Summer fun on a shoestring budget
By Beth Engelman Mommy on a Shoestring June 28, 2011 6:22PM
.
Take an
Adventure
Cindy McCarthy, founder of www.onthegochicago.com, makes it her business to know what’s fun and exciting in and around Chicago. Here are just a few of her favorite spots your kids are sure to enjoy.
Historic Wagner Farm (www.wagnerfarm.org). Pack a picnic and enjoy lunch al fresco at one of the picnic tables located near the chicken coop. Add a sweet surprise by popping inside for an ice cream sundae served at the Glenview farm’s old-fashioned soda fountain. Another bonus? Wagner Farm is FREE to visit!
Cosley Zoo (www.cosleyzoo.org). Learn about native Illinois wildlife and domestic farm animals at this sweet and affordable zoo in Wheaton (kids under 17 are free and non-resident adults are only $3). Don’t miss your chance to feed the ducks at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day.
Blackberry Farm (www.fox
valleyparkdistrict.org/?q=node/2). This 54-acre living-history museum in Aurora offers a little something for everyone. From pony, train and carousel rides to the more than 200 varieties of trees and five museums, everyone in your group will have a great time and learn a little something too.
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Updated: July 8, 2011 12:09PM
Whether you're out and about or in your own backyard, these easy to make games and activities will keep your kids happy and busy all summer long.
Boost morale with
team building
Danielle Goldman knows how to have fun! For the past 14 years, the Highland Park mother has been a camp counselor at Camp One Step at a Time (www.onestepcamp.org), which is dedicated to helping children diagnosed with cancer reclaim the simple joys of childhood. Goldman believes team-building activities such as kickball games and fun relay races can increase confidence, boost morale and give children a different perspective of their peers.
Families can organize the same kind of team-building activities at home by inviting their friends, neighbors and/or extended family members to a “field” day complete with three-legged races and potato sack hops. Who knows? Maybe your kids will start to see their siblings in a different light.
Tree Golf
Most golf pros would tell you to stay away from the trees when playing golf, but in this game, you aim for the trees, or at least you aim for the targets that are hanging from the trees.
You need:
6-7 embroidery hoops
Whiffle balls (one for each player)
String and cardstock (numbered 1-7)
Paper and pencil for keeping score.
Directions:
1. Number golf holes (embroidery hoops) with cardstock and string.
2. Hang holes from tree branches and play structures.
3. Just like golf, players take turns trying to get their ball through the hole. Be sure that players start at the same spot and makes subsequent throws from where their ball landed.
4. Once everyone has gotten their ball through the target, players move on to the next hole.
5. The player with the lowest score at the end of the game wins.
Thank you to Disney FamilyFun (familyfun.go.com) for inspiring this idea.
Play Catch with a “Catch”
This game is a great way to get your kids moving and having fun while reinforcing key math skills.
You need:
Large beach ball
Masking or duct tape
Permanent marker
Directions:
1. With a permanent marker, write numbers 1-10 on large pieces of duct tape.
2. Place that tape around ball.
3. Players take turns playing Catch with a Catch. Each time a player catches the ball, she has to add or multiply the two numbers that are closest to her thumbs.
For younger children, you can substitute colors for numbers by using different colored duct tape. Players must name something that matches the color or colors closest to one or both of their thumbs.
Go Fly a (Paper) Kite!
You need:
1 20-inch wooden dowel or stick (available at craft stores)
1 24-inch wooden dowel or stick
Twine
Wrapping paper (or you can use newspaper)
Glue
Sharp scissors (adult use only)
Directions:
1. Make a cross with the two sticks by placing the shorter stick horizontally across the longer stick. Make sure that both sides of the horizontal stick are equidistant from the center which will ensure your kite flies properly.
2. Use a dab of glue to connect the sticks at the center. Then, wrap twine or duct tape around the middle to secure the sticks. Make sure the sticks make four right angles.
3. This step requires an adult: Use sharp scissors to cut a notch at each end of the sticks (four total). Make the notch deep enough for the string to fit in.
4. Cut a piece of twine long enough to stretch all around the kite frame. Tie the twine at the top.
5. Use twine to make a loop at the top and bottom of the kite’s spine.
6. Lay the kite frame on a piece of wrapping paper. Cut around it, leaving a half-inch margin. Fold these edges over the string frame and tape or glue it down so that the paper is tight.
7. Cut a long piece of twine and tie it to the top loop and thread it through the bottom loop. Wrap excess twine around a dowel or piece of cardboard.
8. Make a tail by adding ribbon to the bottom of the kite.
Thank you to our photographer Dan Luedert for helping me with this craft!
To see more photos and how-to videos,
go to pioneerlocal.com/mommy.
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