A Stay-At-Home Mom's Guide to Keeping Kids Happy This Summer

School is out, the temperatures are rising, and the kids are bored. It's clearly too expensive to hit the closest theme or water park every day. Children's museums are fun, but many people don't have one close by, and those who do certainly don't want to visit the same tired exhibits day after day. Unless you're within a few miles of a beach the average person can't afford weekly vacations to the ocean all summer long. And if your community doesn't have a swimming pool you're looking at a dry, hot summer. After the first few days of summer vacation your kids are restless, bored and there are 2 months left to go!

For those willing to make a small investment (we're talking under $100) to start the summer off it's worth your while to consider a medium size blow up pool for your backyard and some cheap water guns or other cheap pool toys. You want a medium size pool because it needs to be big enough to have fun, yet small enough to dump and refill every few days to keep it clean. For the smaller kids nothing beats a sand and water table with a small variety of sand toys. It's sandy and it's wet - what could be better?!

You'll want to be sure to stock up on the sunscreen and keep pushing the fluids to keep kids healthy in the heat of the day. Plan out your day so that the hottest part of the day is spent in a shady activity replenishing fluids. A lot of stores are running sales, like buy two get one free, on backyard activities for kids such as ring toss. There are also a large variety of bubble blowing devices to keep even the smallest of children happy.

Let's say you've exhausted your backyard fun or you've been hit with a rainy summer day. Now what? Now it's time to look for the free stuff! All you need is a phone book and a telephone. Look up everything from karate to play groups like Gymboree and give them a call. Almost every one of them will have an offer for a free class with the idea that you'll sign up for a full class. If you have the means and your child really falls in love with a particular activity then you've got a winner for the rest of the summer. If not, keep hitting the free classes and give your child a taste of all kinds of different activities - for free!

Along the lines of free things for kids to do - check your local movie theaters for free kids movies. Lots of theaters have either daily or weekly kids movies during the summer where you and your child get free admission. You may have to splurge on a bucket of popcorn and a drink or two but it's well worth it for a free movie away from the heat! Local libraries also offer free kids programs during the summer and are broken down into age groups so you can place your child appropriately. Most are free but some of the more craftier 'classes' may have a small charge of a dollar or two for the supplies.

If all else fails nothing beats the good ol' YMCA. Memberships aren't terribly expensive and most locations have a wide selection of activities from dance to swim to day camps at discounted rates if you're a member. With a Y membership you've got access to their swimming pool, their fitness rooms and most have childcare centers so you can even get some time for yourself during your visit.

Summer fun doesn't have to cost a fortune As a stay-at-home mom you're probably watching every penny while looking to keep your kids happily and safely occupied. Use your city as your resource and you'll have a great summer!