Beat The Summer Break Blues

Are your kids driving you crazy yet?  Yep, me too.  And it’s only the middle of June! Parents, we still have two more months of summer with our children being home, out of school, and bored – and I have some great, cost-effective ways for how you can pass the time (thus saving your sanity and love for them.)

• Head to your local library – my kids love going to the library to not only to get books, but DVDs (they have a ton of Disney movies) and CDs (if you have babies, I recommend checking out the Rockabye Baby CDs – they have awesome artists like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley set to lullaby music).  Plus there are cool things like story time and crafts for the kids – all free of charge.
• Lots of area theatres have a Summer Movie Program – on certain days during the week, they show a featured movie for free, or really close to it.  The theatre in my town shows good movies too – titles like Rango, The Smurfs, and Happy Feet 2.
• Check out Pinterest  for some cool, cheap craft ideas.  You can make your own play dough or slime, glow in the dark bubbles, or a caterpillar made entirely out of different sized buttons.  Another great website is FamilyFun – they break down their craft ideas by age group.
• My personal favorite is the outside water-play; go to the store and purchase a cheap Slip N Slide and they’ll have hours of fun with it.  Especially if you drown the surface in dish soap before they start using it 🙂 Check out this link for more Summer Toys for Kids.

These are just a few ideas to get you started.  They may seem basic, but I know how easy it can be to fall into the “I’m bored” rut.

Have any other great ideas?  If so, I’d love to hear them!