Cheap Things to Do with the Kids This Summer Without Blowing Your Budget

School is out and unless you already have every day of your child's summer planned, you might hear "Mom, I'm bored." or "What are we doing today?" You many not want to spend hundreds of dollars on camps to keep them busy so you start looking for ideas on other things to keep them occupied. There are plenty of things to do to keep the kids busy without blowing your budget.

Visit a Museum- Check with your local museums to see what days they offer free admission on. Many museums will not charge an admission on certain days each month (for example, the second Tuesday, or first Monday each month).

Water fun in your own backyard- Set up a pool, slip n slide, or even a regular sprinkler and let the kids run around. Invite their friends over to play and provide the fixings for ice cream sundaes afterwords.

Barnes and Noble Reading Program- This program is for elementary aged children. You can pick up a Reading Log at your local Barnes and Noble. Once your child has read enough books to fill out the log, turn in the sheet and your child can pick out a free book!

Go on a Nature Hike- Take the kids for a walk, but this time go off roading a little bit. What kind of rocks, leaves, plants and flowers can they find? Have them use a ziploc bag to store their favorites. When you get back home, have a cool drink and a snack, and then go on line and research the names of the plants you discovered.

Go for a Bike Ride- Round up the neighborhood kids, slap on the sunscreen and put on helmets and go for a ride around the neighborhood!

Live close to the ocean? -Pack a lunch, sunscreen, water and some beach toys and head to the beach. Spend the day digging in the sand, building sandcastles and searching for seashells.

Head to the movies- for free! -Many move theater chains across the country offer free movies for kids during the summer. To get you started, check out these theaters to see if there is one in your neighborhood.
Regal Cinemas

AMC Theatres

When all else fails, the library!- Is the heat getting to you? Head inside to your local air conditioned library. Many libraries offer free summertime programs and classes for children.