Ideas for Entertaining kids

Kids Craft ~ Presidents Day finger puppets

02/20/2012 8:00 am · 1 comment

 Photo Credit and Idea from Kaboose

Kaboose posted this fun finger puppet idea that I thought was rather cute.  My kids are home from school today for Presidents day so I thought it would be a fun afternoon craft project! Learning and creating are always a good combo :)

What you’ll need:

  • Blue and black construction paper
  • Cellophane tape
  • Lincoln-head penny
  • Washington-head quarter
  • Scissors

How to make it:

  1. Cut two three-inch squares, one from each of the construction sheet colors.
  2. Roll each square into a tube that will slip over your finger. Secure the roll with cellophane tape. Note: By using tape instead of glue, the coins won’t be harmed.
  3. To make the Lincoln puppet, tape the penny to the black paper tube at roughly an inch below the top.
  4. Cut a thin rectangle from the black paper for the hat brim. Tape the brim along the top of the head.
  5. To make the Washington puppet, tape the quarter to the top of the blue paper tube.
  6. Cut a one-and-half-inch square from the blue paper for the hat.
  7. Fold the square in half, corner to corner, making a triangle.
  8. Cut a slit out of the center fold of the square to make an opening. Once again fold the square in half, this time folding the opposite corner to corner, making a triangle.
  9. Slip the hat over the top of the tube finger puppet.
  10. Tape both halves of the triangle together.

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Local – Win Free Tickets to the Nutcracker and Clara’s Tea Party–Local

11/22/2011 11:00 am · 1 comment

Enter to win a Family 4-Pack to the Nutcracker and Clara’s Tea Party!

Simply email shunt@collegeofidaho.edu with “Nutcracker Prize Pack” in the subject line.  The winner will be randomly chosen from among the emails received by November 28, 2011 and will be informed by email.  Winner can choose tickets to the morning matinee or evening performance.  Good luck!

Eugene Ballet’s Nutcracker

A Holiday Tradition for the whole family!

Tuesday, December 6                  7:30 pm

$14,$18, $22 Adults   $8, $12, $16 Student/Child

Nutcracker, Jr.

A shorter, 1-hour show perfect for preschoolers!

Tuesday, December 6               10:00 am

Jewett Auditorium, The College of Idaho Campus

$5 all

Clara’s Tea Party

After the morning performance, or before the evening show, join your favorite characters from the Nutcracker for more fun!  Dancing, face painting, tasty treats and hot chocolate bar, crafts, and professional photo opportunities will delight your prince or princess.  Holiday/royal attire welcomed and encouraged.

Langroise Lobby, next to Jewett Auditorium, The College of Idaho Campus

$5 all

Pre-order tickets at 459-3405/459-5783   visit www.caldwellfinearts.org for more information

All information provided in this post is under the sole discretion of the Caldwell Fine Arts, A Thrifty Mom.com is only sharing the information. Prize Pack is sponsored and handled by Caldwell Fine Arts solely and is responsible for all handling’s, comments, and rules and regulations.

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Sandwich box made from Milk Jug – and a few more fun crafts

09/03/2011 10:01 am · 0 comments

Even using coupons, the back to school supply lists can take a toll on your weekly grocery budget. I found a couple neat ideas on reusing items around the house for school lunch supplies and can’t wait to try them out! These look like items even a non-crafty person like myself could successfully create!
This first idea is from Family Fun magazine. Don’t throw out those used milk jugs!

With just a few snips, you can create a set of cool, eco-friendly, reusable snack and sandwich containers from juice cartons and milk jugs. They’re food-safe, easy to rinse clean, and absolutely free, so it’s no biggie if they get tossed accidentally. Let your kids decorate the boxes with stickers and permanent markers for an even more personalized look.

1. SANDWICH BOX: Mark a clean 1-gallon milk jug as shown.
2. Cut along the lines with scissors. To make the crease lines, use a thumbtack to pierce a row of dots at 1/4-inch intervals across each side of the jug, 1 3/4 inches up from the bottom.

3. Fold the flaps at these dotted lines, then open them and fold them in the opposite direction along the lines (this will make the flaps easier for your kids to open and close). Fold up the box and add an adhesive-backed Velcro dot closure.

SNACK BOX: Use a clean juice or milk carton. Cut off the top, then cut the sides into flaps as shown. Carefully crease the flaps, then fold them down and add an adhesive-backed Velcro dot closure.
These cute bags made out of Capri Sun juice pouches are popping up everywhere. Why not make a lunch totes for your kids?! Save $ and learn how to make them here.

I think these would also make a fantastic reusable grocery bag! This is one my friend Ginny made. {Insert shameless plug for Ginny to make me one for my birthday! }
Do you have a creative idea on how to save money be reusing an item? Please share! I love hearing new thoughts and ideas!

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Filed Under: DIY, Guest post, Ideas for Entertaining kids, Thrifty Craft Ideas, Thrifty Gift Ideas, Thrifty Gifts, Thrifty tips

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Cool Thrifty fun at Cabela’s with the family

07/15/2011 2:49 pm · 3 comments

Summer is in full swing, well actually it is half over (boy it has gone quick).  I am always looking for thrifty fun things to do with the kids.   Matthew does not handle the heat very well with his heart, so we are always looking for “cool” fun.  We had to make a quick trip to Cabela’s in Boise to get a few things for Matt’s 50 mile hike.  We had all the kids with us, and it turned out to be a really fun trip.  Matt wondered off and did his shopping, and the kids and I were totally entertained by just walking thru the store.

The fish tanks right up front are amazing.  The kids had so much fun watching the fish fly back and forth in the tanks as they ate their food.  We got lucky and showed up during feeding time.

The kids played a quick game of “shoot the crazy deers” as Matthew called it.

We tried on some raccoon hats, had some free fudge samples and played with the pop guns.

We then talked about many of the animals they have on display and read all about them.

The kids really enjoyed seeing  these amazing animals up close.  It was funny to listed to them talk about each one and hear them say things like ” wow he didn’t brush his teeth before he went to bed” or “my favorite it the tiny chipmunk…Mommy is he going to jump on me, he looks bouncy”

They even have animals from Africa!  If you have never been to Cabela’s before you should plan a trip!

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Winner of the $25 Gift Card for June Series is……

07/01/2011 1:00 pm · 0 comments

Thanks to all of you who shared your tips, ideas and commented on our June series  “Thrifty Tips for Entertaining the kids”.  One lucky comment was selected by a third party at random.org and will  win a $25.00 Gift Card.

And the Winner is…….

Holly Reynolds

We started doing a coloring pages and story journal. Yesterday our cat ate a robins egg out of the nest. The kids were so excited to tell the story . I printed out a coloring page of a robins nest and a cat. The kids colored them. While they color I write the story. Then at night time sometimes they like me to read back their fun experiences. I also like to date them and write their ages so later on it will be a fun childhood journal to read to their kids.


Stay tuned for our July Series….coming soon :) Hope you will all take the time to participate  again!

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Summer Fun Ideas for the kids 6/30

06/30/2011 1:09 pm · 4 comments

Each day we will be posting our readers “Thrifty Tips for Entertaining the kids”.  At the end of the month,

one of you will win a $25.00 Gift Card For all the details click here.

Stephanie
Summer is the perfect time for me to plan play dates for my kids. I am able to get together with my friends while the kids play and entertain one another. It doesn’t take much to put together an impromptu picnic, drive to the local park, or buy popsicles.
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momof4

My kids love doing 4-H projects during the summer. Our county extension office has a lot of fun day camps that my older kids can attend. The cool thing is that the curriculum helps me teach the things I want to teach them anyway. And, going to the county fair is free and they love seeing their projects.

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Kandi
We will be participating in our town’s summer activities, our local library summer reading program and also the kids bowl free during the summer program. These activities will get them out of the house getting exercise and using their minds by reading. All of them are free which makes it even better!
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Chef Erik
I am a stay at home dad with three children and another one on the way in November. I am also a personal chef and baker who works from home. I am sure a lot of us stay at home parents work from home. I turn a few days a week into family cooking and baking day. Today for instance I spent baking bread, hamburger buns and hotdog buns for the family and making dough for an order tomorrow. I let all the kids help. Even my three year helps mix dry ingredients and everyone has a great time. It might get a little messy but what doesn’t with kids. It also teaches the kids some basic cooking and baking skills. If anyone is interested in what I think are family friendly recipes feel free to send me an email. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far.
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Katy
I have 2 things I used to do with my son and his friends. First was I used to read him my favorite Dr. Seuss book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. (when he got older it was Flubber) Then we would go outside and make Slime.

The other thing e used to do is pull out the bread maker, make dough for soft pretzels and then bake the pretzels. I would put out butter, parmesan cheese, cinnamon and sugar, and a melted cheese sauce. each child could create his own flavor.

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Michelle
Someone’s comment about painting the house with the grandkids reminded me that when my kids were younger, we used to paint the sidewalk with water in the summer. Pretty fun, and you get a clean slate very quickly!
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Brittni Rogers
For the summer I do do home daycare, so there are some great activity that will keep us on a budget. I take the kids down to the park and we make tye-dyed shirts with plain white tees (i get a pack for 3.00 and they split it) Then you get paint ($1 store) and spray bottles ($1 store) and let the kids spray away! :) they love it! We do it at the start of summer, and they become our going out shirts, great way to keep tabs on the kids in a busy park
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Tonya
Fun Lunch Idea: Inside Out Turkey Sandwiches.. 2 Tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. process cheese spread, 2 tsp. chopped green onion tops (opt), 1 tsp. mustard, 12 thin round slices fat-free turkey breast or smoked turkey breasts & 4 large pretzel logs or unsalted breadsticks. Combine cream cheese, process cheese, green onion & mustard in small bowl; mix well. Arrange 3 turkey slices on large sheet of plastic wrap, overlapping slices in center. Spread 1/4 of cream cheese mixture evenly onto turkey; covering slices completely. Place 1 pretzel or breadstick at bottom edge of turkey slices; roll up turkey around pretzel (Be sure to keep all 3 slices together as you roll them around pretzel). Repeat w/ remaining ingredients. Serve w/ fruit salad or sugar free jello and cut up fresh veggies w/ dip (if your kids like it or if they are old enough to eat fresh, raw veggies..

 

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Summer Fun Ideas for the Kids 6/28

06/28/2011 1:00 pm · 0 comments

Each day we will be posting our readers “Thrifty Tips for Entertaining the kids”.  At the end of the month,

one of you will win a $25.00 Gift Card For all the details click here.

Tonya

Fun thing to do with kids… Make a seashell paperweight. You need Plaster of Paris, Seashells, Recycled margarine tub, Mixing stick, Poster paint, Paintbrush & Newspaper. Cover table w/ newspaper. Use stick to mix 1 cup Plaster of Paris w/ water until the consistency of paste. Pour into marg. tub. Press shells in plaster & allow to harden completely. Carefully remove plaster paperweight from tub. Decorate w/ poster paints or leave natural.

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Tara Nalley

My sons and I have planned lots of free and cheap activities for this summer. They will be attending VBS at our church and we are participating in our local library’s summer reading programs. We will also check out our local zoo’s DVD from the library which comes with 4 free zoo tickets as well. Finally, we will tap out the library’s resources by checking out a state parks pass to visit a local park and have a picnic. Although our local theaters have free or $1 movies, they just don’t fit into our schedules. Instead, I have used the dvr to record several different movies we haven’t seen and we will watch them and eat popcorn and cheap candy at home. Or, our theater has $1 popcorn on Tuesdays, so I may just stop by on my way home from work and treat them! We also plan on making our on bubbles and bath crayons as well.

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Su
We do the usual favorites of library, trail walks, $1 movies; but, I like to make up a box w/ craft items, boxes, stickers, yarn, chalk, paint(washable), etc. Then, there is always something on hand for crafts. We love to blow bubbles and make roads on the driveway w/chalk. Then, the kids ride their bikes around the roads they “built”.
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Donna
When my girls were little, we played beauty shop. I got out the velcro rollers and brushes and they would take turns “fixing” my hair. They thought it was fun and felt very relaxing to me so we all benefitted. I also let them file and paint my nails and rub lotion on my feet.
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Petra Remsperger

The YMCA has an application for assistance with the cost of membership for people with low-income. They go by a sliding scale. They have plenty of opportunities for kids to get some exercise (and the parents too ;) ).  Look out for specials on Groupon and Citismart…just got my daughter some horseback riding lessons for a great deal

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Thrifty summers is what we are all about here. With kids in private school, summer is our time to take advantage of all the fun free things around town and around our state. Living in FL and right on the coast – pool and beach days are almost part of everyday or at least a huge part of the week. We discovered http://www.kidsbowlfree.com a few years back for FREE bowling all summer and then some. We bought a pair of bowling shoes last summer (a size too big) and now we don’t have the extra cost of the shoes fee. I set up a summer calendar-FREE @ this sitehttp://anythingbutperfect.com/2011/05/free-printable-summer-2011-calendars/ and jot down all the library days, bowling days, pool, playdates, sleepovers, VBS, etc… this keeps us somewhat organized and I try to plan the same thing each week with some specials – just like summer camp only at Camp MOM

 

 

 

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Summer Fun ideas for the kids 6/27

06/27/2011 1:05 pm · 1 comment

Each day we will be posting our readers “Thrifty Tips for Entertaining the kids”.  At the end of the month,

one of you will win a $25.00 Gift Card For all the details click here.

Teresa
In the summer we have several local fishing derby’s for kids from 1-16 years old that take place in our county. Everything is FREE for all the kids and they all receive a special t-shirt, goodie bags, and depending on the age groups they all receive a prize ex: fishing rods, tackle boxes, life jackets, different types of camping gear. Awards given for biggest fish, most fish caught. All food and drinks are free for kids and adults. They always have Ronald Mcdonald and Smoky the Bear for games and safety advice. All you do is show up and bring a fishing pole to use. The community gets donations to do these events to show you can have fun outdoors and say no to drugs also. Everyone loves these events from young and old.
Lisa
Every summer our local library has a Summer Reading Program. Everything is totally free! The kids get to try new foods, play games, hear stories from around the world, watch new release movies, do arts and crafts and listen to great performances. All inside the cool library!
Karma
I bought my daughter mini gardening tools. Now while I am weeding, she plays happily in the dirt. We also like picnics in the park.
Charity
Hi, I have four wonderful kiddos, and we live in Oklahoma where it is very hot and humid and sometimes not safe to be outside. This is only our second summer here so this year Im trying to think of creative things to keep them happy. One idea I have geared towards my eight year old. She loves to help cook so were are going to find a lot of fun healthy recipes online or at the library and try them out together =)
Twyla
When I was little I wrote my mom a list of things I would be sure to do when I was a mom… it said things like make gingerbread houses in the summer… build forts and sleep in them…. have an adventure everyday… have dessert before dinner… etc…. my mom recently found this list and gave it to me, so lately I have been trying to do just I vowed I would as a 5yr old! Be silly and spontaneous and ask your kids what they will do as a parent- it gives you great ideas on what they really wish they could be doing:)
Melissa
We haven’t done this in several years, but when the kids were younger we would go on nature walks and take grocery sacks with us. We would pick up trash along the way. When they were little they loved the “hunt” and we were doing something good for the environment and the community.
NinaW
We too do the Summer Reading Program at the library. I just discovered Tinkerbell magazine at my library and my daughter wanted to do the coloring and activity pages. We checked out the magazine and at home used my home business printer/scanner/copier to make scanned in copies and print them so DD can do the activities again and again! Plus then little brother can do them too. Today we’re going back for more free magazines and to see what else we can find!

 

 

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Summer Fun for the Kids 6/23

06/23/2011 1:00 pm · 0 comments

Each day we will be posting our readers “Thrifty Tips for Entertaining the kids”.  At the end of the month,

one of you will win a $25.00 Gift Card For all the details click here.

Misty
The summer flys by so fast we tend to get swept up in the fun things and not remember others. So we make a point of signing up to volunteer at the local nursing home. It is cheep, free, and makes everyone feel great about what they have done. Everyone benefits!
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Jenn Z.
This fun activity isn’t something that has to be done during summer necessarily but we find it a great activity to do at dinner (family) time at the dinning room table with our four kiddos. Mom or Dad usually starts the game with saying a random word out loud(let’s just choose “thrifty”) as an example. Your turn is over once you speak your word and in clockwise order the next player has to choose one word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. So player one chose “thrifty” now player two has to choose a word that starts with “Y” since “thrifty” ends with “y”……like Yellow. This works as a great learning experience for the school aged kids to expand their vocabulary as well as teaches the younger kiddos the sound each letter makes! It also allows Mommy and Daddy to throw in a couple of new or silly words as well. It’s a great family game and can really create some laughs :O)
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Karin
We have a son who can’t get enough reading so we enrolled in the summer reading program at Borders. Read 10 books and get a book free. Here’s the link Enjoy! Here’s to reading your next adventure.
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Holly Reynolds
We started doing a coloring pages and story journal. Yesterday our cat ate a robins egg out of the nest. The kids were so excited to tell the story . I printed out a coloring page of a robins nest and a cat. The kids colored them. While they color I write the story. Then at night time sometimes they like me to read back their fun experiences. I also like to date them and write their ages so later on it will be a fun childhood journal to read to their kids.

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Keep your  Thrifty Tips coming!!!

Please submit your comments on this post here or to our email with the  word Thrifty Tips  on the subject line

 

 

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Summer Fun Ideas for the kids 6/22

06/22/2011 1:00 pm · 2 comments

Each day we will be posting our readers “Thrifty Tips for Entertaining the kids”.  At the end of the month,

one of you will win a $25.00 Gift Card For all the details click here.

Jill
I fill a bucket with water and put large sponges in the bucket along with water guns. The kids can squeeze the water out from the sponges to get wet, have a “SpongeBob” toss or just play with water guns and refill them with water from the bucket. I have also DVRed a ton of movies these past few weeks, so we can pop some popcorn and watch movies from the TV. Cool summer fun!!
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Angel
We will be swimming a lot!!!! We will also spend time at the library to do summer reading. Tomorrow we are going to try to bowl. That should be fun for all of us.
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Darlene
I love to take the kids during the summer to the kids museum for a more hands on learning experience. I also write up questions and then when we go to the zoo, state capital, a museum, or national park they have fun trying to find the answers. And it makes me happy that they are learning by having fun without knowing it

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Corinna
If most moms are like me, money is very tight. I don’t always have the money to pay for activities for kids, since I live on disability now. I am very lucky to have kids who are little troppers and understand this. I have found out that my kids love growing plants and vegetables. the easiest and cheapest idea I have found is letting my kids grow beans. All you need is beans, eveyone has beans. beans grow in any type of soil or dirt and really need no care at all. My 4 year old son loves watering his little plants everyday and watching them grow.
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Rebecca Wycoff
My 5 year old nephew stays with my husband and I on the weekends. In the summer we spend a lot of time at our local zoo. It is free and most of the exhibits are interactive. There are tunnels to crawl through to get up and close with the river otters and the praire dogs. Also there is a petting zoo, a butterfly garden and an exhibit of animals froms Australia that you can walk through. There are also fountains that you can play in.
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Karla
Water fun day. I buy an inexpensive water slide, turn on sprinklers, and we fill balloons with water. It keeps them cool and entertained for a couple hours.
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Lisa
I manage a website here at the National Council of Teachers of English called ReadWriteThink.org, . The site provides free lesson plans, interactive student materials and Web resources linked to ELA standards for classroom teachers. We also have a section on our site called “Parent & Afterschool Resources”, . Here we have activities that I feel would be a good answer to your question.

Keep your  Thrifty Tips coming!!!

Please submit your comments on this post here or to our email with the  word Thrifty Tips  on the subject line

 

 

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