a dirt nap and lost my youngest two children while going down a steep dirt hill in the park.  A sweet lady behind me grabbed onto my stroller and dug in to help me get it the rest of the way down.  Sheesh.  My 5:00am brain can't handle that sort of chaos.

The kids did amazingly well considering how early they awoke.  They loved the balloons and enjoyed seeing the balloons light up in the dark.

Eventually they got tired....

So we left and enjoyed breakfast with some friends, followed by a 2 hour nap for each child before lunch.  Whooo!

I am so tired.  Would I do it again?  Yes.  For sure.  Totally worth it!  I remember my parents taking me when I was little.   I hope my children remember it, too.

Frugal Fun: Make a Birds Nest

Ever find some birds nests in your trees?  My kids love looking for birds nests and they even get to see the eggs sometimes!  If your kids enjoy the birds nests as much as mine do, they may enjoy this simple and frugal fun project.  

Have you kids collect sticks from around the backyard (front yard, park, etc.).  Make sure they get a lot of sticks in all shapes and sizes.

Once they have collected plenty of sticks (just like a momma bird would), let them make some mud!  Mix dirt with water and let them stir away to make a nice, thick texture.  

Have them mix the mud in with the sticks and form a nest shape.  Older kids will be able to do this just fine (one of my kindergarten students did the one in the above picture), but younger kids will need some help.  

Let the "nest" dry outside in the sun.  Once dry, your child can use plastic eggs, pine cones, etc. as pretend eggs for the nest!