Free and Cheap Fun for Families Around Town

It is easy to blow the budget in the summertime. There are so many great theme parks, museums, and camps to try. But spending a bundle isn't necessary for having a great time. 

Lowe's Build-and-Grow 

In the summertime, there are so many free and cheap programs for kids. The best was to find out about these activities are tips I mentioned in the article for finding local events. Some programs have to be signed-up for, and in a family-friendly area like Gilbert, AZ, those fill up fast. My advice is to register as soon as possible, even if you aren't sure you can make it or that it's something your kids will want to do. You can always cancel later.

Some of our favorite free summer programs include:

• Disney Play Days-Stop by the Disney Store for activities including Art of Animation, Storytime, Trivia, and Showtime. Last year, kids got a different button to put on a lanyard each

  

  Disney Play Days - Art of Animation

  week that they attended an event. These events are happening June, July, and August. Times and activities vary weekly so call ahead to find out what time to attend.
• Storytime at bookstores-Barnes & Noble stores frequently have story times and family-friendly events. You can find them on your local stores website. Some BN stores offer more programs than others so if you have more than one in your area, check both. They also have a summer reading program that let's kids earn a free book. Local bookstores love to get families in there and often have reading stories or programs, too.
• library programs-The summer reading program at the Maricopa County Libraries was pretty lame last year, with no weekly incentives or goals beyond digital badges. BUT there are still some fun programs going on. We have both county and city libraries. The county library's activities have a limit of attendees and fill up quickly. I love Chandler City libraries. They also have some events that have to be registered for, but they offer lots of free programs for all ages and don't seem to be as crowded. They also offer the Culture Pass which allows you to "check out" 2 free passes to local museums, gardens, and zoos. Many libraries have similar programs so check yours.
• free summer lunch programs-Certain schools offer free lunches (and breakfasts) to kids ages 1-18 years throughout the summer. These aren't just for poor families. The schools want you to attend because they get funded based on the number of people that attend. To find free lunch in your area just do a quick internet search.   
• Bass Pro Family Summer Camp-for about a month in the summer (usually around July), families can participate in free activities and crafts. Check your local Bass Pro for specific times and dates.
• Home Depot & Lowe's Kids Workshops-These are offered year-round but get pretty busy in the summer. Be sure to register early for Lowe's and show up early for Home Depot (registration is not required but they do like to have an idea how many people are going to show up). My kids love collecting new project patches for their Lowe's aprons. Their favorite things about Home Depot that you get to paint your project. They do have recommended ages for these programs, but they let any age kids participate with their parents. 

  

  San Tan Village Splash Pad

Parks and splash pads are also a great, free summer option. Since it gets so hot here, we sometimes head to the park right when we wake up, which is between 6 and 7 A.M. If we're wanting to play at a park later in the day, you better bet it will have a splash pad and Mama will be right in there with the kids. Here is my list of splash pads in the Greater Phoenix area.

Cow Appreciation Day

To find cheap activities, check Groupon, Living Social, and local mailers. They often have discount tickets, or even better, museum/zoo memberships. The Arizona Science Center recently had a Groupon for a family pass. Not only will that let us enjoy the Science Center all summer, they are also part of the ASTC Passport program that allows members to get in free to museums all over the country. 

Most movie theaters offer a kids summer movie program. Here they show previously released movies for $1 and also offer concession deals. Check your local theater for details.

Make sure to take advantage of free days at local museums, zoos, and gardens. The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is free the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Some restaurants also offer free days. One of our favorites is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Dress like a cow for a free meal.

What are your free and cheap activities around town? Share your favorites in a comment.

Finding Family-Friendly Activities on Vacation

Woo-hoo! Time to explore someplace new. I love traveling to new places, but traveling with kids is a whole different kind of adventure. What places are best to explore and dine at with families? Yelp reviews are great but don't always mention if the top restaurant is good for kids. And although everyone suggests you visit the art museum, you need to if you are going to be given rotten looks for bringing your children. Read on to find out how to find the best family-friendly activities and restaurants on vacation.

Lake Tahoe-Summer 2014

There are some great websites for family travel. My favorite, and the top family-travel community in the US, is Trekaroo.com. Here you can read parent-written reviews about activities, events, restaurants, and hotels. You can also ask for advice from traveling experts and read tips and blog articles specific to your traveling destination. Be sure to write your own reviews after visiting places so other parents can benefit for your experience.

Green Acres Dairy Farm in Ogden, Utah

Use the tips for finding field trips and local events, specifically the following:

• Do an internet search for factory tours & field trips near your destination. 
• Check your destination's tourism website for family-friendly events going on during your stay
• Find the local Macaroni Kid community online and see what events they're promoting

You know those displays with all the brochures in hotel lobbies? Besides being collectors items and souvenirs for my kids, these brochures are a great source of information. Sometimes an activity looks much more enjoyable than it sounded once you add pictures. These pamphlets also sometimes contain coupons, so don't ignore the ones for locations you were planning to visit already. Also, be on the lookout for free recreation magazines when you visit children's museums or local libraries. 

Eastmark Great Park in Mesa, Arizona

Talk to the locals and hotel employees. They live there. They know the town's secret hot spots. Most of the time, they love to share the best places for families, especially when they've seen your cute kids. If you have someplace you want to try but aren't sure if it's family-friendly, these are the people to ask. I've found some unique parks and restaurants on the advice of other parents. 

How to Find & Set Up a Family Field Trip

Field trips are the best, not just because they are s break from regular school days, but because you get to go behind the scenes and learn cool things you didn't know before.  I love finding factories, bakeries, farms, and restaurants that offer tours. So how do I go about doing that? Read on to discover all the tips and tricks for setting up your own family field trips this summer.

Finding Field Trip and Tours

Tip #1: The Internet is your friend. Homeschool groups out together lists for possible field trips and share them all the time. Do a quick search of "field trip ideas in Phoenix" or "factory tours near Phoenix" and you'll get some nice lists to start from. The only problem with these lists are some of them are outdated so just make sure to verify details before you show up somewhere. These list are also not all inclusive. New places decide to add tours all the time. If you want to visit a bakery, do a search for "bakery tours" in your area and you may find something new. I like to do a search for candy factory tours in whatever city we are visiting because those are our favorites (free samples).

Tip #2: Take note of your kids and friend's field trips throughout the school year. Did your son's scout troop visit the recycling center? Get the details from his scout leader and save them on your Pinterest board (see previous planning post here). Did your friend post an Instagram picture on a field trip with her kiddos at the dairy farm? Make a note of the location so you can visit there in the summer. Preschools go on great field trips and usually preschool teachers are willing to share their contacts if you ask.

Tip #3: It's ok to ask. If there is a place you think would be really great to have a tour of, but you've never heard of them doing one before, muster up some courage and give them a phone call. Just ask if they would be willing to give a tour of their factory, store, etc. Or do you have a friend who works someplace cool, like a newspaper? Ask the friend to hook you up with a behind-the-scenes look at how their workplace operates. If you are browsing around your local farmers market and want to show the little ones where their food comes from, turn to the produce stand nearest you and ask if they would be willing to show your kids around their farm sometime. Great field trips and tours can be found by asking the right people.

Setting up a Family Field Trip

Tip #1: Find some field trip loving friends. When setting up field trips and tours, hosting locations think you are a lot less strange if you say you are with some organization verses a family. Find a few friends so you have a good group of at least 8 kids, then when you call to set up a field trip, say you are a mother's group. A mother's group is just a group of moms and kid that go on planned outings, but it sounds more official than "me and my friends." 

Tip #2: Let Field Trip Factory do the work for you. There is a great resource for educators called Field Trip Factory. One of our most important jobs as parents is to educate or children, so this resource is for us as well. All you do is enter your zip code and a list of free field trip options pops up. Select the "book now" button on the trip you would like to take, enter your group's information, and field trip factory will get everything set up for you. Last year I wanted to book a grocery store field tip last minute (only one week notice) and a Field Trip Factory representative called around to 5 different stores for me until she found one that would host our trip. 

Tip #3: Call to set up tours at least 2 weeks in advance. Locations that are used to giving tours usually have set times these tours are available and specific employees that guide them. Usually two weeks is enough notices to fit you into their schedule, but be aware that some do require more notice.

Tip #4: Call a few days in advance to confirm. I have showed up at places that had no idea we were coming. It is pretty awkward. Avoid the awkwardness by calling and confirming that your dates, tes, and location are correct.

How to Find Local Events for Families

Sometimes when we go to a local fair or festival, I'll have people ask how I even knew about it. This post will show you how to make sure you don't miss out on special events in your neck of the woods.

Tempe, Arizona's annual Aloha Festival

Facebook

Most of the time, I find out about great family events just by scrolling through my Facebook feed. There are a few places you should make sure you are following:

• your city's convention and visitor bureau: They will post all the major events going on. If you live near a major city, follow them as well as the surrounding communities you visit. I live in Gilbert, Arizona, so I follow Visit Phoenix, Visit Mesa (which covers Gilbert, Queen Creek, and some others), Chandler Office of Tourism, Tempe Tourism Office, and Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau
• local deal blog: If you don't already know of a great deal blog in your area, do a quick google search and you're sure to find one. It's even better if the blogger is also a parent because then they are more likely to post about family-friendly events. By following them on facebook, you should see free and cheap events and activities in your area. They will usually post about discounts you can find for events as well. My favorite deal site for the Phoenix area is Alicia's Deals.
• local macaroni kid: Macaroni Kid is a national organization with local communities managed by a local parent. They post events and activities going on in your area specifically for kids. Sometimes they even host their own events. Some Macaroni Kid publishers do a better job about keeping up on events than others so you may want to check out the communities surrounding yours as well. For the Gilbert area, I like to follow East Mesa Macaroni Kid.
• your favorite zoos, museums, and play places: Zoos, museums, and even family-friendly restaurants often host their own events. These can include parties, discount days, theme days, or special events. If you are following your family's favorite places to go, you'll be sure to see the special activities they are having

Recreation Magazines and Guides

Most communities have a recreation department that publishes a seasonal guide. In these you'll usually find the classes offered by the city, but there is usually a section just for seasonal events. The city of Chandler, AZ publishes a free magazine called BreakTime that you can find in the Chandler libraries.

For Arizona, there is a great magazine called Raising Arizona Kids. It has a calendar of events for the month. This is a private publication and you can pay for a subscription to come to your house, or you can pick it up for free at one of the local library.

Libraries are a great resource to find publications about local events. You can usually find an area full of flyers and booklets. Look around and you're sure to find something that has a calendar of events.

Email Subscriptions

Get information about local events coming straight to your inbox! Subscribe to your local library, your favorite Macaroni Kid community, and your favorite places to visit around town.

Word of Mouth

Ask your friend's what they are up to this summer or if they know of any events that shouldn't been missed. It's always grea to have recommendations from people who've experienced these events before.

Google Search

If we have a open weekend, sometimes I just do a google search, "Family events in Gilbert this weekend." There are so many online events calendars. This is usually my last resort for finding family events, though, just because there is so much to search through and a lot of it is not relevant to my family.

Planning for Summer 2015

Planning out 75 days of summer may seem like a big task, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some easy tips to start planning now to have the best summer vacation experience with your kids:

Plan Ahead

I don't mean, schedule out your whole summer. I mean when you see an idea, save it. Know what your options are and where to find them. I have a pinterest board where I save all my summer field trip ideas for the Phoenix area and craft ideas. I also like to make pinterest boards for the places I'm taking summer vacations. Check out the dates for local events and add them to your calendar so you don't miss them. (You can find my growing list of Phoenix area festivals here)

Be Flexible

Summertime is a time to relax, not follow a strict schedule. I try to avoid scheduling my summer as much as possible. I usually have an idea of what I want to do each day, but the time depends on how we are feeling or when chores get done. Sometimes we wake up and decide its more of a craft day than a museum day, and that's ok. When something does have to be on a schedule, like a field trip, I try to make sure it's late enough in the day that we can enjoy our leisurely summer morning, gets chores done and get dressed without being in a rush.