Looking for Fun, Inexpensive Activities

Hi
There are 2 great books I recommend
Fun and educational things to do with kids (Try Costco or Amazon.com

500 TV free activies for kids

Also try to pick up a copy of OC parenting magazine and OC family magazine. They are free and are usually available at the grocery store, drug store, schools etc

You could join a local moms club. www.momsclub.org

try www.familyfun.go.com

Finally try www.southockids.com for local events

Good luck

I see a lot of people told you places to go and do, but I also noticed you mentioned "his time at home".
Costco has a bunch of new Pre-K fun workbooks. We bought the Brain Quest one, it matches those fun cards we already have. It was only 7.99 at Costco, I think it would be quite a bit more at Lakeshore. Art is another great one.

The LA Zoo has family passes that are fairly inexpensive and will pay for themselves if you go a few times. The same goes for the Long Beach Aquarium. You could also check out hiking trails in Griffith Park or the Santa Monica mountains. There is the beach as well. Or check out the Children's museum or the La Brea Tar Pits. There is also Travel Town and the Observatory in Griffith Park. You could go to the Santa Monica Pier and ride the Ferris Wheel. Or check out a local park.

Hope that gives you a few ideas! :)

Here are some fun suggestions for outside:
Running through the sprinklers, sidewalk chalk on the outside patio, water painting (a paint brush and bucket full of water), bubbles, a plastic kiddie pool, play jr. basketball or baseball with him, go to a local park, and collect bugs.
Inside, you can get a kids cookbook and let him pick something out that you can make together, let him play with duplo blocks or legos and build something together, introduce him to easy board games such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders, have him help you with cleaning the home (dusting furniture, putting things away, etc), have him practice writing his letters, numbers and his name, Purchase a preschool activity books that has dot-to-dot and color by letter (or number), and have him do a kids yoga video with you. Also, see if there is a playgroup in your area so both of you can have some age appropriate interaction.
Note: Many of the activities suggested may need to be done with you for the first few times, but after he gets into the activity he should be able to be more independent.
Hope this helps!

Well it's not similar to school, but Covina parks and rec has a cheap recreational swim session Mon-Thurs 1:15-2:30 at Covina Park. It's $1 per person and would be great for some excess energy and physical activity.

When my son was younger (he's 7 now) we set up "stations" all over our house (turned the living room into a jungle gym as well).

Some of our stations:

- Coloring/art
- Cutting
- Beads
- Books
- Music (at one point I bought a bunch of cheap pots and pans at a garage sale and added those to our music corner :)
- Computer games (iSpy, pbskids.com, starfall.com, nat.geo.soc, discovery, all kinds of edu stuff...whether it was on disc or online)
- Math
- Tumbling (aka our living room)
- Cooking (not a play set...our "cooking station" was the kitchen, he helped make every meal he ate starting at about 1 1/2)
- Building
- Marble Runs

We just left these stations up all the time. Having them separate instead of all in his room meant that he could just choose a station instead him (or me!) getting overwhelmed with all of the 'things' in his room. We aren't the puppet show type, but that's another poplar one :)

For outings on the free/cheap
- Barnes & Nobel
- Swimming
- Park
- Community Centers
- Farmers Markets
- Touristy places to walk around

logon to www.culturevolture.com every now and then.. My daughters (8 & 15) do a log of FREE stuff advertised on that site.. you can also get cheap tickets to events, shows, etc. on www.goldstar.com

happy summer!

Feeding the ducks at local parks, lakes... home-made play doh with cookie cutters, water balloons, sprinklers, tearing up little pieces of different colored/textured paper and making mosaics with glue, dance-party,...

Hi N.,

Go for walks. When my kids were toddler age and preschool age they had their "Grandma" days. Grandma who is my grandma and their great would walk them around her yard and back and forth on her quiet street. While walking she would point out all kinds of things. Different birds and plants, bugs, dogs and cats. They would count things. It was amazing the things they learned with grandma. I am still greatful for her early educational science class. My kids are now 10 and 7. When we visit Grandma they still always ask to take a walk.

Local zoos are also pretty cheap. Atleast the Santa Ana one is.

Another idea if you are looking for preschool based learning is the computer. Starfall.com is great for preschoolers for early reading. Or even Nickjr.com which is more play based. It is amazing the tech skills these little people learn so early. I really feel it benefits them.

Have fun and relax. Learning comes naturally. He is just a little guy and has plenty of time for structure.

C.

Hello, Have you checked into the local Library? I always take my grandchildren there. They have activities on certain days of the week and story time on some days. It is free and the kids love it.
Good luck with your precious child.
K. K.

Miss N.~
Have you been on the www.familyfun.com web site they have a ton of ideas for kids of all ages. You can choose activities by materials or by cost. They always have awsome activities. I would also suggest your local YMCA for summer activities, or even a mommy and me group.I found a great group of ladies that are fun, active, and real on www.meetup.com. Good luck with everyting.

One of the best things I did with my girls is the "Mommy & Me" program run by the Adult School...they are also called "parenting classes" because the adult is the "student", but it's essentially a pre-school that you go to with your child. They use the school format, circle time, crafts, singing, etc...but you are there. You will meet other moms, your boy with learn to socialize with the kids & it's super cheap...$20 for the semester. At 4, he should would be in "school" 3 mornings a week...it's a great way for you both to get used to the school schedules, learn about the local school & meet the other moms in your area. From there you will learn all sorts of other free or inexpensive things to do in your area. Good Luck!

More time with you son...GREAT!

1. www.MeetUp.com - look for moms groups in your area and join them
2. The library
3. The park - go on a "treasure hunt" and find things. Just google a scavenger hunt.
4. clip out pics from food flyers and walmart etc then "go shopping" for them.
5. When grocery shopping, give him his own list to find.
6. take water and a paint brushoutside in the sun and "paint"
7. Finger paint in pudding - then eat your creation
8. go to the library, find pics of trees that grow in your area, then go for a walk or a bike ride and find them (do this with birds, flowers, cars whatever interests him)
9. The museums always have a free or low cost day for local residents - call around
10. lie on the ground and watch the clouds go by - describe the shapes - be creative
11. head over to your local seniors residents and play go fish or read a favourite book or sing your fav songs
12. puzzles
13. mazes
14. colouring
15. building blocks
16. Turn a box into a fort

N., there are a million simple things to do that cost NOTHING. Remember, an imagination is the greatest gift you can give your child. Build on his and you will be forever grateful. The reading, the writing and other "school stuff" will wait. Trust me.

B.
Family Wellness Coach

Regular trips to the public library -- check out age appropriate story/activity times.

Area parks

Coloring and cutting are good projects for home -- good for school skills

Scavenger/ Nature hunt through the neighborhood

Find something from nature and research it together on the Internet

Chores around the house -- you can set up obstacle courses w/ laundry baskets, cardboard boxes, -- bean bag tosses, stacking things

Play dates w/ preschool friends

Time him doing things and encourage him to beat his own times -- make a chart to show progress.

If you are near a safe beach, the sand can provide hours of free fun.

Cooking together -- find kid friendly recipes on Internet or cookbooks from the library

If you include the area in which you live, people might suggest specific places to visit that are free/cheap -- Orange county publishes newspapers/magazines re Parenting that list schedules of events.

Our FAVORITE book is Fun and Educational Places To Go with Kids and Adults in Southern California. The author is Susan Peterson. I just saw it being sold at our local AAA. Great book with many indexes, so all the listing are sorted by city, alphabetically, costs, topics of interest, etc.

Have Fun making cherished memories.

Join Moms Club, they have activities and playgroups. Check out their website to find a chapter in your area.

Check out Gocitykids.com. They list all the activities in your area that are good for kids and many of them are free (such as free concerts, story time at book stores or library, etc.).

Good luck.

Congratulations on quitting your job and spending more time with your boy! This time is very special, so try to make the most of it. The area around where you live probably has many free or low cost options. I had an outing of some sort planned for my kids every day. It is a good rule of thumb to do 1. something for you child (go swimming, etc.) 2. something for you (take a walk with him in the stroller or on a scooter) and 3. something for the household (run an errand or two) every day. Between story times, swimming at a community pool, moms groups, memberships at the aquarium, etc. There is really something to choose from every day. It is good to set up a routine, or the temptation is to "do nothing" and turn on the TV, because kids do get bored. The more you go and do things, you will see other moms and kids, just ask them what other activities they do, and you will learn all about the fun (free) things near you. I live in Maui. If you live here, send me a quick note and I will give you the lo-down on the kid-friendly stuff there is here (there is a lot). Have fun!

I went looking for my favorite yahoo group for you and found an awesome looking book called "Kitchen Playdates" by Lauren Dean. That led me to join a group called mompowergroup, that you might find interesting --http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mompowergroup/. It looks like it might be a group sponsored by Quaker, but it led me to that great Kitchen Playdates book, so you might find it worth a look.

The group I was originally looking for that I know you'll enjoy is called Peachhead. That group has almost 10000 members of westside moms sharing tips, tricks and activities. You can find their page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/peachhead2/.

Enjoy your time! I was home full time for a year at five and I miss that time tremendously.

check out Pioneer Park off of Jamboree and Pioneer rd- it has a water feature! free! Parks are great- Tustin Sports park is close to that one and it has a covered structure. Also I recommend heritage park on Tustin Ranch road south of Irvine- lots of shade trees and a pirate ship!

As others have suggested, MOMS club is wonderful for providing activities. You can check out your local library or book store for story times. Also check to see if your city's park and rec department offers classes.

You could take him to the library if you don't already. Our library has a good children's section that you don't have to worry about the kids breaking anything. They also have educational computer games the kids love to play. I do this with my son (2) and nephew (4). My nephew loves it.

We loved going to the Japanese garden at CSULB when my kids were that age. Bring quarters to park and feed the koi fish. Admission is free. Several movie theaters have free family movies during the summer months in the mornings. We've been to the cerritos mall theater, and Buena park mall Krikorian theater. Thhere are lots of good children's museums. La Habra has one that we enjoyed and was pretty inexpensive. Cabrillo marine museum and the museum of Natural history in LA have good programs too. And there's nothing like a beach day for cheap entertainment!

Have fun!
s

Most libraries have story times, crafts, music, play time free and a/c.

If you plan to continue being a stay-at-home mom then you might try www.momsclub.org to see if there is a chapter in your area. It is a non-profit organization with chapters throughout the US and it is a support group for stay-at-home moms with kid-friendly activities. It may not be like school for your 4-year-old but it will give you some options on activities to do and let you both stay connected to adults and kids. Good luck!

We do a lot of puzzles. She is three and is a little master at it, but it is good busy time.

Hi N.,

The Zimmer Children's Discovery Museum and the Skirball Cultural Center's Superhero and Noah's Ark exhibits are all terrific. If you're interested in the contact info. for and a free pass to either place, please let me know. Passes to the Skirball are good through 8/9.

D. Markovic
Concierge for Jewish Education
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater LA
###-###-####
____@____.com
http://www.jkidla.com

Hi there.

When I was on maternity leave with my second son my then three year old son and I had fun doing stuff...We...

-went to the library each week
-walked the mall including looking at the pet store, the fountain and time at the play area
-went to movies
-played at the park
-there are story times at different stores like Pottery Barn Kids
-baked cookies and brownies
-he loved even coming on errands with me!

It was a great four months! Enjoy!

-M

I read all the responses, and everyone sent super ideas. One thing we like to do at home is to make playdo. There are recipes on the web,easy to follow. Children love to help mix the ingredients and choose their color. We keep their playdo in a bag, along with a popsicle stick and two "flat marbles" (from the craft store, for using in vases to hold flowers) for eyes when they make snakes. Invariably, they ask for other odds and ends, such as plastic silverware,cookie cutters, small plastic lids, etc. It's great fun, and the playdo ingredients are nontoxic (flour, salt, sugar, alum or cream of tartar, water, oil, food color). Have fun!

K.

Hi N. -

I'm not sure what you mean by you want his time at home to be similar to school, but I'll take it to mean you would rather his time be more on the structured side and not too much vegging out in front of the TV. I'm with you on that & will freely admit I have many times regretted allowing more TV time than I thought prudent (out of desperation).

OK - here are a few suggestions:

Check out your local library to see what they have for kids. Most libraries have good fun stuff for young kids in the summer especially, but also year-round.

Check out your city's Park & Rec department. Not all of the programs will cost you anything. Or perhaps will be very inexpensive. Most cities have a pool with public hours and usually it's very cheap to go during that time.

Check out this website: http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/
Once on the site you can select your city, or the large city closest to where you live. After that there are a whole bunch of categories you can check out.

If you don't already belong to a playgroup, consider joining one. You can start by looking for your local MomsClub http://www.momsclub.org/

Good luck -- it's always a challenge keeping kids busy & occupied!

All the best,
Colleen