Inexpensive Activities to Finish Your Family's Summer With a Bang

A 30 day cruise with the family would be a great way to spend the remainder of your kid's summer vacation but, let's face it, that probably isn't going to happen---at least not to most of us. Instead, many of us are facing shortened work hours, lay-offs, and no prospects of cash for extras due to the struggling economy.

Don't despair-there are plenty of things you can do at home for the rest of the summer ---things that won't cost you anything at all and things that your kids will enjoy just as much as a 30-day cruise. Well, maybe not quite as much, but they can have a lot of fun in spite of your altered financial circumstances this year.

Try a few of these ideas:

1. Monopoly Month

When my oldest daughter was in the 7^th grade, she set up a monopoly game a card table in our back yard. The first day or two, only a couple of neighbors were invited, but word of mouth, like wildfire, spread the news for block around and every day by 9 A.M. the monopoly players began to arrive. Within a few days, two more monopoly games, borrowed from friends, were set up on the patio.

All day long, every weekday, the monopoly games went on. They would have played on weekends if we had let them and we had to limit the playing to 4 hours a day in order to make sure they had time to do other things that required a little more physical activity. You should have heard the groaning when we told them it was time to close the games each day.

The kids made a chart, keeping track of every game played, the winners, etc. At the end of the summer, we parents, who were grateful that the kids had come up with such inexpensive entertainment for themselves, sprung for a party day at the local swimming pool followed by a backyard barbecue. (The kids wanted to play monopoly during the barbecue, but we had outlawed it for the day.)

We've had lots of great vacations since that time, but the monopoly summer is the one our kids remember most. Try it for a month and see if your kids don't do the same.

2. Winding Down The Family Garden for the Year

By the first of August, many family gardens are just getting ready for harvest. If you have an abundance of produce, let the kids make little bags of the surplus and distribute it to the neighbors on the block who may not have had the time or strength to do much gardening.

Have a "weeding" day once a week followed by cold drinks and cookies on the patio.

If you have produce that dries well, borrow a dryer from friends and teach your kids how to dry fruits and veggies for later use. (Don't forget to mention how much you appreciate their work on the dryer, when you actually use that produce later in the year for soups and other dishes you prepare.)

Try using some of the produce in a way you haven't tried before---roasting ears of corn or freshly dug potatoes in a bonfire or fireplace for example.

Just before school starts, have a clean up day where you pull up all the old, withered vines, and rake the garden smooth for next years crops. If time permits, you may want to sit around the kitchen table and plot out next year's family garden. Kids love having a small portion where they can choose and plant their own items, so if you have room, you might want to try that for next year.

3. Start a neighborhood band

Find a neighbor willing to lend a garage or a back yard for the gathering of the band. Have each kid, (adults, too, if they are interested) bring an instrument of some sort. If there are interested kids who don't have an instrument, ask if others have extras around the house to loan.

Pick a few simple songs for each member to work on at home and once a week, have everyone join together for a "jam" session. It may sound pretty horrible at first, but the fun is in the getting together.

At the last week of the summer, have a big "jamboree" where each group performs two or three numbers on its own, followed by the whole group getting together at the end. If some of the kids want to be a part of the group, but just can't seem to get the hang of playing a musical instrument-or don't want to, involve them in making and handing out programs for the parents who come to the jamboree, or perhaps they would be interested in joining together to sing. Duets, trios, or a whole chorus would add even more variety to your gatherings.

4. Have a family contest where everyone wins

Four laps around the standard school track equal a mile. Tell your family that every time the family walks 25 miles, before school starts, they will get a special treat. The treat can be something like an inexpensive afternoon matinee, a trip to the local swimming pool, or some homemade ice cream. Choose something that doesn't cost a lot that your family likes to do.

Then, every day, for the rest of the summer, head for the nearest school with an open track. (You might want to take a few sandwiches and something to drink.) As soon as you get there, start walking laps.

Participants are allowed to take breaks as often as they like and, at the end of an hour, record the number of laps they completed before you head back home. Post a chart with how many miles you have covered, and how many still need to be covered before you reach that magical "25." (You may set a different goal-more than 25 if you have a larger number of participants, and a lower number if you only have 2 or 3.)

Before long, you may find neighbors and friends tagging along and working toward their own magical number.

See, it isn't hard to find low-cost ways to have fun with your family, whether you can afford a "real," vacation or not. You may be surprised in the years ahead to hear your kids refer to it as the Monopoly Summer, or the year we had a Neighborhood Band.